Saturday, July 05, 2008
I
wanted to extend a wish for a very happy 32nd birthday to
Tommy Evans, who has been Michael's producer ever since
Michael joined CNN in 2006.
Read
More...
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Michael is
currently in New York and appeared on
American Morning today. He's
out of Iraq for his first break of the year. (Too bad
he's going to miss Senator Obama's trip later this
month...!)
He will also be a guest on GPS on Sunday:
GPS
features Iranian
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, CNN's Christiane
Amanpour, CNN's Michael Ware, Council on Foreign
Relations' Vali Nasr (CNN, SUN, 1 pm).
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sharon found
another one... this looks to be from Afghanistan in 2002:

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wow, look what
Sharon just dug up! These are stunning! The first photo
we've seen of Michael playing rugby, one of him going
through an Army training exercise (probably in
preparation for going to one of his assignments in the
South Pacific), and catnapping in a Blackhawk!
The guy he is chasing is about to be feeling some serious
pain!
Look at that
smile!!
This one is dated, January 26, 2000 -- how exhausted do
you have to be to sleep in a Blackhawk (NOT the quietest
place) a few inches from an open doorway over a long
drop?

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Michael may be
on AC360 tonight, although we all know how they promise
that and then don't deliver. Still, this was posted on
the 360 blog this morning:
ALSO,
President Bush is scheduled to meet in the Oval Office
with Iraq President Jalal Talabani this morning, so we
will check in with
Michael Ware for
analysis…
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
What a week
last week! Wow. 16 clips in seven days...
I also updated the FAQ this morning to address a couple
inaccuracies that keep popping up on the internet. Just
in case anyone stops by to find out the actual
truth...
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Michael was on
during the first hour of American Morning, and they
showed this still to promote the AQI piece for tonight's
AC360... Here's hoping the weather behaves itself (not to
mention the politicians and Britney and...)
Read
More...
Thursday, June 12, 2008
A
third article from the New York Observer:
General
Petraeus and the 'Information War'
'He likes
to talk to reporters as he's walking through the street.
He doesn't like being filmed in front of blown-up
buildings.'
BY
FELIX GILLETTE |
JUNE 12, 2008
Jamie Tarabay,
the former Baghdad Bureau Chief for NPR, was stationed in
Iraq in the early months of 2007 when General David
Petraeus arrived to take over command of the U.S. forces
there.
In the weeks and months to come, like many of her
professional colleagues in the war zone, she eventually
accompanied Mr. Petraeus on a number of walk-along
interviews as he strolled through the streets of the
occupied city.
"He does the same thing every time," Ms. Tarabay recently
told the Observer. "When he goes to a market area, the
first thing he does is that he takes off his helmet and
puts his soft cap on. There are a set number of things he
does. He buys bananas, and he buys tea. If his aide has a
soccer ball, he'll give the kids the soccer ball. He
likes to talk to reporters as he's walking through the
street. He doesn't like being filmed in front of blown-up
buildings."
"He's very aware," she added. "He knows how to play the
media."
Read
More...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Another
article from the New York Observer:
A
Small Town in the Middle East
BY
JOHN KOBLIN |
JUNE 11, 2008
"I had a big
birthday the other day, a birthday with a zero in it,"
said Jim Muir, the Baghdad bureau chief for the BBC.
"Unbeknownst to me they organized a surprise party. They
put out an invitation to our street, which we share with
the New York Times, and Reuters, and the AP, and various
other news outlets. Only two people came."
Read
More...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Sharon sent
this along: it's from the New York Observer, and I
have put Michael's quotes in bold print:
60
Months in the Red Zone
Five Years
Later, the American Press Corps in Iraq Is War-Weary and
Depleted—Also Committed, Engaged and Desperately Seeking
a Narrative to Wake Up Readers; ‘The Press Redeemed in
Baghdad,’ Says George Packer, ‘What It Missed in
Washington’
“It’s
the oft-stated phrase that truth is the first casualty of
war,” said Michael Ware, CNN’s Baghdad correspondent, on
the telephone from Iraq. “In this war, as in every other
conflict, everybody lies to you. Your government is lying
to you. The Iraqi government is lying. The insurgents are
lying. The militias are lying. The U.S. military is
lying. Even the civilians lie. Or in the best case,
there’s confusion and exaggeration. The truth is the most
elusive thing in war, particularly in an insurgency.”
Read
More...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Tonight on
AC360, they showed a preview for a report Michael will
have on tomorrow night. Just this short bit of it alone
is absolutely shocking; I'm sure the full report will be
incredibly disturbing:
UPDATE: This
from the AC360 blog's morning report:
Michael Ware has obtained what is believed by the US
military to be one of the largest collections of
internal al Qaeda documents to fall into civilian
hands. Gripping videos and hundreds of AQ documents
give fascinating insight into their inner working,
complex bureaucracy and shocking predictions of their
own undoing in Iraq. Michael Ware deciphers what it all
means for the Future of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Here is the
still they are showing today:

Saturday, June 07, 2008
Just wanted to
mention that Michael is now the only Western journalist
to have lived in Iraq since before the invasion. I think
that speaks to his incredible dedication to the story and
to the people of Iraq and to the troops with whom he has
spent so much time. It is hard to fathom the things he
has witnessed over the past 5+ years... but we have been
very fortunate to have someone so committed to getting
the truth out and to making sure that history is
documented accurately.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Today is the
second anniversary of the announcement of Michael joining
CNN...
Michael Ware Joins CNN as Baghdad-based
Correspondent (CNN News Release)
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
CNN PRESS RELEASE
Michael Ware, the TIME magazine Baghdad bureau chief
who gained renown for in-depth coverage of the
insurgency in Iraq, will join CNN as a correspondent
based in Baghdad, it was announced today by Tony
Maddox, senior vice president of international
newsgathering operations.
The
full press release...
Sunday, May 25, 2008
As
we in the United States honor our fallen war heroes, I
wanted to post this clip, which was part of the "Shock
& Awe: 5 Years Later" special and is one of the most
moving descriptions I have ever heard of what it means to
be a soldier.
To all those who have worn this country's uniform, and to
the families of all those who have died while doing so, I
send heartfelt gratitude and an acknowledgement of an
unpayable debt.
~~
Cynthia
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Over the past
couple days, there have been a couple pieces posted about
the Quran desecration story that was first mentioned on
the CNN.com site on Saturday. Délie has now sent me the
International clip, and that aired out of order with what
I have already posted in the Iraq 2008 section.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Michael has a
clip up on CNN.com about the siege inside
Sadr City.
UPDATE: The clip as aired on Domestic is now up. Sorry
for the delay, my internet went down just as I started
the upload!
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
I've finally
completed and posted a transcript for the
"Inside the
Surge" special.
That's one thing off the "To Do" list. (Oh yes, I have a
list. It is frighteningly long!)
Monday, April 28, 2008
I've added a
small FAQ in the
Welcome area. Just addressing a couple of things that
are, well, frequently asked.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
A
couple of old items that I had promised are now up --
the full version
of the
"Shock & Awe" special, and the
TSR clip from 4/4 (the one I
didn't get recorded) as well.
I have also updated the "Where to start?" page and
switched to a new search engine.
Monday, April 21, 2008
The DC events
are now included in the Iraq 2008 section. I also added
two more brief videos I shot at the MEI event.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Délie sent
over an
interview Michael did on
International, which contains his first direct comments
on the presidential candidates.
He is scheduled to be on at least TSR and AC360 today,
possibly other shows as well. He has an interview with
General Petraeus today; should make for some excellent
viewing!
The clips from yesterday (including his first visit to
The Sit Room) are converting and will be up ASAP.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
The clips from
yesterday's appearances on The Situation Room and
Election Center are up, as well as the "Inside the Surge"
special. Sorry these took so long; the conversions had my
poor little PowerBook slogging away all night!
Also, MediaBistro had this item on their DC tipsheet this
afternoon:
TUESDAY APR 08, 2008
Ware On Capitol Hill
A tipster tells us that CNN's Michael Ware was in
today's Senate hearing with Gen. David Petraeus and
Ryan Crocker. Ware had one of his feet up on a chair
and his head resting in his hand, eyes closed. Was
maybe even napping.
Said our tipster: "He's a badass for living in Iraq
for five years, so he's allowed to sleep anywhere in my
book."
I have never
seen anyone so exhausted and still functioning. I hope
he's heading home for a hugely deserved vacation once the
testimony ends! He's already been on TSR three times
today; and it sounds like he's heading back to
Baghdad.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Michael's
second special aired on CNN International last night, and
it is a powerful, insightful summation of what the surge
has been all about. Many of the concepts are ones we've
heard him discuss often, especially in recent months, but
they are woven together in a tight package that is a
perfect precursor to the Petraeus/Crocker testimony which
begins tomorrow in DC.
I don't want to describe too much -- a great believer in
"show it, don't tell it" am I, and thanks to Délie, the
clips are converting and will be available on the site
tomorrow -- but I have to mention two things: one is how
striking it is to see Michael out in the open in Baghdad
(in the GZ at one point, but in other locations as well).
It truly is amazing that the rooftop is ever able to
contain him at all.
There is also an incredible "reveal" in the first
section, one of those moments when you know what's coming
but hope you are wrong. A reveal is a dramatic term, and
to me it was dramatic, although It was written and edited
so well -- not hyped up, just a simply reality in Baghdad
-- it's not even shocking or surprising. It just ... is.
I've always appreciated the understated way he draws us
into his work. It serves him well (as always) in this
special, and I grieve for a man whose face I had never
before seen.
I am going to post some screen grabs on the blog, and
will get the clips (as well as his two appearances on
Domestic today) posted as soon as they are ready.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Have just
gotten home from spending several days in Washington, DC,
where I was able to hear Michael speak at two events
(Wednesday at the Center for American Progress
and
Thursday at the Middle East Institute; I will be
adding the clips and transcripts and etc ASAP, but I
just walked in the door and have to be at work in a
few painful hours!)
First of all, let me say that hearing Michael speak in
person is riveting. To say that he commands a room is an
understatement; his turn of phrase, the
sucker-punch-to-the-gut way he has of encapsulating
events and concepts, the dry humor and raw emotion, the
scope of his intelligence and awareness of causation and
consequence -- all of that is in play far more than comes
across through a television camera. Even exhausted to the
brink of collapse (as I daresay he was at these events)
he is a constant blur of motion as he pulls the audience
along the path of understanding. He has often said that
he feels an obligation to bear witness to the events he
has seen in Iraq. I would go further and say he seems to
feel the need to make us understand what we have wrought
by starting this war (and whether we voted in favor of it
or not, we as a country must own it) and that he
possesses the rare gift of making people see what they
would prefer to avoid. The sheer force of his personality
and the rawness of his honesty demands nothing less.
I was also fortunate enough to speak with him briefly
after the CAP event and found him to be gracious, humble,
charming, and blazingly intense. (I could go on, and
probably will when I have more time...) It was a
privilege to be able to thank him for his work. It is why
I started this website and why it continues to this day
-- because his work is so incredibly vital. I could never
do what he does, but I can contribute this site in order
to make sure that his work is seen by as many people as
possible.
(But if you ever have a chance to hear him speak, I
definitely urge you to go!)
Also... Monday, CNN International is showing a 30-minute
special about the Surge, the creation of which is the
reason Michael was so exhausted this past week. I will
post it as soon as possible.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
There
is
an article up on CNN.com that includes quotes from
Michael's recent interviews about the current situation
in Basra:
Analysis: Al-Sadr in trouble, Iraq headed
for meltdown
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Michael has
been on CNN/I from the London bureau three times today,
and thanks to Délie, those clips are converting and
uploading. (One is also available on CNN.com.) He was
also on The Situation Room and AC360... and on the
latter, Anderson revealed that today is his birthday! He
did not say his age, but he is 39 today. There is a post
on the blog for birthday wishes; you never know who might
stop by, right?
Saturday, March 22, 2008
It
certainly has been a busy couple of days, with the
anniversary coverage, the "Shock and Awe" special, and
the appearance on Bill Maher's show. Just wanted to
mention that after I had uploaded the Maher clips, I
discovered that Michael was also on "This Week in
Politics" yesterday, and that is also uploaded; because
it was on earlier than "Real Time" it won't trigger the
RSS feed.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
CNN is airing
a promo about the National Headliner Award recipients,
including Michael:

The full ad can be seen here.
Also, during 360 tonight, they were promo'ing the "Shock
and Awe" special for Thursday night rather than
tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
CNN Employs Global
Resources for Fifth Anniversary Coverage of War in Iraq
AC360’s ‘Shock and Awe’ Special on March 19
Provides In-depth Retrospective, Present-Day Impact of
War
CNN Worldwide marks the fifth
anniversary of the war in Iraq with a global
cross-platform initiative focusing on the war’s impact
upon politics, the military, the economy and humanitarian
situation in both Iraq and the United States. For
its coverage, CNN draws upon its unrivalled resources and
experience garnered from more than 18 years of coverage
in region as one of the only international broadcasters
to have had a permanent bureau in Iraq since
1990.
CNN’s coverage spans across its programming with special
reports airing on Anderson Cooper 360º, the Situation
Room and American Morning and on CNN International and
CNN.com.
“Shock and Awe: Five Years Later,” an Anderson Cooper
360º special, will be broadcast around the world to more
than 310 million households on both CNN/U.S. and CNN
International on Wednesday, March 19, at 11 p.m. (ET)
This in-depth hour offers retrospective dispatches from
those who have covered the war for the past five years,
including such CNN journalists as chief international
correspondent Christiane Amanpour, senior political
correspondent Candy Crowley, senior international
correspondent Nic Robertson, national correspondent Gary
Tuchman and Baghdad correspondent Michael
Ware and contributors including Ret. Gen. David
Grange.
Read
More...
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Thursday
night, Michael's producer Tommy Evans won the in-house
Beat360 competition; watch the clip here.
(Personally, I'd say Oscar and his trashcan are sorely
needed in both NYC and DC!)
And the latest "All Access" podcast features Kyra
Phillips giving a tour of the Baghdad bureau; the clip is
on iTunes, at CNN.com, or here.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Sharon found
another speaking engagement listed for Michael in DC next
month:
The
Situation on the Ground in Iraq
FEATURING:
Michael
Ware, CNN correspondent in Baghdad
Apr
3 2008 - 9:00am - 10:30am
Middle
East Institute is honored to host Michael Ware, to
discuss the “Situtation on the Ground in Iraq.” Ware is a
CNN correspondent based in the international news
network’s Baghdad bureau.
More info on their site.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
At
least one site is listing Michael as a panelist on
Maher's show rather than a single interview like last
time. Nothing confirmed on the official site yet,
although my guess is that either way, he will be on via
satellite rather than in the studio. I'm sure he'll have
plenty to say on the start of Year Six in Iraq, but I
wonder whether we'll also get to hear his thoughts
regarding the presidential candidates?
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Michael has
been chosen in this year's National Headliner Awards,
which will be handed out May 17th in Atlantic City:
List of winners in 74th annual National Headliner
Awards
sponsored by The Press Club of Atlantic City
Published on Friday Mar 07, 2008
Continuing Coverage of a Major News Event
First Place:
CNN
“Anderson Cooper 360: Michael Ware 2007 Coverage of
Iraq”
Full list of winners
Also, Jodi let
me know that Michael has been announced as a guest on
Bill Maher’s show in two weeks, March 21st. Not sure
whether he will be doing it live or as a remote… more to
come!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
I
had several emails tonight about Anderson's joke during
360, "A streaking Australian, and no, it's not Michael
Ware." Yeah, I think he more likely would have been the
guy flattening the moron running across the field, but...
Anyway... here is some information on a DC event next
month where Michael will be speaking:
The
Center for American Progress will host a series of events
and produce several analyses in the coming weeks
examining the course of the war in Iraq and proposing the
next steps for U.S. policy in Iraq. The series will
include speeches by prominent policymakers and panel
discussions on important aspects of Iraq policy and its
effects on U.S. national security. The Center will also
release updated analyses examining the current policy in
Iraq and providing an alternative direction.
In
addition, each day between the fifth anniversary of the
start of the military campaign in Iraq on March 19 to
President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech on May 1,
the Center’s website will highlight a key piece of
analysis examining the mistakes made by the Bush
administration and its allies in waging the war of choice
in Iraq—and the consequences of those mistakes on our
overall national security. These analyses will be
catalogued on the
War in Iraq
page of our website, providing a detailed source of
information on our nation’s costly march to war in the
wrong place at the wrong time five years ago.
Series: The Impact of Five Years in
Iraq
April 2
Discussion: A View from the Ground in Iraq
Michael Ware (CNN)
Michael Ware,
CNN’s correspondent in Baghdad, is one of only a handful
of international correspondents who has lived in and
reported from Iraq since before the start of the war.
Previously Time
magazine’s
Baghdad Bureau Chief, Ware has provided perceptive
reporting on the five years of the Iraq war, including
groundbreaking reporting on the growth of Iraq’s
insurgency.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Three more
International clips from yesterday's coverage if
Ahmadinejad's visit are now available.
UPDATE: another three, plus Newsroom, now
available.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Michael is
reporting this morning on the Iranian president's visit
to Iraq. There are clips from both International and
Domestic up in the Iraq 2008 section.
Friday, February 29, 2008
There is a new
clip on CNN.com, apparently a report Michael filed for
International this morning. You can check it out
here.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Blog from the Back Row
Posted:
12:24 AM ET
I
learned something new tonight in the control room. Two
new things actually. I learned the meaning of the
Australian words galah and drongo.
These are words that our Baghdad correspondent
Michael Ware used on the air at the top of the
program while discussing the story of Prince Harry
fighting in Afghanistan. We found the words
and Michael’s delivery so interesting and amusing (even
though we had no idea what they meant) that we decided to
make that :09 soundbite our “Shot of the Day” at the end
of the program. And it was my job to make that happen.
Isolating the soundbite and having the tape cut and
turned around in 30 minutes was the easy part. Finding
out what the words meant was a little trickier.
To do this I called our international assignment desk and
had them transfer me to Michael’s field producer in
Baghdad, Tommy Evans. No, I wasn’t calling for
details on troop levels or the progress of the government
on deciding how to divide oil revenue or how locals
viewed the upcoming U.S. presidential election. I was
calling for clarification on the definition and the
correct usage of the words galah and drongo.
Tommy found this all very amusing but dutifully got a
precise definition and an acceptable sentence usage from
Michael.
- galah
: a type of bird, slang for idiot, as in “you guys are
acting like a mob of galahs”
- drongo:
also a bird, also slang for idiot, as in “don’t be such
a bloody drongo”
It’s
healthy to have a good laugh every now and again, even if
you are working in a war zone. Thanks for being a good
sport Tommy.
-
Sean Yates, Sr. Producer, AC360
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sharon found a
radio interview that Michael gave on Monday to
ABC
Radio in
Australia. Just under ten minutes long, he discusses
that day's suicide attack on Shia pilgrims and the
Turkish incursion into Kurdistan.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Délie noticed
that Michael is listed on the AC360 page for tonight:
John
Mccain says he will win or lose this election based on
Iraq... He needs to convince voters there has been
progress in Iraq. Can he do it? Tom Foreman gives us a
progress report... and Michael Ware is live from
Baghdad.
Tonight,
10 ET.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Michael is
back at the Baghdad bureau, and CNN International aired a
couple of reports from him this morning. Délie was able
to grab one of them for me, and it is now up in the Iraq
2008 section.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Three CNN/I
clips from Délie: the first
with
Michael at a polling place in Rawalpindi, the
second
from the
roof/balcony where the US clips were done, and
the third
a wrap-up
segment that includes reports from Reza Sayeh and
Jennifer Eccleston.
I also added the transcripts for the American Morning
reports.
Monday, February 18, 2008
The clips from
American Morning are up (finally!). Transcripts to come.
And also some clips from the International feed, as soon
as they convert/upload.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I
have replaced the first section of Pakistan's
Vital Vote,
so the
glitches in the opening are gone. I also added the
breaking news piece from yesterday's
"World
News" (Int) --
a portion of this is available on CNN.com, but the
full report is much longer.
Again, thanks to Délie for recording these and sending
them along so quickly!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
The show clips
are in the Pakistan section.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Délie sent me
a clip from the International feed of Your World Today...
our first news from Michael on special assignment
covering the Pakistan
election. I
have corrected the bad upload from yesterday and added
the small version as well.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Délie has sent
me
the promo currently
airing for the hour-long special this weekend, which
Michael is hosting, about the Pakistan election. She also
received a copy of the press release:
Pakistan's
Vital Vote will offer
viewers insight into Pakistan's troubled political waters
as voters prepare to elect a new parliament and decide
who will choose the country's next prime minister.
Hosted by veteran CNN correspondent Michael Ware, this
special report will offer some analysis of what these
elections might bring to a country shattered by months of
political turmoil, weeks under emergency rule, and the
tragic assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto. It will also examine international concern over
this crucial vote in a country that is uniquely pivotal
in the war on terror. 1 hour. [NOTE:
According to the schedule, it is only a 1/2 hour
program]
And here is
the banner still for it:

Monday, February 11, 2008
Michael will
be in Pakistan this week, covering the election there.
CNN/I has begun airing promos for an hour-long special to
air this weekend, titled "Pakistan's Vital Vote."
He will be returning to Baghdad after this special
coverage.
And I have done some re-shuffling of the site in order to
put in a new area for the Pakistan section. Changes
are:
Read
More...
Friday, February 08, 2008
Anderson
Cooper mentioned on his blog tonight that Michael will be
on
AC360 next
week.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Here are the
rest of the new versions of old clips. Some of these are
greatly expanded -- I did not keep the entire
conversation when there were multiple guests, but now
have included all of them, since it really gives more of
a feel for what was happening at the time. Some of the
clips are now in the triple-digits, but the small
versions are also available for these.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Over the
weekend I had to pull a clip off an old DVD and
discovered clean copies of the first 15 CNN clips I made.
These are the clips from the end of 2005, beginning of
2006. So I am re-converting them to the new standards and
uploading them to the site.
Tonight the 2005 clips are done. Here are the direct
links:
I'll convert
and upload the nine clips from early 2006 as soon as
possible...
Monday, January 28, 2008
Still no sign of
Michael, but I'm sure he'll be back soon... meanwhile,
Arwa Damon spoke with Don Lemon today about the upcoming
treaty negotiations that may commit the US to keeping
troops in Iraq for many years to come. This is clearly
something that we will be hearing a lot about in the
coming months, so I thought I would post this as a bit of
an explanation of the issues involved.
Read
More...
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Sharon found this
photo on The New York Times' website. It was taken March
25, 2007 in Baghdad. (Hey, we'll take what we can get at
this point!) It was Ambassador Khalilzad's last day in
Baghdad. Read
More...
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The newest
section of the site, "Where to start?" is now up. This is
meant to be a bit of a roadmap for anyone coming to the
site for the first time and looking to check out
Michael's biggest stories, as well as a quick-reference
for anyone trying to find one of those stories in a
hurry.