Pool coverage involves the combined resources of media outlets to report on a major news event. Such resources include funds, supplies, equipment, and manpower. Members of the media pool often share news stories and photographic images of the event with other non-pool news outlets. Each news outlet may use the pool feed at its discretion.

In the United States press pools often are associated with war efforts. Indeed, there the free press always has been considered a little too free for the Pentagon. The Vietnam War represented the first instance of coverage that brought negative images of war into American homes. Since this war, the first example of "guidance" occurred during the invasion of Grenada in October 1993. Outcries from the press brought the establishment of the press pool by the Department of Defense in 1994.

The Pentagon chooses members of the National Media Pool by lottery. Members of the press take turns serving in the pool. Pool reporters write accounts of the activities they viewed and share their information with other members. To be included in the National Media Pool, news organizations must: demonstrate a familiarity with U.S. military affairs and maintain a correspondent who regularly covers military affairs and Pentagon press conferences; maintain a Washington D.C. staff; be able to participate in the pool on standby and be able to deploy within a minimum of four hours; agree to adhere to pool ground rules; and must be U.S. owned and operated.

The National Media Pool is designed to represent all news organizations and to serve as the eyes and ears of Americans. However, as a result, pool reports often have a uniformed quality. Moreover, many journalists claim that military officials often make it hard to provided objective first-hand coverage of events.

In 1992, representatives from the military and news organizations developed nine principles for pool coverage. As outlined by Gersh (1992) highlights of these principles include: open and independent reporting; pools should not be the standard means of coverage; pools may be necessary for specific events and should be disbanded when needed; journalists will be credentialed by the U.S. military and must abide by security rules; journalists will be provided access to all major military units, although special operation restrictions may limit some access; military officials will act as liaisons; field commanders will permit journalists to ride on military vehicles and aircraft when feasible; and materials will be provided to ensure timely, secure, and compatible transmission of pool material.

Media resources also have been pooled to reduce the unnecessary clutter of camera crews at the scene of an event. Pools have been implemented to cover the Republican and Democratic national conventions, presidential primaries, and high-profile elections. They also are utilized to provide coverage of individual political candidates. According to Nimmo and Combs (1990), each day on the campaign trail, a couple of members of the pool reporters are in close contact with the candidate. These members may be "on the candidate's private plane, at small enclaves, during motorcades, and so forth." These reporters write accounts of the candidate's activities, which are then made available to pool journalists who cannot be with the candidate. In presidential elections, pool members are elite press members. Nimmo and Combs explain that their is a pecking order for pool members. "At the top are national political reporters--experienced correspondents of prestigious newspapers, the wire services, national newsmagazines, and television networks. At the bottom are the representatives of smaller newspapers and organizations." Regardless of status, pool coverage often is similar. Crouse (1974) writes, "After a while, they [pool journalists] began to believe in the same rumors, subscribe to the same theories, and write the same stories."

Recently, pools have been enlisted to organize coverage of high-profile criminal trials. According to Gersh (1993), when serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was tried for 17 murders allegedly involving cannibalism, over 450 journalists flocked to Milwaukee from around the world to cover the bizarre story. Damiel Patrinos, media coordinator for the Wisconsin court, set up a pool system to handle coverage of the proceedings. In addition to utilizing advisories from Associated Press, United Press International, and Reuters wires, Patrinos saw to it that local community papers (including black and gay newspapers) were well informed. The judge in this case allowed 23 pool joumalists into the courtroom and allowed others to watch from a media center.

Likewise, reporters, photographers, and camera crews turned out in record numbers for the opening statements of the O.J. Simpson double murder trial on 23 January 1995. Judge Lance Ito has allowed only pool journalists into the courtroom, and a media room has been set up for other journalists. Stein (1995), however, reports a different and more malignant metaphor -- one correspondent compared the media frenzy at the O.J. Simpson trial not to the pleasures of three ring entertainment, but to the stresss and danger of covering a riot or a war.

-Lori Melton McKinnon