Military Policy on Media Coverage

[Scottwdw]

If you remember during the Gulf War (1991), the media was allowed very little access. Everything was channelled threw the command center.

This time around, the media has been given almost total access to everything including being "embedded" with many troops. On the first night, I recall former Gen. Norman Schwarzkop seemingly appalled at the amount of information the Pentagon was telling the media.

Is too much information bad? Are they (our military commanders) risking a Viet Nam backlash. Except this backlash will be faster in coming. It's amazing what all this instant access does and what the Internet is doing for organizers both pro and con.

I do know one thing, I think more people will be voting in our next elections. A good thing but what a terrible way to get people interested.

 

[caitycaity]

it's not that too much info is bad necessarily, it's that some of the things the networks are showing violates the geneva convention.

 

[delswife]

I was just watching the Today show and they were showing footage of the war. I was talking on the phone with my mom so I wasn't listening to what they were saying. At first they were showing the soldiers behind a wall shooting, the tanks rolling down the road, that sort of thing.
Well, then they showed a dead woman on the ground and as they panned out you could see the dead baby laying on her chest. I am hystarical right now. My hands are shaking and I am crying uncontrollably. This is the TODAY show, for gods sake! I have had enough! I cant take anymore!
Why do we have to see these things? What if my children were home and saw that? Isn't it bad enough that our men are over there fighting and have to witness these horrible things and the poeple who live there have to be put threw this because of this ******* Sadam? Do we need to continually promote hate by showing the idiots protesting and saying they support soliders that shoot thier comanders? Why why why?
How are we going to handle the masses that are going to suffer from post-tramatic syndrom after this is all said and done? What about all the families that have to see this constantly, wondering where the family member is right now? What about the guys who havent beeb deployed yet, Is this good for them somehow?

I'm sorry.. I'm a mess right now

 

[Scottwdw]

I certainly didn't want to upset anybody with this discussion. I was just wondering what people thought of the different handling of the press in this war versus the Gulf War or even Viet Nam.

IMO, it seems the son did not learn from the father. I was, and I'm sure the networks were, expecting the same limited access with the added bonus of embedded journalist who would give very censored reports. This has not been the case. Instead, there's almost unlimited access. And, I believe it does more harm then good. Unless this ugliness teaches us and the world something but I doubt it.