On Aug. 4, the Pentagon agreed to henceforth respond, as expeditiously as possible, to all future Freedom of Information requests for photos of the returning coffins of service members killed in Iraq. In press accounts, credit for this change of course -- the result of a legal settlement -- was often given to a surprising source: a j-school professor in Delaware.
Ralph Begleiter, a professor of communication and distinguished journalist in residence at the University of Delaware, filed a FOIA lawsuit in the fall of 2004, accusing the Pentagon of using delaying tactics in response to his repeated requests for the images. "I'm not one who thinks we should sue for the sake of suing, but we accomplished a goal," he says. "My feeling is that these photos are being created for documenting the progress of the war, and that documentation of war ought to be part of the public record."
Begleiter worked as a foreign correspondent for CNN from 1981 to 1999 before turning to teaching. "I've been a little surprised that journalist hopefuls seem a little reluctant about the concept of challenging authority," he says. "So I talk about the Freedom of Information Act as one way citizens can challenge their government, not only legally but with good purpose. That's the whole watchdog function of the news media."
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