Combat Media Coverage Principles: Doomed to Failure

Abstract

Abstract : The military and the media have experienced a rocky partnership since the beginning of this country. Very few military operations received favorable media coverage, even fewer operations witnessed good relations. Perhaps the greatest single breech between the military and the media occurred during the Vietnam war. However, military operations since then deepened the chasm between these great organizations. In an effort to bridge the gap between the military and the media, the Department of Defense (DOD) created the media pool and used it during several operations including Urgent Fury, Just Cause, and Desert Storm. A firestorm of media criticism followed each operation. The media criticism prompted another DOD attempt to improve media/military relations and resulted in the latest DOD principles of media coverage of combat operations. This paper presents the history of the military/media relations and analyses the latest principles for combat coverage. It provides recommendations to balance three different, but interrelated, requirements, desires, and rights including the following: the military's need to control military operations, the media's desire to report on military operations, and the American public's right to know about military operations.