For almost a week, the war in Iraq has been brought live to America's living room. Professors, however, have mixed reactions to the 24-hour coverage.

The military has allowed an unprecedented number of reporters from news agencies around the world to be "embedded" with troops in the field. This allows for more live coverage of troop movements, explosions and firefights in the first day of fighting than was shown during the entire Persian Gulf War in 1991.

Steve Manuel, communications professor and former Pentagon spokesman, said he has always been an advocate for having reporters alongside troops in battle, but that the live footage may be going too far. "The moment Americans begin getting killed, the real-time coverage needs to be turned off," Manuel said. "I don't need to see some 19-year-old kid get his head blown off."

Manuel also said he is frustrated with the constantly running headlines at the bottom of television screens.

"Every time someone burps, it's a news alert," he said.

Manuel said students and others in State College usually do not keep themselves well enough informed.

"I call this place the Good Ship Lollipop," he said. "Happy Valley is the largest piece of insulation in the world."

He said people need to watch and read as much news as they can, but to always think about who is giving out the information, what their motives may be and what they have to gain.

He said viewers can trust what Pentagon spokespeople say, but that higher-ranking officials will always use the media to present some misinformation in times of war to intimidate or confuse the enemy. While Manuel said he watches mostly FOX News Network because he said they seem to do more homework before reporting, John Sanchez, media ethics professor, said he sticks mainly to ABC because "they're not into the hype."

Sanchez compared watching the cable news channels' coverage to watching a game show or a post-game interview. "I want to know what's going on, but I don't want to see who's got the winning numbers," he said, also expressing annoyance with the commercialization of war. "[The coverage] is always followed by commercials to buy soap or automobiles."

However, he agreed with Manuel that the large number of reporters now in the field gives a better picture of what is really going on. Sanchez pointed out that Americans might not have found out about the grenade attack carried out by a U.S. soldier against his fellow troops.

Mass media law professor Brad Thompson said, for the most part, the media has shown responsible reporting on the war. "Embedded reporters are very cognizant of what puts our forces at risk," he said.

However, he said instantaneous coverage 24 hours a day allows very little time to thoroughly digest the day's events or to reflect on the facts of a situation. He recommends that people read newspapers to get a more complete perspective and understanding.

"Nothing is going to be so important that you have to see it right away," Thompson said.