Department of Communication

NPR's John Burnett Tells TU Students about Covering the World

Burnett said it was sometimes hard to write objectively and tried to avoid being sympathetic to the troops he lived with.

By Kate Kramer (B.A. Engl '11)

NPR reporter, John Burnett was a guest lecturer for the Communication Department in October 2008. His manner was open and candid as he joked about his experiences and poked fun at rival news organizations as he talked about his career in journalism. Burnett, 52, has worked for National Public Radio for 22 years. His official title is NPR regional correspondent, but Burnett calls himself a “roving reporter.” He’s covered stories from Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, to immigration, energy, and the war in Iraq.

He spoke frankly about his war experiences. He said the military embedded 600 reporters in the troops in Iraq, hoping to control the flow of information. Burnett said it was sometimes hard to write objectively and tried to avoid being sympathetic to the troops he lived with. He said there was a spirit of “shared adversity” between the people stationed in Iraq. “Your heart goes out to them, but you have to be able to report critically on them in the same second,” Burnett said. Burnett had to be careful if his stories reflected poorly on the military. If he wrote too many negative stories, he was in danger of losing his sources and freedom of mobility. He explained the issue this way: “Do negative stories on the military; you’re burning your bridge.”

Burnett said that he used human-interest stories on military life to balance out the negative ones. He walked through the encampment and interviewed people with interesting jobs, like the bomb defusers or an army psychiatrist.

Burnett said the soldiers he lived with valued his satellite phone and computer because the devices allowed them to communicate with family and friends. The soldiers could rarely call home, so Burnett sometimes traded the use of his phone for favors. “There’s no more precious commodity than communication,” Burnett said.
 
Although communication was prized, Burnett said he often had trouble getting the whole story in a military setting. It was difficult for him to talk to civilians because it was unsafe to leave the encampment as an American. Burnett had to use Iraqis as his eyes and ears and a translator to understand the information they collected.

In addition, the military was often on the move and Burnett could not always find the 30 calm minutes he needed to broadcast. “The war machine moves on – it ain’t gonna wait for NPR,” Burnett said with a smile.

Burnett said that he reached another level of frustration when his equipment failed in Iraq’s sandy environment. Without the ability to broadcast, Burnett could not inform the outside world.

Although the military life was often difficult for Burnett, he said he also had some good experiences in Iraq. He remembered bonding with the other embedded reporters.

Burnett said that the war brought even those with differing political opinions together. “We played ping pong and drank Turkish beer at night – our best friends were Fox News,” Burnett said. “War makes strange bedfellows.”

Burnett said it is important that schools continue to produce good journalists. He said journalists should seek the truth in their stories. “Fight the dragon,” he told the class.