In the last Gulf War journalists complained that they didn't have enough freedom to cover all the miitary actions. So now journalists are being granted much more freedom to accompany soldiers on military exercises, and later to cover and report on the actual combat. But this accident is unfortunately what happens when journalists get their wish of being all-too-close to the action.

I think there were at least a half dozen journalists who died in Afghanistan. It'll probably happen in Iraq too, sad to say. It's a very dangerous job, and the journalists frequently put themselves into even more dangerous situations. (I recall Geraldo Rivera nearly getting his head blown off in Afghanistan, or so it seemed)