Schrödinger's Reporter

Remember how our elite press corps dean Mike Wallace proudly proclaimed that they should be so impartial that they'd refuse to warn American soldiers about to be ambushed because reporters--even American reporters--are reporters first?



Apparently, not all reporters feel that neutral:

In an angry scene at al-Uqayla, east of Ras Lanuf, a rebel shouted inches from the face of a captured young African and alleged mercenary: "You were carrying guns, yes or no? You were with Gaddafi's brigades yes or no?"

The silent youth was shoved onto his knees into the dirt. A man held a pistol close to the boy's face before a reporter protested and told the man that the rebels were not judges.

I guess neutrality and observation is only a professional ideal if American troops are involved. For real people, being a reporter and an American (or just a compassionate human being) at the same time is no paradox.