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I do. It's a war, for crying out loud. They are reporters. They need to learn something about the military they're talking about. To not report accurately the ranks, unit designations, etc., of the military which is currently at the center of the world stage, is yet another example of the attitude of the mainstream news media, including FNC, toward the military. They love to mouth platitudes about our forces, but when the time comes to really show their respect, to accurately report on them, they won't even take the time to learn something about them. As a veteran, that just really chaps my backside.

Yes, Bob Sellers is ordinarily a good anchor, but he's not a good war anchor. Mike Jerrett, Julian Whateverhisnameis, and LA dingbat Juliette Huddy are just atrocious. Eric Shawn is also usually a good anchor, but he continues to refer to the "captured" soldiers as part of a "maintenance division", even though Major Garrett at the Pentagon is doing his best to correct him by referring to it as a "maintenance company". Shepard Smith is as least trying to get ranks and unit designations right, but he's one of the few at FNC who's trying. As reporters go, Greg Kelly and Rick Leventhal are doing the best job so far, because they obviously have respect for the guys they're riding along with.

I don't now how the other networks are doing, because those liberals never darken my screen.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

Thelack of basic military knowledge evident on Fox--and the other networks--is endemic throughout the media, and there's a simple reason for it. This war is being covered by a lot of reporters who have absolutely no military expertise or experience. Before 9/11, press interest in military matters and national security was at an all-time low; fewer than 50 reporters were assigned to the Pentagon full-time. That number has increased since then, but there are lots of reporters in the field who don't know a BMP from an LAV. This morning, I heard one anchor on CNN identify a Sea Stallion helo as a twin-rotor Chinook.

And don't forget: many of these anchors (paging Paula Zahn) rely on their producers to feed them information through their earpiece during live coverage. Predictably, most of these producers don't have a clue, either, and it shows.

Don't get me wrong: reporters can learn military principles, tactics, and terminology with a little experience. But the battlefield is no place to start. I'm still waiting for one of the news guys/gals to get tagged by nerve gas that seeps through their skin. For some reason, most believe that the mask is all they need to protect them. Once again, a clear lack of experience and an apparent refusal to follow the training they received before being embedded.

In fairness, some of the reporters are doing a good job. Greg Kelley of Fox has been great reporting on the 3rd ID, and Scott Pelley of CBS has been solid with the Marines around Umm Qasur, and Ollie North has been great with Marine aviation. The rest range from mediocre to terrible, to include the crew from Sky News. Murdoch needs to have a little house-cleaning over there, after the war ends.