Abstract
ASSOCIATED PRESS WAR CORRESPONDENT Edward Kennedy (1905–1963) was among the 17 journalists chosen to witness Germany’s surrender, ending Allied combat operations in Europe during World War II (Knightley, 2002). While en route to the early morning meeting, all members of the press corps were warned that the story was under embargo until Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (or SHAEF) issued its official release. After the event, the armed services placed a 36- hour embargo on the story; when Edward Kennedy broke that embargo, he told the world that the war with Germany was over – and paid dearly for his actions. In the weeks and months following his news scoop, Kennedy had his press credentials pulled, and the Associated Press began pressuring him to resign. When he did so, his career disintegrated and his life unraveled. In 1963, as he walked home from work, he was mowed down by a young driver in California (Kennedy, 2012). In May 2012, after nearly seven decades, the Associated Press finally issued an apology to Edward Kennedy and his family; and while the family may welcome this exoneration, the ethical implications of his story and the relationship war correspondents (both present and past) share with the US military continue to bear review.
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Recommended Citation
Scully, Michael
(2014)
"Edward Kennedy: the Reporter at War,"
Irish Communication Review:
Vol. 14:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
doi:10.21427/D72H81
Available at:
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/icr/vol14/iss1/2
DOI
10.21427/D72H81