Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Hawkmoon on August 04, 2010, 12:36:06 AM
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Michael Hastings (of Rolling Stone / General McChrystal fame) has been denied embedment with a unit in Afghanistan.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/08/03/pentagon-rolling-stone-writer-article-ended-mcchrystals-career-denied-embed/
Now whoever could have predicted that? And, according the the article, he is refusing to cooperate in an Army internal investigation into who said what to whom, when, and under what conditions.
The guy is a first-class loser, and IMHO he showed a complete, total lack of class combined with an abundance of arrogance in even making the request. I find it difficult to believe that he might have actually thought for even one nanosecond that they might ever again allow him to talk to another soldier.
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Two rules are relevant here.
(1) The microphone is always on, nothing is off the record.
(2) If you don't ask, you'll never get a "yes."
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I don't think Mr. Hastings will ever again get a "Yes" from the U.S. DOD. And he shouldn't. He is, by his own choice, toxic.
"The microphone is always on"? Only when dealing with "journalists" who (like Hastings) have no ethics. "Off the record" used to mean off the record, and I have known and dealt with REAL journalists who both understood that and practiced that. I have been in interviews when we went on and off the record multiple times within the course of fifteen or twenty minutes. Sometimes even on a question-by-question basis.
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I don't think Mr. Hastings will ever again get a "Yes" from the U.S. DOD. And he shouldn't. He is, by his own choice, toxic.
"The microphone is always on"? Only when dealing with "journalists" who (like Hastings) have no ethics. "Off the record" used to mean off the record, and I have known and dealt with REAL journalists who both understood that and practiced that. I have been in interviews when we went on and off the record multiple times within the course of fifteen or twenty minutes. Sometimes even on a question-by-question basis.
Must be nice.
Not that I have much dealings with the press, but I'll always assume that anyone who is not working with a demonstrable conservative/libertarian leaning outlet is the enemy.
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i think an embed offers unique opportunities >:D but then again i have a mean streak its the irish in me
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i think an embed offers unique opportunities >:D but then again i have a mean streak its the irish in me
Now, I'm just say'in.... Officer: Radioman, contact DOD, tell them we need another embedded reporter...
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hes lost? whose turn was it to watch him? :facepalm:
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I don't think Mr. Hastings will ever again get a "Yes" from the U.S. DOD. And he shouldn't. He is, by his own choice, toxic.
"The microphone is always on"? Only when dealing with "journalists" who (like Hastings) have no ethics. "Off the record" used to mean off the record, and I have known and dealt with REAL journalists who both understood that and practiced that. I have been in interviews when we went on and off the record multiple times within the course of fifteen or twenty minutes. Sometimes even on a question-by-question basis.
Journalists should be treated as hostiles under virtually all circumstances. Assuming they will try to get you killed or effectively disabled is a pretty safe bet. Even if you find an old-school journalist with some lingering integrity, you should be very very careful. Only safe use for journalists is feeding them PR releases or tactical misinformation knowing full well they will leak it.
I do not advocate the US military killing US citizens under any circumstances except in actual self-defense, nor do I respect persons advocating any intentional or indiscriminate killings of US citizens by our military. That turns the US military from a protector into an enemy of the US. Yes, I am fully aware of how dangerous reporters can be, but if they're US citizens, they are US citizens.
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I do not advocate the US military killing US citizens under any circumstances except in actual self-defense, nor do I respect persons advocating any intentional or indiscriminate killings of US citizens by our military. That turns the US military from a protector into an enemy of the US. Yes, I am fully aware of how dangerous reporters can be, but if they're US citizens, they are US citizens.
I agree completely (except for certain company-grade officers in Vietnam, but that's past history). And since the military is part of the Department of Defense, not the Department of Transportation, I think it is entirely appropriate that we leave the (alleged) journalists back in CONUS where it's easier to defend them, rather than bring them into a "hot" zone where the military has to transport them and otherwise nursemaid them, all the while trying hard NOT to talk about anything other than the weather while in their presence.
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I agree completely (except for certain company-grade officers in Vietnam, but that's past history). And since the military is part of the Department of Defense, not the Department of Transportation, I think it is entirely appropriate that we leave the (alleged) journalists back in CONUS where it's easier to defend them, rather than bring them into a "hot" zone where the military has to transport them and otherwise nursemaid them, all the while trying hard NOT to talk about anything other than the weather while in their presence.
I did make one reporter cry.
She was allowed to follow us on patrol and we were ordered to play nice. I gave my standard briefing, paraphrased: "Remember. It is the job of the reporter to get you killed or disclose information harmful to operations of the US Army. Your job is to ensure their safety before your own, as well as ensure the reporter does not complete their primary mission. If that means soaking up bullets or shrapnel to do so, that is your job as a soldier. If she dies, you had better be dead as well. If she completes her primary mission, you're just as dead or wishing you were. You have every right as a US citizen to enable her to get you, fellow soldiers or innocent civilians killed by speaking your mind freely, just as you have the right to slice your own throat."
She was scared senseless and not tracking well (which was the point), but we essentially went in a circle for three hours in a well secured area and pretended we could be ambushed at any second. Then we had someone set off an arty sim and did a full on tactical evac that'd make any mall ninja weep at the glory.
I think it somehow slipped our mind to tell her it was an "exercise", and not an actual attack.
Whoops.
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I think it somehow slipped our mind to tell her it was an "exercise", and not an actual attack.
Whoops.
You are my personal hero..... =D
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Rev, you are a paragon of the U.S. Armed Forces and an example for all to live by. If you ever end up at my place up north the drinks are on me. :lol:
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I did make one reporter cry.
She was allowed to follow us on patrol and we were ordered to play nice. I gave my standard briefing, paraphrased: "Remember. It is the job of the reporter to get you killed or disclose information harmful to operations of the US Army. Your job is to ensure their safety before your own, as well as ensure the reporter does not complete their primary mission. If that means soaking up bullets or shrapnel to do so, that is your job as a soldier. If she dies, you had better be dead as well. If she completes her primary mission, you're just as dead or wishing you were. You have every right as a US citizen to enable her to get you, fellow soldiers or innocent civilians killed by speaking your mind freely, just as you have the right to slice your own throat."
She was scared senseless and not tracking well (which was the point), but we essentially went in a circle for three hours in a well secured area and pretended we could be ambushed at any second. Then we had someone set off an arty sim and did a full on tactical evac that'd make any mall ninja weep at the glory.
I think it somehow slipped our mind to tell her it was an "exercise", and not an actual attack.
Whoops.
Teh AWESUMZ, it blindz me!!!
Well done, Rev. Well done. :lol:
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I posted this on the other thread, too....
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Interesting juxtaposition. I logged in and what did I see?
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.loesch.org%2F%7Earviel%2FJUXTAPOSITION.jpg&hash=c40032f3e19d867922e1cb0b6b1018ff745752b8)
:) ~ 1:00 AM 06 Aug 10
Terry, 230RN
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Terry, 230RN
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Rev, you are a paragon of the U.S. Armed Forces and an example for all to live by. If you ever end up at my place up north the drinks are on me. :lol:
What he said. Glad I seem to be the only one in this corner of the building today. My laughter was certainly audible outside of my office.
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You are my personal hero..... =D
I just read your story to my wife, Rev. She just said ditto to seeker.
All I can say is bravo. I hope for an encore, too.
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I just read your story to my wife, Rev. She just said ditto to seeker.
All I can say is bravo. I hope for an encore, too.
Considering I haven't been in the army for years, things would be very hinky if there was ever an encore. :laugh:
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I'm sort surprised he even asked to go back...he had to know that story would kill his military journalism career, or at least the parts where the military would cooperate with him.
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Crap, looks like I have to buy Rev the drinks now too. What'll it be big fella? =D
I think it somehow slipped our mind to tell her it was an "exercise", and not an actual attack.
One time the Navy forgot to tell us it was an actual attack and not an exercise. Funny how stuff works sometmes. Especially when the .mil is involved :lol:
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Considering I haven't been in the army for years, things would be very hinky if there was ever an encore. :laugh:
I'm well aware of that. Still hope for an encore. (Maybe just pass your knowledge off to the appropriate soldiers...) >:D
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I'm sort surprised he even asked to go back...he had to know that story would kill his military journalism career, or at least the parts where the military would cooperate with him.
I'm not, some of these people are rather astounding in that regard. Exhibit A: Jane Fonda, aka Hanoi Jane, after all her years of poo-poo'ing the US military tried to get in on a USO tour in Iraq. She underestimated the collective memory of the military and, unsurprisingly to us, refused.
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New bumper sticker...
"Stick it Jane!"
;)