Posted on 12/04/2005 5:56:17 PM PST by armydawg1
Ron Martz, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, former embeded reporter with the 48th Brigade of the Georgia Army National Guard wonders out loud why there is a disconnect between the media and the miltiary. "Bed news sells.....we arent traitors"
by Kevin Larson, FORSCOM News Service
“We the media and you the military are in trouble…we are heading toward that same dark ground that characterized the media-military relationship after Vietnam,” Ron Martz said at The Commons on Tuesday.
Martz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution military reporter, was the guest speaker at the Association of the United States Army’s Greater Atlanta Chapter quarterly membership breakfast. A reporter with the AJC for 24 years, Martz has covered the military most of that time. He had planned to talk about his co-authored book, Heavy Metal: A Tank Company’s Battle to Baghdad, but having recently met with other military reporters ad editors, he moved on to address the relationship between the military and the media. He was especially concerned about the growing disconnect between the two and the apparent lack of “good news” from Iraq.
“The question I’m always asked is, ‘Why don’t you print any good news stories,’” Martz said. “(But) the good news stories are out there, but what resonates with people are the negative stories. That’s what people remember.”
It falls upon a savvy and conscious news consumer to find the good news stories, Martz said. News consumption is trending toward television. People prefer television reporting to newspapers because it is more immediate and shows pictures. He cited a recent poll that showed people believe television to be more in-depth than printed media. The fact is, however, that television reporting gives “noise and pictures but very little context,” Martz said.
Senior military leadership’s suggesting that reporters aid the enemy by reporting only negative news affects the relationship between the media and the military, Martz said. It puzzles him to think that the media is being thought of in this way, especially considering their role in what Martz called “the information war”.
“I was sadly disappointed by the accusation that I and my fellow other reporters are traitors,” he said, considering 19 reporters died covering the war this year. He also pointed to insurgents in Iraq driving car bombs and a truck bomb into the Palestine Hotel on Monday, a hotel known to house reporters.
“Why would we aid and abet an enemy that would kill us without hesitation,” Martz asked.
Despite being considered as traitors by some, reporters soldier on, Martz said. A lack of resources, however, is leading to shortages in coverage. Some news organizations are financially strained and some reporters are emotionally strained covering the ongoing war.
Reporters cover stories not because of an agenda, but because a free society is based on keeping citizens informed, Martz said. The media acts as the watch dog of government, and the public and the media themselves are the watch dog of the media.
One reason for a disconnect between the media and the military is the reporting on policy in Washington DC. Media write stories about policy that are seen as negative and the media gets blamed because they report it, Martz said. He prefers to write about Soldiers, to tell their stories.
The relationship between the media and the military does have its successes, though.
“The embed system was the best thing the Army has done in many, many years,” Martz said, helping the media to understand the military and the military to understand the media.
Martz did briefly talk about his latest book co-written with Capt. Jason Conroy, formerly a company commander with Task Force 1-64, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. He thanked Sgt. Maj. Emma Krouser and retired Col. Rick Thomas for their help in getting him embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division.
“If it had not been for the embed system, this book would not have been written,” he said.
I live in the Atlanta area. Ron Martz and his gaggle at the AJC cant wait to print bad news about the troops in Iraq, about President Bush's war plans, anything that might slow down or impede the war effort.
And now he whines to a military crowd about the bad blood between his profession and the military. Well DUH!
Try acting like you want our side to do good for a change and maybe that would be a good first step. Dumb F***
"One reason for a disconnect between the media and the military is the reporting on policy in Washington DC. Media write stories about policy that are seen as negative and the media gets blamed because they report it, Martz said."
No, because they spin it..
"'It falls upon a savvy and conscious news consumer to find the good news stories', Martz said..."
Indeed it does, even though it shouldn't, but TG for the internet and sites like FR.
The message is you need to dig for good news, the bad news will be above the fold on the front page.
Bad news sell. And their circulation continues to decline. They are traitors.
BAD NEWS SELLS and a definitive defeat for American arms in Iraq is the baddest news and the salivating is perceptible.
Reporters cover stories not because of an agenda, but because a free society is based on keeping citizens informed, Martz said.
So which is it? You print the stories that people remember, or you print stories (including good new stories) that keep citizens informed since that is what a "free society is based on"?
The media acts as the watch dog of government, and the public and the media themselves are the watch dog of the media.
The media currently acts as an attack dog on the Republican party, taking direct orders from the Democrat party and reprinting anything they say without question or investigation.
Therein lies the mystery Mr. Martz. Why indeed?
the folking press is atempting to creat a crisis...and failing...
The truth hurts.
"... considering 19 reporters died covering the war this year."
As if their lives are more precious than Soldier's, Salior's, Airmen's and Marine's.
He also pointed to insurgents in Iraq driving car bombs and a truck bomb into the Palestine Hotel on Monday, a hotel known to house reporters.
IIRC the attack was aimed at contractors supporting US operations.
Senior military leadership’s suggesting that reporters aid the enemy by reporting only negative news affects the relationship between the media and the military, Martz said. It puzzles him to think that the media is being thought of in this way, especially considering their role in what Martz called “the information war”.
Surely he's not this stupid. Of COURSE the media is being thought of as aiding the enemy by reporting only negative news because that's what they do!! "Information war" indeed - and the war is between the media and the rest of us.
I thought journalism was a noble endeavor about reporting the truth, not making the almighty buck?
It's obvious that many jounalists are colluding with the DNC.
Martz claims that good news gets lost over the bad news, but I'll bet if I check CNN, CBS, etc: I won't find many or any of those good stories.
Jounalists can't argue on one hand their responsibility is to report the truth and on the other hand say only bad news sells. The truth in this case is the good news and you made yourselves irrelevant to the rest of us by not reporting at least the whole truth. I don't want to dig for good news concerning the biggest single focus of our survival into the future.
Maybe Martz should inform the free society that there are actually two wars being fought.
One would be the war against the terrorists in Iraq.
The second one would be the war for public opinion being waged in the USA for the hearts and minds of the American people.
It's clear that most journalists see the war in Iraq as simply an opportunity to win the war in the United States.
Probably for the same reason that you would carry Saddam's water when he was in power, reporting only the story that all Iraqis worshipped him.
Probably for the same reason that your network anchors would sort out the reports from embeds, and only endlessly broadcast the stories that show a Marine killing a wounded suicider, with unknown intentions.
Probably for the same reason that you excuse the horrific behavior of the terrorists, while publicly wailing and gnashing your teeth over a terrorist prisoner with a pair of women's panties on his head, being barked at by a dog.
Probably because most of you dirtbags have never served a tour up on the sharp end, facing enemies encouraged and succored by a yellow U.S. press.
Probably because you figure that anything that harms a U.S. Commander in Chief, in a time of war, whom you don't approve of, is worth the risk.
Probably because you long ago abandoned any remaining trace residue of integrity, and now serve as mouthpieces for the Senators of Sedition.
Wanna bet in a contest of popularity between your raggle, and returning veterans, just which group earns the respect and admiration of the American people?
Find a new line of work, bud. You aren't very successful in your shell game.
Is this idiot into some strong recreational pharmaceuticals or what? He should have been embedded in concrete.
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