Malcolm W. Browne (1931–2012)

Malcolm Wilde Browne (Wilde because his grandmother was Oscar Wilde’s cousin) was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who covered wars all over, starting in Korea, and thence to Viet Nam (for which he won said Pulitzer), and then to the Middle East. War wasn’t all he covered, though; among other things, he was the editor of Discover magazine for a while. Along with being a memoir, political and philosophical musings are included- some I agreed with, some very much not.

Malcolm was a proponent of the type of journalism that got right into a situation instead of sitting back and being told what was acceptable to print, hence the ‘muddy boots’. In his quest for the truth, he ended up in three plane crashes, a lot of gun fire, and numerous tight situations. Because of his close ties to the Buddhist community in Viet Nam, he was on hand the day the monk doused himself in gasoline and set himself on fire. The resulting photos of the burning monk shocked the world. The American leaders did not think much of his reporting as he pointed out the ways American ‘aide’ was hurting Viet Nam. AP was impressed, though, he was *the* reporter for them during this time.

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure if I’d find a memoir about war journalism engrossing. After I was given the book (a dear friend gave me the book when I blogged about Malcolm dying; he was my cousin whom I’d only met once, when I was a teen) I’d dipped into it many times- mainly for his family and personal life- but never read it front to back. I finally did so and found it was as gripping as any novel. His writing flows and draws you along; I found it un-put-downable. I know more about my cousin now, and just as much more about the politics of war. Five stars.… (more)

Malcolm Browne's memoirs Muddy Boots and Red Socks provide a ringing endorsement for journalism as he and his colleagues practiced it. Contrary to popular opinion which regards most reporters as bottom-feeders, Browne argues that if reporters are sometimes "less reverent of the symbols other people cherish —flags, yellow ribbons, medals, hymns, wealth, motherhood, prizes, titles — it doesn't mean that we respect nothing. More than most people, we admire honesty and courage, because we know how rare those qualities are. . . . [reporters:] spend their lives boiling in the caustic bleach of reality."

Journalism he argues can never be truly objective as all observers are flawed and view events through their own perspectives. The "best we practitioners can do is to try to be fair." Browne was a believer in the "muddy boot" form of journalism, I.e. getting out into the field rather than staying in the background without getting dirty. He also had the advantage of a strong science background which, as Molly Ivans points out in her endorsement of the book, helps "bring an especially clear-eyed gaze to journalism." It also meant that Browne was not afraid of the truth: he reported what he saw no matter who it helped or irritated. And he irritated quite a few folks in Vietnam by reporting the lies that were being told by the powers-that-be.

Browne was a reporter for Associated Press in 1963. He was aware of the tensions between the Buddhist majority and the Catholic government under Diem which permitted no Buddhist to hold office and suppressed Buddhist ceremonies. He was also very much aware of the Buddhist threat to carry out a suicide to protest their maltreatment by the government. He also learned that the Buddhist monks had experimented. They had learned that gasoline burns to quickly to complete the destruction of the human body and therefore intended to use a mixture of equal parts gasoline and diesel fuel. It was because of his close relationship with the Buddhists that he was the only foreign journalist to be present when Thich Quang Duc lit a match in his lap after being soaked with this volatile fuel. The photographs that Browne took provided the catalyst that led to the fall of Diem's regime as the event focused the world's attention on the plight of the Buddhists. The impact of the photographs also meant that journalists now become fair game for beatings from policemen. "Small nations are wise to consider carefully before accepting American patronage," says Browne who was on hand to witness the results of American support. Everything we touched in Vietnam seemed to wither despite our best intentions. For example in Cambodia, after wrecking the country's financial base and political structure we pulled out leaving the populace to suffer the horrible depredations of the Khmer Rouge.

The American leaders who visited Vietnam and other Indochinese countries treated the press with arrogance, their attitude being one of "Why can't you just get on the team?" when asked pointed questions, especially those that revealed the prevarications of the American government with regard to what was happening in the country. The correspondents had muddy boots, they were in the trenches, the could see the disparities between the official optimistic reports and the realities of the field.… (more)