ABC News war correspondent Richard Gizbert is suing the network for firing him when he refused to go to Iraq.
Gizbert, who joined the network in 1993 and was assigned to its London bureau at the time he was dismissed, claims that he was axed because he refused an assignment to report from Iraq. Although he had previously reported from Chechnya and Bosnia-Herzegovina, he said he believed that the Iraq assignment was different since journalists had seemingly become targeted by both sides in that conflict.
In an interview last month with the Los Angeles Times, Gizbert said that he was told by Marcus Wilford, ABC’s London bureau chief: “‘We’ve decided to terminate you. ABC wants to replace you with a correspondent who will travel to war zones.’ I said, “You’re firing me because I won’t go to war zones?’ ‘No,’ he said, “we’re terminating you and replacing you with someone who will.’ And I said: “Isn’t that the same thing?'”
Under a code of practice that ABC News has signed, “assignments to war zones or hostile environments must be voluntary.”
Since the war began in March 2003, 66 reporters have been killed in the conflict, with many of them being specifically targeted by the insurgents.
Gizbert was interviewed about this in the September 16 edition of On the Media.
State Senator George C. Runner, Jr., stopped by the Daily Press in Victorville yesterday morning to meet with reporters and editors. Reporter Miguel Gonzalez has a story on what Runner talked in today’s paper.
I interviewed Runner Monday afternoon and an article following up on his letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will appear in the next edition of the Star.
This wasn’t a surprise to me: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has struck a deal with two tribes to build casinos in the High Desert city of Barstow.
This was, however:
September 9, 2005
Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor, State of California
State Capitol Building, First Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
I am writing regarding your announcement of new state tribal gaming compacts with the Big Lagoon Rancheria of Humboldt County, and the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians of San Diego County.
Both of these tribes are located more than one hundred miles away from the sites of the proposed casinos within the City of Barstow that has a direct impact on the communities of the High Desert which I represent.
Additionally, your proclamation issued on May 18, 2005 expressly states that you would not allow a tribe to conduct gaming on newly acquired land, unless there was a vote of the local jurisdiction and a local advisory vote of the local community.
I believe that off-site gaming is such an extraordinary expansion of gaming and it includes impacts beyond just the directly affected community that any demonstration of local support must be through an advisory vote that includes surrounding affected communities. Due to the controversial nature of this vote, I actually feel the threshold should be more than a simple majority vote.
Therefore, I will be authoring legislation in January 2006, which clearly defines the parameters for these situations. Please feel free to contact me in the future regarding this issue.
Sincerely,
George C. Runner, Jr.
Senator, 17th District
So much for my being able to accurately read the local political landscape with any sort of accuracy.
And yes, the Timbisha Shoshone tribe are located more than 100 miles from Hesperia, although the land they want to build their casino on here would be added to their reservation lands, under a provision in the Timbisha Homeland Act.
All of Hesperia is within Runner’s district.
Interesting times …
The Daily Press story on the Barstow casino decision and Runner’s reaction.
The LA Times story.
The San Bernardino County Sun’s take.
As part of my trying to learn how to be a better journalist, I’m trying to do more follow-up stories. The next edition of the Star, I’ll have a follow-up on last week’s story about the animal shelter fund-raiser, saying what happened to some of the pets featured in the article. And, of course, that meant taking new pictures. More will appear on Page B2 of the September 13 edition of the paper.
Some pictures from the last time I visited the shelter can be found here and here.
The September 13 story.
From the Associated Press Stylebook, 2004 edition, page 49:
citizen, resident, subject, national, native A citizen is the person who has acquired the full civil rights of a nation either by birth or naturalization. Cities and states do no not confer citizenship. To avoid confusion, use resident, not citizen, in referring to inhabitants of states and cities.
Citizen is also acceptable for those in the United Kingdom, or other monarchies where the term subject is often used.
National is applied to a person residing away from the nation of which he or she is a citizen, or to a person under the protection of a specified nation.
Native is the term denoting that an individual was born in a given location.
I know that conflicts with the surprisingly sloppy dictionary definition, but it still bugs me hearing the word used loosely, especially by people who know full well that there’s no such thing as Hesperia citizenship.
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