Comments by Eason Jordan, Chief News Executive of CNN, at a World Economic Forum (WEF) panel in Davos, Switzerland, concerning journalists killed in Irak have stirred up controversy in the blogging world. Apparently, Jordan, perhaps speaking before thinking, implied that journalists had been the targets of US soldiers. Accounts of the discussion vary and the WEF will not release the tapes. Some, such as David Gergen of Harvard's Kennedy School and US News, assert that Jordan did indeed say something to that effect, but quickly clarified his statement saying that he didn't believe they had been targeted specifically because they were journalists. Others, like Barney Frank, a US Congressman, said Jordan backed off on his comments and when asked to provide proof in order to start an investigation, did not respond. Richard Sambrook, Director of BBC World Service and Global News, gives his own opinion of the situation on PressThink: "This culture of "closing ranks" coupled with hostile comments about the media from senior politicians and others, has led some in the media community (not necessarily Eason or myself) to believe the military are careless as to whether journalists are killed or not and to no longer respect the traditional right to report." Sambrook is now "leading an international committee of inquiry into the reasons for the major increase in journalist fatalities around the world," in hopes of improving journalists' safety and facilitating investigations into their deaths.

Source: PressThink and BuzzMachine. See also The Washington Post (registration required).