The Marriage Of Journalism And The Military

James Massara
jm583910@ohio.edu


As a journalist, as well as a member of the Ohio Air National Guard, the balance between informing the public and protecting military operations has been a strong interest of mine. A journalist can be beneficiary to a military unit but might possibly be the largest hazard as well.

Journalists- A Pain In Uncle Sam's Neck?

Tim Hsia gave his account, in a blog published with The New York Times, of how an embedded journalist caused problems externally with the civilian public and also caused problems within the unit itself. The embedded journalist, while attempting to keep their goal of transparency, released the names of fallen soldiers. The issue was that the journalist had not allowed the necessary time for the families of the fallen soldiers to be properly notified by the military of the deaths.

In another instance, the journalist reported that a soldier shared his feelings on how he believed some of his comrades didn't give their all during a firefight. The soldier shared his thoughts with the reporter because the soldier considered the journalist "part of the family." Although the journalist removed the story once they understood that it upset the soldier and disturbed the camaraderie within the unit, the unit members' trust in the journalist was never fully restored.

                                                      (Dan Lamothe of dlamothe.com)


Perhaps A Soldiers Only Friend

Although a journalist can cause problems, they can also be the military's top ally on the home front. When it comes to war, negative press toward the military is as easy to find as a hashtag on Twitter. A journalist who is witnessing the work of the military personnel first hand is the perfect medium to get the public to support the military.

The embedded journalists also provide a direct way for families to know that their loved ones are safe. Without the journalists, families would go weeks without knowing anything pertaining to their loved ones.

The Duty Of All Involved

Both parties involved, embedded journalists and the military, have a necessary duty to the other to protect and serve.

The military must protect the journalists so that they can report accurately what is taking place on the battlefront. By allowing journalists to accompany the units, the military also took on the responsibility of protecting the journalists just like any other civilian, even if the journalists report negative news.

It is the journalist's duty to report the truth no matter what the truth may be. However, the journalist must report the truth without becoming a threat to national security or a threat to the soldiers of the unit with whom they are embedded.