Media and the Military

By: Lauren Stauffer

The media’s coverage of the United States military is a topic that is quite controversial in recent times. When television and news coverage was first created, it was during the Vietnam War, and it stirred up a high number of strong opinions for many reasons (Spector, 2016). There was a lot of logistics that were still trying to be figured out such as censorship and privacy of what was being reported (Pringle, 2020). There was conflict between the military, the media, and civilian viewers during the Vietnam War for a variety of different reasons (Spector, 2016). Initially, this was a big break for news reporting. Airtime became longer and longer while the intensity of the gruesomeness of the live footage from Vietnam began to become to affect the viewers (Spector, 2016). Families at home saw their loved ones being killed as well as the gravity of the morbidity was all too mentally consuming. The military began having security issues during the war because the media was reporting their top-secret tactics and locations that aided the other enemies. Prior to laws and regulations protecting the military from the media, the news reporters would report top secret information and show photographs in current time from active battlefields in the middle of war (Room, 2019). Initially, with these images displayed and videos shown, it promoted the United States evolution of technology and advancements in live stream international television. This was not of importance during war, and it would come to backfire when the liability and risk for the reporters outweighed the recognition (Room, 2019). Coupled with the extreme risk of harm, this put the United States military at a great disadvantage with keeping any of their strategic plans to themselves (Room, 2019). At the same time, the number of casualties that were aired live from the battlefields were potentially viewed by the families of the injured or killed soldiers (Room, 2019). It was a popular opinion that perhaps the news coverage contributed to the cause of the United States losing that war (Room, 2019). No remedy was put into place during the long duration of the war and views began to diminish due to poor morale (Room, 2019). Since then, the military has taken drastic steps to tighten and secure their employees, their records, and plans of action until the mission is completed (Spector, 2016).

Most reporters at that time had very little restrictions in what they could or could not report and in fact were encouraged to report on some controversial issues as a tactic to gain a larger audience and publicity (Britannica, 2016). The media would report about the plans the military had for upcoming attacks and in the process, would unintentionally give away valuable details about that would help the enemies (Britannica, 2016). Each branch of the military has their own headquarters with commanders and officials who advise the personnel when it is safe to release information (Spector, 2016). On a national level we have some very vital agencies that work directly with the president and staff to keep the military and the nation secure whilst only allowing the immediate people who need to know, know in advance (Spector, 2016). This was a mutual remedy to limit the media getting access to this kind of information prematurely. The first two departments that have been established for quite some time are the DoD, Department of Defense and the CIA, Central Intelligence Agency (Hammond, 1990). While the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency were both founded prior to the development of television news and shortly after the conclusion of World War II, these agencies were created for the simple purpose of protecting the American people from harm (Hammond, 1990). This includes employees who are sworn to highly secretive oaths to not share information that could endanger the troops as well as, protecting the citizens of the country (Hammond, 1990). On the other hand, another agency that is directly involved with the security of the military and United States is the DHS, Department of Homeland Security (Britannica, 2016). This is a more recently formed department being that it was founded in 2002 after the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks (Spector, 2016). While the relational approach between all three agencies is clearly interconnected, they also all have very specific duties in their central theme of protection (Spector, 2016). First, the DHS is responsible for sending troops and guards to the country’s boarders, monitoring cyber security, as well as counter terrorism among others (Room, 2019). The CIA is responsible solely on the security of the country (Room, 2019). Lastly, the DoD is responsible for deploying troops where and when needed (Room, 2019). The obvious pattern in the aforementioned job duties is the protection of the American people. In addition, these are common themes that media reports on and are often mentioned in the headlines of articles and notifications (Britannica, 2016).

With the advancement in technology, the development of smart phones, social media has quickly taken over the world, revamped the speed of national news, and became a negative part of society (Spector, 2016). Technology and news were a gradual process for some time and then a large jump was made suddenly where many people of the population could not adjust as quickly. This would be a relational approach because it involves a large group of people who are all different in their ability to adapt and are connected though the media. With most of the population having access to smart phones, electronic devices, and typically one social media platform notification alerts give everyone instant updates of what is going on in the world in that moment (Spector, 2016). With this, news stations and reporters are usually finding out these updates along with the public (Spector, 2016). This has contributed to declining mental health. Therefore, any reports that are made are instantly seen by thousands of people within moments of the release (Spector, 2016). With that being said, in today’s world, there is no undoing a report once it is “out there”. Leaking secretive material such as military plans to attack a certain area is something that cannot be undone (Spector, 2016). While that may not be the intentions of the media, there was no consideration for the safety and privacy of the deployed troops until more recently when laws were enacted for both the media and the military (Giroux, 2021). These devices have provided a way for the general public to share their opinions and comment on other people’s opinions more frequently. This is a frequent occasion due to the advancement; everyone has become news reporters and participate in the sharing and spreading of major news. This is a relational approach because when world news is revealed, it affects everyone on a more massive scale.

Media in general has always been very powerful and social media is growing in power every day (Giroux, 2021). As everyone knows who is in the reporting business, headlines have to be capturing to the audience at quick glance, but at the same time, headlines can be misleading and cause a lot of unnecessary chaos (Giroux, 2021). This caused the military to have to adapt to their contingency plans in order to change from the plans that are known to the public. In the recent past, high-profile reporters have included details that should not have been reported and caused issues for the deployed personnel (The Military and the Media, 2020). Since almost all media sources and reports can be viewed internationally due to social media reaching the entire world, enemy forces can easily gain knowledge and use it to their benefit. It has become a tactic that anyone could use and does use to their advantage when necessary (The Military and the Media, 2020). Even with a withdrawal of the “post” on social media or the removal of an article, it had already reached hundreds of thousands of people within seconds and there is no solution to that problem. A recent change that has helped to create stricter boundaries is that every military has specific personnel monitoring various media accounts for this particular purpose (The Military and the Media, 2020). Without this, we have seen what could occur and it has detrimental consequences (Giroux, 2021). At the same time, the United States governmental agencies also have dedicated employees who guard and monitor their social media and all sources of news to watch for potential cyber-attacks or inside news coming from other countries as well (Giroux, 2021). Media and social media are not only outlets for sharing news, but they have also become a source of research and aid for protection (Giroux, 2021).

In addition, media and reporting news has become a highly competitive industry where it is vital to have more views, more followers, and to be the first to release that said report because the company and the reporter benefits from it (Room, 2019). In doing so, there are more opportunities for false information due to the rush of wanting to release the information. This situation has occurred with the military (Room, 2019). There was a report around 2008 about an “Army helicopter that crashed in Iraq due to enemy fire” (Room, 2019). The truth was that it was not shot down but rather crashed due to a technical error (Room, 2019). While this error in reporting may seem minor or part of an unimportant detail, it was false information that millions of people could have potentially seen that did not convey accurate information about this mission the military was on (Room, 2019). Currently speaking, most of the time, the first news sources to report about military actions are from the White House or special agencies rather than public news outlets in an effort to let government officials know the correct and immediate information firsthand, before the public (Hammond, 1990). Another situation explains where there was a time that the media was falsely reporting “widespread fraud” and “misuse of taxpayers money” to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq (Room, 2019). This is a highly problematic reporting issue because not only is it completely false, but it has direct effect on the American taxpayers and could cause a huge distrust between the people and the military (Hammond, 1990). The best solution would be to only inform the American people of positive and confirmed situations. However, that creates some controversy over withholding information from civilians (Room, 2019). For the time being, this was remedied with an official from the military or agency being the one to first announce news or updates so there is no misleading information and that it is being reported directly from the source (Britannica, 2020).

On the other hand, there are also quite a few occasions where the media and social media positivity promoted the military (Pringle, 2020). One of the most widely known examples of this is when the United States military killed Osama Bin Laden and the viral video of spectators at a baseball game chanting “USA” in the stands while holding up their phones with the various articles announcing this (Britannica, 2021). This was a moment that with modern day technology, the news reached the masses in a quick and prompt manner that by just reading the headline, we knew what had occurred (Britannica, 2021).  The headlines and the articles credited the military and even went as far to say that it was “Seal Team 6” who were chosen for this mission. As time went on and we, the general public, were able to learn more about the specifics of this operation, there were more specific reports regarding how the president and the aforementioned agencies were involved as well as how much planning went into this (Britannica, 2021).  Without any form of media, this news would not have spread as fast as it did, and it goes to show how much work goes into the tasks that the military are assigned as well as all the behind-the-scenes meetings and coordination’s that the civilians are not aware of until after the fact (Britannica, 2021).  As one can imagine, this attack was a plan that was in the works for ten years at the time and the details remained top secret for the entirety of that time (Britannica, 2021). It is vital to report all situations regardless of how positive or negative it seems to be and keep the American people in the loop in order for people to draw their own conclusions with proper facts (Room, 2019). Social media has brought the country some unity, the importance, and benefits to sharing information like this has reeked its rewards in this aspect. Thousands of families were affected on September 11th, 2001 and instant news sharing brought peace and closure to those lives plus many more (Room, 2019).

The current day relationship between the military and the media could be described as compatible (Room, 2019). The two parties have found common ground and that is to inform and represent the civilian people. This is a similarity that both the media and the military have in common and one of the main purposes of their jobs (Room, 2019). The American people have the right to know that we, the country, are being protected, what is going on in other parts of the world, and what the current state of our country is facing (Room, 2019). The military needs the trust of the civilians being that is what their oath and sacrifice is for and at the same time, the media needs the people to view and/or subscribe to their reports (Room, 2019). In addition, more recently than not, there is controversy over the media taking a biased stance on what they report or from what perspective they report from (Britannica, 2016). It has been argued that instead of stating neutral facts and leaving it up to the viewers to draw their own conclusions, the reporters have been only sharing part of the story in their reports (Britannica, 2016). With that being said, this has affected the military. Not to mention, this also bleeds into reports about foreign policy and other political matters involving international relationships through the military (Britannica, 2016). This could go as far as sharing and misquoting the truth about veteran deaths with competing perspectives (Room, 2019).

Historical distrust is a factor that has recently been brought up quite often regarding military history (Room, 2019). With the researchers who do the “homework” for the reporters not getting their information from proper sites or misrepresenting the meaning of the information, often times rumors or doubt gets spread about the accuracy of past wars or individual officials from war (Room, 2016). The military says that the two single most important priorities of their duties is to protect the American people and to have a trusting relationship between them (Room, 2016). However, sometimes the media effects that relationship due to false narratives that get shared about the military (Britannica, 2016). Historical accuracy is a priority in commemorating important victories as well as honoring the lives of the fallen (Room, 2016). The media, as it is with any business, puts a priority on the stories that will gain the largest audience and make a bigger presence (Room, 2016). Occasionally, that includes misleading headlines until the article is read in its entirety (Spector, 2016). There is a very small percentage of the viewers that read a report in its entirety so in order to get the viewers to go to that next step, the title has to be that much more eye capturing (Spector, 2016). Since social media has become a prime source of knowledge, perhaps, these agencies could share more “fast facts” on these platforms since it reaches more people. In addition, it is difficult to make up for lost time and with very old military history is more documented in books rather than online, converting many sources to digital will help with self-education. There is a gap in online literature that does not extend as far back as textbooks and paper documentations do which is a clear distinguish between two time periods in history. As virtual media updates with more historical news and records, that gap of missing military history can now be filled.

In conclusion, the media has not always been fair and just to the United States military. The media and journalism are both ruthless and highly competitive industries that have a job to do (Britannica, 2021). The media often times cross a boundary for the other party they are reporting on, but the moral risk does not outweigh the professional reward (Britannica, 2021). With the tighter restrictions that the military and varies agencies have enacted, the relationship between the military and the media has seemed to improve. These rules are not only restrictions but laws that the media must abide by for not only their job security but for their own safety as well. The media needs the military, and the military needs the media (The Military and the Media, 2020). The military gives the media something to report on, probably not as often as the media would like with current day laws but nevertheless there is still news to report. Overall, one intention that has always remained constant with the media is to share news with the world. Some news gets more attention than others, but it is vital to share accurate news while maintaining the protection of the other party and staying in a professional realm.

The media can issue their information through accuracy of information gathering, streamlining, focusing on the subject at hand, maintaining respect towards the subjects involved in the report, and abiding by all rules, regulations, and ethical values which would be limited to specific military approved contacts. The appointed military representatives can share their information with the media after reviewing and researching the event, protecting the people involved, and limiting the extent of the information released in relationship to confirming the accuracy of the event. Through mutual collaboration between the military and the media, a pattern is developing of more responsible, accurate information, less stress, and more protection on all parties involved. These guidelines should be distributed and adhered to a better understanding. This can be achieved through the current day methods of collecting and distributing of data by using methods such as surveys via the United States Postal Service, phone calls, emails, social media, or census to name a few.

References

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia. (2021). U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/US-Department-of-Defense 

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia. (2016). United States Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-States-Department-of-Homeland-Security

Giroux, H. (2021). Social Media’s Impact on Civil-Military Relations: Balancing the Good with the Bad. Retrieved from https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Wild-Blue-Yonder/Article-Display/Article/2871481/social-medias-impact-on-civil-military-relations-balancing-the-good-with-the-bad/ 

Hammond, W. (1990). Public Affairs: The Military and the Media 1962-1968. Retrieved from https://history.army.mil/html/books/091/91-13/CMH_Pub_91-13-B.pdf 

Pringle, R. W. (2020). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Central-Intelligence-Agency 

Room, P. (2019). The Military and the Media: A Match Made in…Necessity? Retrieved from https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/articles/the-military-and-the-media-pt1/ 

Spector, R. H. (2016). The Vietnam War and the Media. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Vietnam-War-and-the-media-2051426

The Military and the Media: Center for Strategic and International Studies. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.csis.org/podcasts/thank-you-your-service/military-and-media