Embedded journalism is the practice of attaching war correspondents to military units involved in armed conflicts. While the term could be applied to many historical interactions between journalists and military personnel, it first came to be used in the media coverage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The United States military responded to pressure from the country's news media who were disappointed by the level of access granted during the 1991 Gulf War and the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

The practice has been criticized as being part of a propaganda campaign whereby embedded journalists accompanied the invading forces as cheerleaders and media relations representatives.

Journalists who instead opted to cover the invasion of Iraq on the battlefield while unattached to any military force came to be called "unilaterals." Journalists chose to act as unilaterals to avoid the restrictions imposed on them by the military, and sometimes embed restrictions, which required embeds to stay with assigned units. Journalists sometimes opted to act as unilaterals out of concern that being under the constant protection of troops in the US-led coalition on the battlefield would bias their judgement in favor of coalition forces. The military often regarded unilateral journalists as sources of trouble on the battlefield and refuse to talk to them or not recognize unilateral journalists as "official" media.

There are many documented examples of embedded journalists during World War 2. Many journalists had an amicable relationship with the military and some reporters were trained by different branches. The Allied military set up press camps and allowed mostly unfettered access across frontlines. Journalists were also targeted by the Nazis who had extreme censorship about war coverage.

One of the most popular embedded journalists during the war was Ernie Pyle. As a reporter he found himself in various war theaters including the Battle of Britain and the Normandy Landings. He was known for explicitly embedding himself into the general infantry and reporting from the perspectives of the everyday soldier. Up until his death on the Japanese island of Ie Shima, Pyle would wear the same military fatigues, boots and helmet as the rest of the infantrymen he embedded himself with.

Walter Cronkite, the longtime CBS anchor who started his career embedded with the allied military, was one of the members of the group. Besides being one of the only correspondents to return from the USS Texas during Operation Torch. Besides the many theaters he saw he was also part of "the Writing 69th," a group of 8 journalists trained to fly aboard bomber planes with the eighth Air Force. The group were trained to spot enemy aircraft and shoot weapons although they were forbidden to do so. As a member he flew aboard a B-17 Bomber on route to provide allied support to the Normandy landings but was unable to witness it due to bad weather.

Other members of the Writing 69th include Andy Rooney, Robert Post, Homer Bigart, Paul Manning, Gladwin Hill, Denton Scott, & William Wade.

Photojournalist Robert Capa also found himself embedded with the US army while covering the war. Noted by some to be one of the best combat photographers in history, he produced many photos from the frontlines including a group of 11 photos known as "the Magnificent Eleven" during the Normandy Landings. He also covered Allied victories in North Africa and the captures of Leipzig, Nuremberg, and Berlin.