A Battlefield Tool

[Wingo62972]

A Battlefield Tool

Throughout American history, no matter the time or war, there has always been a conflict between the military and the media. Despite arrogant reports and at times, media savvy generals, the media’s right to a free press conflicts with the military’s concern for operational security. However, I feel it is time to embrace the media as part of the battlefield for the 21st century.

Accordingly, understanding and preparing for the media as we do for other battlefield elements, I feel the media is a critical element for future warfare and will be advantageous as a potential commanding officer. For that reason, understanding the following four aspects which to endure as a means to yield the media intelligently. One, use the media to tell the military story; (2) recognize the media as a legitimate attribute; (3) understand the means to control the media; and (4) benefits of embedded journalists.

First aspect to better yielding the media is allowing the media to tell the military story. It does well to remember that war is ultimately a political act and the military a political instrument to achieve national goals. Political leadership have to inform the public about these goals; the military has to convince the public that it can achieve those goals at an acceptable cost; and both have to do so largely through the media. The media offers the military a means to tell its story. The media, in practice, has its own incentives to report on military affairs. As a result, both the media and the military have reasons to work with each other in a symbiotic relationship.

Remembering its potential part of a war effort allows the commanding officer to wheel the media and the military to have a sturdy association. The press depends on the military admission to report the news. Because of this, representatives of the news media will continue to push for as much access to military events as possible. Military leaders, on the other hand, must realize that the media will be a substantial part of every war effort. Thus, the existing chill in media relations must be thawed to ensure that you can tell its story.

For the military, the necessary step is to recognize that the media is a fact of life that cannot be wished away. The media, on its part, need to interact more with the military and increase its knowledge of the organization. The attempts to establish effective arrangements between the military and the media can then only bear worthy news coverage. A detached relationship based on the popular myths of an “ignorant media” and a “cocky soldier” is likely to founder on hostility and mistrust.

A benefit to a future commander is the ability to embed journalists. For the military, conversely, it provides a means to control what large audiences would see on the battlefield. While independent journalists are looked upon more suspiciously; embedded journalists were unwittingly making a decision to be biased in their reporting, in favor of Coalition troops. If a embedded journalist were to report unfavorably on Coalition forces that just meant less cooperation on the part of the commander. So, in a sense, allowing journalists to get closer meant having more of chance to try and manage the message.

I see one large benefit to the current media realm within the 21st century; the world no longer relies on information but on real-time information. Today’s media, with its global reach and real-time capability due to satellite technology, dominates this new information age. World leaders are now able to turn to the media for instant access to national and international incidents as they unfold, and they can do so 24-hours a day. This instant access by the media to world events now circumvents well established intelligence activities and as a result, real-time media, thus has become a part of our foes decision-making.

In summary, no matter the time or war, conflict between the military and the media will continue. But for a future commander I feel that the media can be large factor and a vast instrument on the battlefield. However, I feel it’s time to embrace the media as part of the theatre of war for the 21st century.





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[amosorobin]

cool thanks!

[AndyM123]

Hello dear,
I am quite agree with you. Thanks you.

[pro_smith]

Nice thanks for sharing, hope someone will post new threads here.

[pro_smith]

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