LOL! Ya reckon?
That comment was meant to imply that the military is quashing such communication. The other edge of that sword is that the soldiers feel that reporters can't be trusted, especially those with a TNR press badge.
This creep intended to do this for his entire enlistment and admitted it in print. He deserves a BCD but probably won't get one. He is, however, likely to be quietly transfered out of theater lest someone he slandered (and that was just about everyone in uniform) decide to insert a size 14 combat boot intrarectally. That would only validate TNR's lies.
When my son was in Iraq in 2003-2004, that is exactly how most troopers felt. The reporters would launch onto to the troops with the biggest yarn to spin. Not lies, exactly, but "creative" story telling. And the reporter--who knew nada about the military--ate it up. He was an "embedded" reporter, so he wasn't negative, but it was mostly BS.