2008 Woodie Awards
Native-born journalist discusses her time in Iraq
Issue date: 4/17/08
CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier has survived a car bomb attack in Baghdad, covered the hunt for Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan, and reported on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian violence, but she still faces an enormous challenge: keeping increasingly uninterested Americans aware of developments in Iraq and the Middle East.
Fortunately for Dozier, "surviving a car bomb is great training for surviving American journalism."
Dozier's speech in Hodson Hall Wednesday night drew a crowd of locals, faculty and students, bringing a strong finale to the Foreign Affairs Symposium's spring line-up entitled "A Decade of Discussion."
Her speech spanned across a range of topics, from the numerous challenges she faced reporting from Iraq to the importance of unbiased journalism in America today.
Dozier opened by describing how she was critically injured May 29, 2006, Memorial Day, by a car bomb.
"I lost most of my blood and I was told my heart stopped twice," Dozier said.
"But the surgeons said, 'No, no, no, your heart stopped five times. You tried to die for two hours.'"
Dozier was transported to the United States and eventually recovered from her injuries; the same attack that injured Dozier killed two of her crew members, a translator and an American soldier.
Insurgents target members of the press for numerous reasons, according to Dozier. Whereas journalists in Iraq "used to stand next to targets, now we are the targets." However, foreigners are not the only ones being targeted by insurgents.
"Speaking out on television was enough to get you killed. It still is," Dozier said. Even simply cooperating with Americans can endanger Iraqi lives. "Iraqi colleagues have to lie to their neighbors. They have had close calls and death threats," Dozier said.
She recalled one instance when "there were some very brave guys who insisted on working without masks, and a lot of them are dead." Others from her original crew have "gotten out," moving to neighboring countries like Jordan.
Fortunately for Dozier, "surviving a car bomb is great training for surviving American journalism."
Dozier's speech in Hodson Hall Wednesday night drew a crowd of locals, faculty and students, bringing a strong finale to the Foreign Affairs Symposium's spring line-up entitled "A Decade of Discussion."
Her speech spanned across a range of topics, from the numerous challenges she faced reporting from Iraq to the importance of unbiased journalism in America today.
Dozier opened by describing how she was critically injured May 29, 2006, Memorial Day, by a car bomb.
"I lost most of my blood and I was told my heart stopped twice," Dozier said.
"But the surgeons said, 'No, no, no, your heart stopped five times. You tried to die for two hours.'"
Dozier was transported to the United States and eventually recovered from her injuries; the same attack that injured Dozier killed two of her crew members, a translator and an American soldier.
Insurgents target members of the press for numerous reasons, according to Dozier. Whereas journalists in Iraq "used to stand next to targets, now we are the targets." However, foreigners are not the only ones being targeted by insurgents.
"Speaking out on television was enough to get you killed. It still is," Dozier said. Even simply cooperating with Americans can endanger Iraqi lives. "Iraqi colleagues have to lie to their neighbors. They have had close calls and death threats," Dozier said.
She recalled one instance when "there were some very brave guys who insisted on working without masks, and a lot of them are dead." Others from her original crew have "gotten out," moving to neighboring countries like Jordan.
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