Despite the danger of being in the middle of battlefields and constant danger, Ball State University telecommunications professor Steve Bell informed the world what it was like in Cambodia and Vietnam during war.
Bell will speak to the Ball State community tonight about his experiences and how many things can change a life or someone's whole outlook on the world.
"Covering the war in Vietnam and Cambodia was the most significant period of my career as a journalist," he said. "It was a life-changing experience. You can't be an eyewitness to the tragedy of war without being profoundly affected as a human being. I think I have been a more thoughtful and wiser person for having had that experience."
While in Cambodia, Bell and his crew were in constant danger, he said. Because the Cambodian army could not be trusted, each news team had to go out on its own and look for the war, and the stories that went along with it, Bell said. There was always the danger of a road that was considered safe being taken over by the Viet Cong by the time the crew arrived. There was an instance when Bell and his crew were caught at a checkpoint and held captive by Viet Cong troops. Though they were only held for a few hours, Bell said the experience reminded him how dangerous his surroundings were.
Bell, along with his crew from ABC, was the first journalist to discover and report the massacre of Vietnamese civilians in Cambodia who were put in a detention camp. Though this was a significant moment in his career, Bell said, he was more concerned with simply being a good, honest journalist.
"My experience in Vietnam and Cambodia certainly put me in a position to move ahead professionally but, most important, it was an opportunity to be a part of a very important process, getting accurate information to the public about profoundly important events," he said.
Bell now speaks about the relationship between the media and the military, which often includes examples from his experience. Instructor of telecommunications Phil Bremen said he also believed there is a strong relationship between the media, the military and the public.
"The U.S. military, which I was a part of during the Vietnam wars, drew a strong conclusion that reporting bad or disappointing news can undermine the public's willingness to support a war and can do that very quickly," he said. "We can see that timetable accelerated through the war in Iraq."
Bell said he learned quite a bit through his many experiences as a journalist. While in Cambodia and Vietnam, he learned how to tolerate and understand other cultures as international communication expands and the world turns into a global village.
Bell will share his experience in Cambodia as a journalist and discuss the events and philosophies that led to genocide after the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia. After attending the presentation, Bell said he hoped students would understand how dangerous the world can be.
"The students would get a better appreciation of how dangerous it can be to have people with fanatical ideas in a position to repress and even kill other people," Bell said. Between one and three million Cambodians were killed by the Khmer Rouge.
Bremen said he believed Bell's presentation would be valuable for people of all ages and areas of study.
"I think it is important for all citizens to understand what happened in the past," he said. "It is important so they can understand how we got where we are, and I would hope, avoid making some of the mistakes we have made in the past."
Bell will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Cardinal Hall B. This is a free event and is open to the public.
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