Civilian Media Part of Joint Task Force Guantanamo Focus

Photo By Vaughn Larson | Randall Mikkelsen, a security and justice correspondent for Reuters News, was among national media to visit Guantanamo Bay Sept. 22-25, 2008 to cover court motions for the alleged co-conspirators of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Mikkelsen and other media who visit here stay at the JTF's Camp Justice and are provided escorts into the Expeditionary Legal Complex here, where military commissions trials for the alleged Sept. 11 co-conspirators are being held. JTF Guantanamo conducts safe, humane, legal and transparent care and custody of detained enemy combatants, including those convicted by military commission and those ordered released. The JTF conducts intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination for the protection of detainees and personnel working in JTF Guantanamo facilities and in support of the Global War on Terror. JTF Guantanamo provides support to the Office of Military Commissions, to law enforcement and to war crimes investigations. The JTF conducts planning for and, on order, responds to Caribbean mass migration operations.  

09.23.2008

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Vaughn Larson 

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

By Vaughn Larson
Joint Task Force - Guantanamo

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – The eyes and ears of the world have been on Joint Task Force Guantanamo since it took a prominent role in the Global War on Terror.

The civilian media have been those eyes and ears.

Media attention has surged with the progress of the military commissions, representing major newspapers, news services, broadcast and cable networks from the United States and countries around the world.

Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, the military judge presiding over the trial of the alleged Sept. 11 co-conspirators noted the role of the media during proceedings Sept. 23, 2008.

"They have a very challenging job of taking large blocks of information and putting it out in a couple columns," he said.

One of those media representatives facing that challenge is Randall Mikkelsen, a 20-year veteran news writer for Thomson-Reuters. Currently on his third visit to Guantanamo Bay, he said he came expecting to find a good story – the fate of the detainees, human rights justice and the history of the Global War on Terror.

"The story is here," he confirmed. "I'm learning a lot."

Because Reuters serves a global audience, Mikkelsen said the detainees are referred to in his reports as militants, not terrorists.

"We do try to present an even-handed picture of what is going on," he explained. "Very few people in the world are able to see what goes on in these courtrooms. It's a rare opportunity to hear an arbitrated debate over their guilt and innocence. It also provides an opportunity to hear and report details about suspects' lives, confinement and treatment, as well as the crimes for which they are being tried."

Reporters find themselves in a different environment while here – adequate and challenging at the same time, Mikkelsen said. Operational security concerns translate into some restrictions. There are other logistical and procedural obstacles to overcome as well.

"You take your cell phone for granted, and that's hard here," he admitted. "Living in tents [at Camp Justice] is a change – it's fun in limited doses."

The civilian media receive some logistical support – escorts inside the Expeditionary Legal Complex, transportation, lodging, meals – from members of the JTF Public Affairs Office and Navy individual augmentees assigned to commissions media support.

But there is a payoff, Mikkelsen said.

"I've covered a fair amount of stories in my life – the White House, the Sept. 11 attacks, the [President Bill] Clinton impeachment," he said. "This will go down as a real highlight, a real moment in history.

"It's a real privilege to cover."

www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil

• Date Taken: 09.23.2008
• Date Posted: 09.30.2008 11:23
• Story ID: 24331