That Liberal Media

So I'm down to three TV channels (or as I like to call it, "living 70s-style") thanks to a short gap in my satellite service. Which means that over dinner I actually took a peek at World News Tonight. How novel, watching the evening news! Peter Jennings was resplendent in his telejournalist-on-assignment-mandated khaki vest, and at the end of the broadcast, he delivered a "final thoughts from Iraq" story about living with the military in Baghdad for the last several days. It was the typical "these boys are counting the days to go home, you get to know your subject pretty well in a situation like this" story I've seen dozens of times, basically a journalist inserting his perspective into a news item that does not require it. But one quote of Jennings' struck me:

"In the nine days that we spent in country, the troops weren't inclined to talk politics. The Bush Administration need not pass down talking points to the young men and women we encountered."

Well, Peter, they may "need not," but the Administration does pass down talking points, and they're not just handed to a few soldiers, they're mandatory. What's more, this story broke two weeks ago.

Media Training Now Required for Iraq-Bound Soldiers

By Joe Strupp, January 18, 2005

NEW YORK - As the U.S. military approaches nearly two years in the Iraq conflict, media training for soldiers going into the war zone has been stepped up, becoming mandatory for Army troops since October, E&P has learned.

"Talking point" cards for military personnel, meanwhile, are being updated regularly as the war progresses -- often as much as once a week -- to keep up with the conflict's changing issues and the proximity of embedded reporters. Among the current talking points: "We are a values-based, people-focused team that strives to uphold the dignity and respect of all."

Hey Pete, ever think that the soldiers aren't talking politics with you because they're TOLD not to talk politics with you?

Such training has also included pocket cards with suggested talking points for the combatants, which advise them how best to promote the military operation and avoid awkward or confrontational interviews.

A list of "wallet-card" talking points given to a group of Marines heading to Iraq, obtained by that newspaper, included:

• The Marine Corps is trained, resourced, and ready to accomplish its missions. We are committed to the cause and will remain in Iraq as long as we are needed.
• The fight in Iraq is tough, but we will remain steadfast and not lose heart.
• We are moving forward together with the Iraqi government as partners in building a future for the sons and daughters of Iraq.
• Coalition forces will help our Iraqi partners as they build their new and independent country and take their rightful place in the world community.
• Our troopers and their families are our greatest and most treasured resource.
• The Corps is a national institution -- it has never failed to do the will of the American people.

What's funny is that Jennings, while steadfastly believing that he is not being spun, is in fact being spun the whole time:

On our last patrol in Baghdad, the hands on a 50-caliber weapon belonged to a woman who looked younger than my 20-something-year-old daughter.

Their commander said they are all much better trained than the Vietnam generation.

Do you think that comment comes out of thin air? Don't you have an inkling that such a position might be something the Administration would want to push? Just because the soldiers didn't come right out and say "I love my President" doesn't mean they weren't offering you talking points, points that you willingly took and swallowed and enjoyed and returned for seconds.

Jennings, like most anchormen, is little more than a bobblehead, and seeing that it was the kind of piece he would write himself, I'm not surprised he would be so ignorant. But as the face of ABC News, his mindset suddenly becomes conventional wisdom, which is what makes the comment so unsettling. How about trying this sentence on for size instead?, "The troops weren't inclined to talk politics. Maybe that's because they've been told by their superiors to stick to the script; indeed, they've been trained to interact with the media much like they've been trained to shoot a rifle."

Somewhere, Edward R. Murrow watched World News Tonight this evening, and promptly threw up.