Kevin Myers remembers his time as a war correspondent in the civil wars of the former Yugoslavia and wonders if the story of criminals selling “war vacations” to rich clients in the Balkans to shoot unarmed civilians could be true.
To any war correspondent in the field, there is no greater source of evil than his or her news desk at home. The intrepid gallants that occupy that heroic table will fearlessly send their colleagues to the most distant and bloody of battles to check reports that unicorns are being used as cavalry by North Korean stormtrooper-cannibals.
“Could you get to Uzbequistanopolis ASAP and file 800 words by 7 pm our time. No later, please. Last night you filed at 8 pm, very inconvenient for the news desk.”
“Uzbequistanopolis is five hundred miles away, over two contested borders, and the largest tank battle since Kursk is raging there as we speak.”
“We’re aware of that. This is the news desk, remember. We can read a map. By 7 pm, 7.30 the latest.”
“Five hundred miles.”
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