BBC journalists reporting for the World Service, both
embedded with coalition forces and reporters travelling
independently, provided insight and analysis during the Iraq war
“An American warplane has bombed a Kurdish convoy in northern Iraq which had
been joined by members of the US Special Forces, killing several people in a ‘friendly
fire incident’.” The BBC’s world affairs editor John Simpson who was travelling
with the convoy broadcast live from the scene minutes after the attack. His translator
Kamaran Abdurazaq Muhamed was one of those killed
To cover the conflict in Iraq, and events leading up to it, BBC World Service’s
English network mounted its most comprehensive news operation – the
largest it has ever undertaken
As the first bombs fell on Baghdad, news teams
began over 220 hours of live, continuous coverage
on the English network, combining vivid eyewitness
reportage from the hear t of the conflict with
analysis from the World Service’s team of
specialists on diplomatic, military and Islamic affairs.
In Iraq, news teams reported directly from
Baghdad and the north of the country on the
Kurdish response and the advance of coalition
forces. Despite the fact that their reports and
movements were restricted by Iraqi Ministry
of Information officials, Andrew Gilligan, Rageh
Omaar and Paul Wood, together with Bureau
Editor Paul Danahar, were able to maintain
a regular supply of compelling reports from
the capital.
“Many other media organisations were expelled
from Baghdad before and during the war and we
lived with the constant fear that we would also be
forced off air at any moment,” says Peter Burdin,
Assignment Editor,World Newsgathering. “It is
a tribute to the professionalism and accuracy of
our team that they were able to stay on air, even
through the final days when their hotel suffered
a direct hit, killing several of their colleagues from
the international press. They demonstrated the
highest levels of maturity and courage and were
able to tell the story of the fall of Baghdad for
our audiences around the world.”
More than 150 correspondents, producers and technical
staff were involved in special programmes of hour-by-hour news
coverage, debate and discussion
BBC World Service reporters also gained
unprecedented access to frontline action, with
more than a dozen teams ‘embedded’ with UK
and US military forces during the conflict. The
result of weeks of negotiation with the Ministry of
Defence and the Pentagon prior to the war, these
teams were a key source of eyewitness material.
“Thanks to the revolution in satellite telephone
technology, our reporters were able to file live
from the battlefield, giving our audiences a closer
glimpse of war than ever before,” says Peter Burdin.
“We received breaking news on the military
engagements as the fighting unfolded. They were
our eyes and ears on the ground, giving us a better
grasp of the story than in any previous conflict.”
“We were ‘embeds’ with a unit keen to have us on
board, so from the start we were not treated like
outsiders but as an integral part of the team,” says
correspondent Clive Myrie, who was embedded
with the Royal Marines 40 Commando Unit. “The
pressures were enormous, having, of course, to
deal with the dangers of life close to the frontline
of a major conflict, but also the daily pressure of
not knowing whether or not we would get our
material on air. I hope we managed to give a little
bit of insight into what life is like for a marine
fighting a war.We could never hope to provide
a wide-ranging view of the war overall – what
we provided was a valuable snapshot, I think.”
BBC World Service’s experts on defence and
military strategy ensured that these eyewitness
accounts were put into context, as well as
exploring what the war meant to the Arab world
and the wider international community. Defence
Correspondents, based at the headquarters
of the US Central Command in Qatar, provided
regular analysis of the military position.
“During the conflict it proved essential not just
to report what Central Command was saying,
but to report what was happening on the ground
with the accuracy and impartiality our audiences
expect – but also to find room for the widest
possible range of voices and perspectives. BBC
News journalists and programme-makers worked
closely with the regional specialists in the Arabic
and the other language services to make the
most of the World Service’s unique strengths,”
said Phil Harding, Director English Networks and
News. “And listeners told us in unprecedented
numbers what they thought of the war. There
were so many conflicting views, it proved essential
to try to guide our audience to as complete an
understanding of the conflict as we could provide,”
he added.
In London, the World Service trebled the size
of its specialist unit to ensure that experts
were available to provide analysis live 24 hours
a day. The team included experienced diplomatic
correspondents William Horsley and Barnaby
Mason, plus additional World Affairs
correspondents and reporters.
News teams reported from Kuwait, Bahrain,
Jordan, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and
Turkey. To give audiences access to a wider range
of voices, sections of major news programmes
were presented directly from Amman, Kuwait
City and Cairo, as well as from Washington and
the UN headquarters in New York.
“One great example from Jordan was a debate
on the war between Jordanian, Kuwaiti, Saudi and
Iraqi analysts and academics,” says Liliane Landor,
Editor, Programmes, BBC World Service News
and Current Affairs. “It was so compelling that
many in the department stood still just listening
to it. To hear all those different Arab voices and to
find out how the separate representatives saw the
situation was absolutely fascinating, and their views
were not necessarily what one would expect.”
“The strange thing for me, as a first-time visitor
to Egypt, was the extent of anti-American feeling
among the people when the government there
is ostensibly pro-American,” says correspondent
Mark Doyle, who was based in Cairo. “There
were lots of noisy demonstrations at mosques and
universities. They were not really violent but more
formulaic, with shouting, then suppression from
the massive police presence because people know
from long experience that they will be locked up
if they go further.”
Throughout its coverage of the conflict, BBC
World Service ensured that listeners could hear
from all the different groups with an important
perspective on the conflict. Studio discussions
featured experts from Arab and non-Arab Muslim
countries, as well as those from Britain and the
USA. The views of people and politicians in
countries such as France, Germany and Russia
who opposed the coalition action were given
prominence, too. Coverage also examined the
impact of the crisis on important long-running
global relationships, for example between the
US and Europe, and the role of the UN.
It was not only experts and officials who were
able to voice their opinions. Through its interactive
programming, BBC World Service invited listeners
to share their views. Setting a new precedent for
audience participation, letters, emails, telephone
calls and, for the first time, SMS text messages
provided an immediate response to events from
audiences around the world.
“It has been vital to our credibility to give as
broad a perspective on the story as possible,” says
Mary Hockaday, Editor, BBC World Service News
Programmes and Current Affairs. “Whether it’s
a five-minute bulletin or a rolling broadcast, we
have tried to put the detail into a bigger picture.”
