Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 17, 1991 TAG: 9102170293
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By REAR ADM. BRENT BAKER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The truth is that most responsible journalists realize that special military media ground rules are needed in wartime, but the exact rules are always debated. Live CNN reports, around the clock, have changed us. We are all prisoners of the TV war.
From a military point of view, the ground rules are needed basically for two reasons: to protect our troops and to protect operational security.
In short, the rules are designed to prevent a reporter from unknowingly jeopardizing the outcome of our operations or the safety of our people.
The reason I say "unknowingly" jeopardize military operations is that today we have fewer experienced military reporters in the combat area or the Pentagon. A sign greeted the 300 new reporters that have registered at the Pentagon since Desert Storm began saying, "Welcome Temporary War Experts." The sign was posted by the "regulars" of the Pentagon press corps.
War is far from simple to report. There is always confusion or a "fog of war," and live TV coverage can add its own instant anxiety as reporters become part of the story in their gas masks. In fact, Desert Storm is different from any other war because it is electronically reported on virtually a real-time basis. It is not unusual for a military briefer in Saudi Arabia or the Pentagon to be asked about an event occurring or question raised only minutes before on live TV. As Pete Williams, assistant secretary of defense for public affairs told some new Pentagon reporters, "I realize the desire to score this war like a football game where you press a button and the thing goes beep and you know where you stand."
Some quick observations:
\ Pool reporting: We said reporters would be with the troops and they are. The Combat Correspondent Pools are deployed and generally working well. While news people always want open coverage (with no pools or escorts), the hundreds of reporters, editors, and camera persons present us with battlefield transportation and other problems. We can only handle the growing news media army (800 in Saudi Arabia) with pools. Video, photos and print reports are getting out. The Desert Storm air campaign story, from land and sea, is reaching the public.
\ Security review: All pool reports are subject to review by field military public affairs officers to ensure troop safety and operational security. If there is a disagreement between the military and media people in the field, an appeals process allows the video or reports to be transmitted to the United States where the Pentagon and media leadership resolve the problem. The security review rules state material cannot be deleted just because the report expresses criticism or causes the military embarrassment. I know of no serious problems with this review system so far.
While history indicates most reporters understand ground rules and don't want to endanger troops or operations, there is a clear and present danger in today's instant communications age that may put troops at risk. Our enemies are watching CNN.
\ Television satellites: I agree with Ben Wattenburg who said, "The most important new weapons of war are lightweight television cameras and television satellites. The new rules of warfare concern the way they are used nowadays." We must have some form of review in the instant TV age.
\ Families: When troops and ships are deployed overseas, the story in the United States centers on military families at home. Obviously, the most sensitive area involves the family notification of casualties, missing in action or prisoners of war. The primary concern of the military is protection of the family privacy and providing timely information and support.
Unfortunately, as soon as names of casualties or those missing are released, some news persons harass our families. This media harassment of military families has happened in Desert Storm. I will say that most responsible news people agree our families have a right to their privacy. If a family member wants to talk to news persons, that's their right. But, they also have a right to remain silent.
\ Bomb damage reports: We have heard such discussion of the military deliberately withholding information on Desert Storm bomb damage assessment. For eight years, David Martin has been the CBS Pentagon correspondent. He has been to Saudi Arabia and was asked about restrictions on bomb damage reports.
Martin said, "For the military to confirm that a specific target has been destroyed would tell an enemy that the target was off the current target list, and the enemy could move any air defense assets to protect another target. If you under stand military thinking, the Pentagon's conservative bomb damage information stance is not totally unreasonable."
So, the military must have special wartime ground rules when working with the news media. The key to providing the American people with information on combat operations is for both the military and the media to understand each other and use common sense to get the job done.
Freedom of the press does not give news persons the right to endanger the lives of our military sons and daughters or harass their families. With 28 years of experience in dealing with the press, I'm confident we can both inform the public and protect our people at the same time.
by CNB