diff --git a/scripts/base/frameworks/reporter/main.bro b/scripts/base/frameworks/reporter/main.bro
index 3c19005364..8b45819442 100644
--- a/scripts/base/frameworks/reporter/main.bro
+++ b/scripts/base/frameworks/reporter/main.bro
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ module Reporter;
 export {
 	## The reporter logging stream identifier.
 	redef enum Log::ID += { LOG };
-
+	
 	## An indicator of reporter message severity.
 	type Level: enum { 
 		## Informational, not needing specific attention.
@@ -36,24 +36,42 @@ export {
 		## Not all reporter messages will have locations in them though.
 		location: string &log &optional;
 	};
+	
+	## Send reporter error messages to STDERR by default.  The option to 
+	## turn it off is presented here in case Bro is being run by some 
+	## external harness and shouldn't output anything to the console.
+	const errors_to_stderr = T &redef;
+	
+	## Send reporter warning messages to STDERR by default.  The option to 
+	## turn it off is presented here in case Bro is being run by some 
+	## external harness and shouldn't output anything to the console.
+	const warnings_to_stderr = T &redef;
 }
 
+global stderr: file;
+
 event bro_init() &priority=5
 	{
 	Log::create_stream(Reporter::LOG, [$columns=Info]);
+	
+	if ( errors_to_stderr || warnings_to_stderr )
+		stderr = open("/dev/stderr");
 	}
 
-event reporter_info(t: time, msg: string, location: string)
+event reporter_info(t: time, msg: string, location: string) &priority=-5
 	{
 	Log::write(Reporter::LOG, [$ts=t, $level=INFO, $message=msg, $location=location]);
 	}
 	
-event reporter_warning(t: time, msg: string, location: string)
+event reporter_warning(t: time, msg: string, location: string) &priority=-5
 	{
 	Log::write(Reporter::LOG, [$ts=t, $level=WARNING, $message=msg, $location=location]);
 	}
 
-event reporter_error(t: time, msg: string, location: string)
+event reporter_error(t: time, msg: string, location: string) &priority=-5
 	{
+	if ( errors_to_stderr )
+		print stderr, fmt("ERROR: %s", msg);
+	
 	Log::write(Reporter::LOG, [$ts=t, $level=ERROR, $message=msg, $location=location]);
 	}
diff --git a/src/bro.bif b/src/bro.bif
index f18d3ba1b5..1d4aeed4d6 100644
--- a/src/bro.bif
+++ b/src/bro.bif
@@ -3764,7 +3764,7 @@ static GeoIP* open_geoip_db(GeoIPDBTypes type)
 		geoip = GeoIP_open_type(type, GEOIP_MEMORY_CACHE);
 
 	if ( ! geoip )
-		reporter->Warning("Failed to open GeoIP database: %s",
+		reporter->Info("Failed to open GeoIP database: %s",
 		                  GeoIPDBFileName[type]);
 	return geoip;
 	}
@@ -3804,7 +3804,7 @@ function lookup_location%(a: addr%) : geo_location
 			if ( ! geoip )
 				builtin_error("Can't initialize GeoIP City/Country database");
 			else
-				reporter->Warning("Fell back to GeoIP Country database");
+				reporter->Info("Fell back to GeoIP Country database");
 			}
 		else
 			have_city_db = true;