To Be or Not to Be

Wartime correspondents are a valid and critical aspect to obtaining the overall picture of war and military conflicts. This paper examined the roles of embedded and unilateral reporters during wartime and answers the two questions; how do the media see the role of unilateral and embedded reporters during wartime and how does the military view the roles of unilateral and embedded reporters during wartime? This qualitative analysis used in-depth interviewing to gain a perspective of the perceived benefits and disadvantages of embedded and unilateral reporting. This analysis included viewpoints from the general military officer population, public affairs officers, embedded reporters, and unilateral reporters. Moreover, this paper explored why both types of reporting are required in order for the public to obtain a complete perspective toward the military conflict. This research shows how unilateral and embedded reporting complement each other on the battlefield; and therefore, should be viewed as a part of the overall media package and makes recommendations to improve the military's relationship with the media to include embedded and unilateral reporters.