Randy Barnett, Boston U Law School professor and occasional NRO contributor writes:

One perhaps unforeseen benefit of embedding reporters with the troops is that we have needed many fewer military briefings such as the one now
being given by Tommy Franks. These briefings are always frustrating for
reporters and the audience because the military spokesman can reveal so
little about the nature of the conflict. With this division of labor,
professional communicators–called “reporters”–are conveying the images
of the battlefield, while the military can spend more of their time
planning and executing the war. Combined with the new satellite
technology, embedding reporters with military units allow the American
public to get the sense of the battle as it unfolds and involves them
vicariously in the war in an unprecedented manner.