AU alumnus and Fox News Channel reporter Rick Levanthal came to talk with students and answer questions about his nine weeks covering Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq on March 5.
Leventhal shared his experiences covering the war from different areas such as pre-war planning, security issues, relationships with the troops and interacting with the local Iraqi people. During the war, Leventhal was attached to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Division. He spent three weeks embedded before major combat operations ended, and three weeks in Iraq after combat ended.
Before the war began, Leventhal attended a Department of Defense boot camp intended primarily for the embedded reporters traveling to Iraq.
During his time in Iraq, he and his crew had several bodyguards who were former British Special Forces soldiers, as well as a private security firm. Other security measures Leventhal took included always wearing a bulletproof flak jacket, a Kevlar helmet, and traveling in armored SUVs.
To express the seriousness of the security situation for reporters in Iraq, Leventhal said that in the past, reporters would wear flak jackets that had the word "PRESS" on them, in order to distinguish themselves from anybody who might hurt them. In contrast to that, Leventhal said now, in Iraq, enemy forces would ignore the flak jacket - making him just as much of a target as a U.S. soldier.
One of the most harrowing experiences of his travels during the war was when his 100-vehicle convoy approached a formation of 200 Iraqi troops during the night. The Marines had night vision equipment and attacked and killed the Iraqi troops before they had a chance to defend themselves.
Upon obtaining a lead on a story, Leventhal said it was not just a matter of rushing to the scene of the story. A discussion was always held with the Fox News Channel bureau chief, and the security team about the security risks of traveling to the scene of the story. Leventhal ultimately had the final decision, but in his presentation he said he left the security decision entirely up to the bureau chief and the security team.
Perhaps as a result of this, one of the worst parts about reporting from Iraq was leaving his family. However, Leventhal said leaving his family and volunteering for the assignment was hard but he did not want to miss the chance to cover the "ultimate assignment," that being a war.
Another important issue Leventhal spoke about was the amount of control the military had over his statements in his reports. In response to a question from the audience, Leventhal said the military had no control over what he reported, but that sometimes the military would urge Leventhal not to report something in order to preserve the image of the military being in good shape.
In an example of this, Leventhal told a story about the military's lack of food for the troops on their march to Baghdad. During the march, Levventhal and the rest of the soldiers were consistently eating 1.5 meals ready to eat (MRE) per day.
In one instance, Leventhal appeared live on air with Fox News Channel anchor Shepard Smith, when Smith said that he knew Leventhal was not eating three meals per day. When Smith asked this, he responded by saying it was true that there was only enough food for 1.5 MRE per day for all the soldiers. Upon going off the air, Leventhal was approached by a soldier who said he wished Leventhal had not said that on air in order to keep the military's image in good shape.
Also discussed was Leventhal's relationship with the soldiers. He said, upon first arriving with the soldiers, he did not blend in because soldiers didn't want to deal with reporters. Then, when he began to speak to soldiers more, and build a rapport with them, he got good interviews with them. The rapport was also built off the air when at night when Leventhal would spend time talking to the troops and trading stories about their wives, girlfriends, what they do for fun and other things. He said despite his bonds with the soldiers, he was able to remain impartial while reporting.
One of the most interesting parts of the presentation though was the reception he got from the local Iraqis. When he first arrived in Iraq, he had limited interaction with the locals. As time went on though, he would see people ogling him, children waving and screaming happily at him, and men sinisterly staring at him. He also said that the local Iraqis are very supportive of Coalition Provisional Authority running the occupation of Iraq.
Leventhal has covered some of the most widely reported stories in recent time including the space shuttle Columbia explosion, the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and the TWA Flight 800 crash off the coast of Long Island, N.Y.
