May 21, 2004

Learning Lessons of War on the Streets of Baghdad

By DAVID ENDERS

Most of the exchanges I used to have at U.S. checkpoints went something like this:

"You're a journalist?"

"Yes."

A soldier would take a skeptical look at my press pass, then scoff, "What's the Baghdad Bulletin? I've never heard of that magazine."

"We started it here recently."

What's so hard to believe about that? It's simple. I was part of a group of half a dozen ex-pats, all under the age of 25, who came to Iraq to start a newsmagazine. But it never seemed