On the Front Lines

In his 1995 book On the Front Lines, Michael Emery discusses the difficulties American foreign correspondents faced in trying to factually report international news in the 20th Century. Emery's main notion is that as a democracy, the United States depends on a free press to inform the public on foreign policy issues and wars. A major concern is that the stories filed by the journalists often fail to get printed. Emery blames this on a number of factors ranging from the inexperience of some journalists in foreign affairs, the indifference many publishers and editors have regarding international news, government censorship and lies, and even self-censorship. In spite of this, he commends the efforts of the many correspondents who managed to get vital news to the public. The book's major theme is the heroic efforts of foreign correspondents in spite of the many difficulties they faced getting their stories to the public in the 20th Century.

Another theme that Emery carries through the book is the damaging role of politics regarding the public right to know. He quotes a journalist who covered the Vietnam

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