Letters to the Editor
omooex
Published Letters: 964 Editor's Choice: 5
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Quickstrategy and Pedinska and others...
[Read the article: Media's refusal to address the NYT's "military analyst" story continues]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Don't get me wrong--I do see the value of military service, and agree with almost everyone's comments concerning the meritocracy aspects, and, of course, the honing of skills that the private sector would more than likely eschew. I hold no grudge against those who joined the military in the 90's or 80's when most of us really did think there would never be extensive military action, and regarded it simply as an alternative career path. I even struggled with my son to join the Coast Guard, so that he could gain some of the adventure, skills and life experiences that he craved. And I think Pedinska's argument might have been valid even as late as 2004. But not since then, not now. With the enormity of what has occured in Iraq--the sacrifice of lives, the chaos, the horrifying number of dead and injured, the calamities that await us in the future because of it, and perhaps, worse, the UTTER POINTLESSNESS of this fool's errand--I condemn any person who would join the military today. He knows that I don't support his actions, but that I hope he comes back alive--and, perhaps, even more importantly, untainted by what's going on there. I don't support his choice, I don't support the choice of anyone else who went, because in a sense those who went before, and now my son, are providing horrible examples for the 15, 16 and 17 year olds out there, who will be joining before this whole thing is through.
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Old news, always new
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting has done a pretty good job of monitoring the use of the use of pro-war military experts, and Pentagon media manipulation for years, going back as far as the first Gulf War. Here's a link about CNN's use of Pentagon media "agents" (for lack of a better term), in its newsroom from 2000. There's some great other stuff there in their magazine Extra!--use the search engine for "pentagon" or "military expert" . They've done thorough and consistent job of monitoring the military-industrial-media complex for years...
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Ahem
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I believe I said: "Here's a link about CNN's use of Pentagon media "agents" (for lack of a better term), in its newsroom from 2000."
And yet provided no link. Here it be, and also in the sig.
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1745
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Interestingly,
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I posted the FAIR links before I took a look at the Democracy Now Interview, not surprisingly, Peter Hart, a veteran FAIR journalist was interviewed in the Democracy Now piece, and as he said. I know I'm hawking FAIR here, but they really have had an uninterrupted analysis of this phenomenon since I was a teen-from a historical perspective its invaluable.
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ttb
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"a lot of engagement from both sides, and a thoughtful conversation, like this interview provided, is perhaps our next step in trying to improve and reform the media that we have."
This always seems to be the solution, at least from the media's perspective. However, as in past periods of reflection (WMD, Katrina, the Clinton Polling,) it never goes on for very long and obviously, has little lasting impact---since the media are constantly repeating the same "errors" in judgement. The structure is rotten to the roots, I'm not sure there is any reforming it...
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Tone in DC
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I ain't no expert, but I believe the USAF was bombing the hell out of Iraq in 1991.
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Bilzim
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I see at least one problem with your analysis. If as you say, the generals should be the go to's for issues of strategy, and others for political questions, then what of politicized strategies. As one example, a mission to search for WMD's in the weeks following the invasion, when everyone knew there were none. Such a military expert could drone on about strategies and tactics, but to an obviously useless objective. He could just as well be speaking of the military's quest to find the gold on the other end of the rainbow--if the journalist never brings up the fact that there are no leprechauns--or has no anti-rainbow activists on to challenge the military specialist, then the explanation of the operations are little more than absurdities.
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ttb
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Someone pointed out to me that it took 30 years for the right to build their media machine. And I tell you, they didn't get it done in the long term by doing nothing but bashing the media, but by understanding exactly how they work and not only infiltrating them, but by recruiting them as allies. That began to be extremely effective in the Reagan Administration. And now we have the situation the mainstream media, as corporate entities, are partners with the right."
The problem with this analysis is that the right represent the interests of corporations and the affluent. It seems logical that the media would be inclined to have good relationships with Republicans, and that such a relationship would naturally blossom, as news organizations and media companies were consumed by large corporations who would have an increasing amount of business before Washington. But what can progressive, liberal or social justice oriented political groups offer the media? The warm, fuzzy feeling garnered from doing what's right? Perhaps I'm being overly pessimistic, but I can't see how the left could ever wrest control of the media from the right.
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ttb
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I suppose where we both can agree is that what we call the "media" is a vast, and amorphous structure with no single goal or methodology. There are a lot of actors involved, from individual writers and reporters, to administrators, to editors and business managers etc., so there's always somewhere to get a hand hold (or lose one). Otherwise, we'd never hear about 80% of the stuff we discuss on these blog posts...