Backlash Against the Press

Backlash Against the Press

By Jamie McIntyre Monday, August 31st, 2009 12:41 pm
Posted in J-Mac's Attack, On Media

“Welcome to the NFL, Rookie”

When I posted an item Friday about the wounding of CBS news correspondent Cami McCormick, I didn’t anticipate it would result in my “Welcome to the N.F.L.” moment.    You know, that point early in the season when rookie football players take a hit so hard that it results in a moment of clarity about what playing in the pros is really like.

I’ve been a reporter for more than 30 years, so I am well-acquainted with the low opinion of the press that many of you hold, but still I admit I was momentarily stunned by the number of comments that showed no sympathy for the wounded journalist, and in fact wished her ill.


Many of the posters saw evidence of the news media’s narcissism and self-absorption in the fact that I identified Cami McCormick, the seriously wounded journalist, but not the U.S. soldier who was killed in the same attack.   At the time the Pentagon had not yet released the name of Spc. Abraham S. Wheeler III, 22, of Columbia, South Carolina. (CORRECTION: Earlier I mistakenly identified the soldier as Pfc. Matthew E. Wildes, 18, of Hammond, Louisiana, who was also killed in an IED attack the previous day.)

If you want to read the grim roll call of the fallen, you can visit the Pentagon’s news release page.  Or you can sign up for an email, and get the word of every death in your inbox like I do.

This was typical of the cynics who had nothing good to say about the press:

“Sorry Jamie, reporters ARE lowlifes, especially the ones from CBS, NBC, ABC, the NYT etc. Liars and propaganda pushers. Too bad she wasn’t killed, and the soldier was only injured. His life is 10 times more valuable than hers, for sure.”

Welcome to the mean streets of the blogosphere, where anonymity exacerbates the contempt many people feel for the news media.

The thing about media criticism is it’s so easy, because frankly there is so much to justifiably criticize.   It’s a target rich environment.   But is it too much to hope for debate about the media’s many failings to focus on what is actually reported, and how that measures up to standards of accuracy and fairness?

When reporters “embed” with U.S. troops, they join them in their dangerous, often thankless, duty to try to find out what’s really happening.   If you watch or read the reports that come from these journalists, they invariably show the amazing job done by troops on the front lines, even if they raise questions about the effectiveness of the strategy.

I hope that as I launch this blog, I can help bring some facts to bear on the debate, as well as insights gleaned from 16 years of covering the U.S. military.

But I wonder what can anyone say to someone who holds this view:

“Journalists ARE lowlifes. They aren’t important enough to society to make news, so they make up news. It’s interesting to see how Bob Woodruff, for example, was hailed as a hero, while the countless soldiers who endure IED attacks in Iraq not only are forgotten, but they are almost never reported about in the first place! Yet in the bigger course of history, it’s obvious to even the most dimwitted individual that that unacknowledged soldier contributed far greater to the world than any worthless journalist. Why exactly are journalists heroic or brave? Because they made a poor career choice and then whine when they get hurt? Tough luck.  A firefighter is a hero because he or she risks his or her life to save others. A police officer is a hero because he or she risks his or her life to save others. A soldier is a hero because he or she risks his or her life to save others. A journalist is a loser, plain and simple.”

This blog thing is going to be an interesting experiment.

Join the Conversation

Russell Petcoff August 31st, 2009 at 11:37 pm

It’s truly sad anyone would wish harm or death on another person. The people who’ve done so to Cami McCormick and other journalists are below contempt. You’ve been around the military a long time. I hope you’ve gotten a sense that the majority of us don’t wish harm to come to you, your fellow journalists or anyone.

Barry Bashaw September 1st, 2009 at 12:11 am

Jamie, I know you to be a true journalist and know for a fact that what you report and how you report it is in the best interest of the American people’s right to know. I also know that you are a man of principal, walking and working in an environment where you are forced to make difficult judgement calls often choosing between equally important interests, the right to know and national security. In my more than 30 years working with the military, government and the media, I have only felt truth or trust to be betrayed on two occassions where glory seeking reporters put themselves ahead of the nation’s interest…YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THOSE REPORTERS!
Credible reporters are very important to the military, national security and our citizen’s right to know “the truth(s)”.

S R Bowen September 2nd, 2009 at 12:09 am

Maybe if the media spent more time writing about the news instead of Mrs.obama’s garden they would garner more respect.

Barry Bashaw September 2nd, 2009 at 12:17 am

Excellent point S R Bowen!

Report the news and leave the analysis to the reader, listener or viewer…I do think most people are capable of thinking for themselves. Today’s news industry puts too much emphasis on the packaging vice the content.

Hannah Swain September 2nd, 2009 at 1:36 pm

Admittedly, I don’t understand this low opinion people have of the press, as I have grown up in Europe. However, these journalists are the ones who are risking their lives to report what’s going on in these hot zones. Without that information, people would only have government propaganda to listen to. As long as the report is fact, not fiction, told in an unbiased fashion, we should be grateful for the unique perspectives offered.

I personally have nothing but respect for the journalists who make the effort to get these stories.

villagesmitty September 2nd, 2009 at 3:40 pm

You are absolutely right, Barry. As with any profession, the effective media are those that treat it as a profession, not just a job; who educate themselves and listen as they are doing their work. The same can be said of the military who have “support and defend the constitution…” who need to do pay those same dues. During my 30 year military career, I had the same experience as you, only a couple of time did I get burned by the self-serving reporters you describe. I got burned by a greater number of self-serving military leaders in that same time frame. I didn’t come away “hating” either profession.

Happy to see your blog, Jamie! Looks like your academic sabbatical paid off! Keep it up!

Jim Armstrong September 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm

I know reporters don’t want to be generalized and held accountable for bad apples in their bunch. I hope you understand that Soldiers are people also and should be taken one at a time.

Sickpup September 2nd, 2009 at 8:37 pm

Yeah… “Welcome to the blogosphere, rookie.”

Seriously, though, I do wish Ms. McCormick well and hope she has a speedy recovery. But I can understand the absolute hatred and contempt that so many people feel for the media as a whole. The bias that exists within the mainstream media is simply breath-taking… and it’s made worse by the fact that they’re hardly even trying to hide it anymore.

The prime example, of course, is how the wars were covered when Bush was in office and how they’re covered now. Absolutely shameful.

Anyhow, cheers to you, Jamie. I heard about your site from DoDBuzz and I’m adding it as a favorite.

Chief K September 3rd, 2009 at 11:29 pm

Jamie, it’s just that when a reporter is injured or killed the media goes out of their way to highlight these incidents because they belong to the same fraternity as opposed to highlighting the daily injuries or deaths of our military personnel who took an oath to defend this nation with their lives if necessary. Some view the reporter’s oath as trying to report on the negative aspects of today’s wars to sell news and make a name for themselves. Next thing you’ll see is the reporter appearing on the talk show circuit, receiving the Pulitzer Prize and writing books about their experience and becoming wealthy for it while the forgotten soldier is laid to rest at Arlington waiting for the next monument to be built that will display their name. Was the reporter deployed for a year away from their family? Was this the fourth deployment of the same reporter in the last eight years away from their family? Today’s media does not earn my respect compared to the reporters of WWII. In my opinion, we don’t need reporters anymore; the Internet has killed newspapers and you don’t know who is telling the truth on television anymore since it’s all negative reporting trying to win ratings.

Juan Apuestas September 6th, 2009 at 5:10 pm

Its not that the public has disdain or hatred for journalist and the media in general, it just that the MAJORITY of US have learned that TRUSTING the media (journalist) to the right thing and be honest and unbiased in their reporting and letting me decide has been lost. THE MEDIA has determined that ” We The People” can no longer decide for ourselves and need to GUIDED by the Well EDUCATED AND ENLIGHTENED Media Elites. Instead reports are slanted. LEFT and RIGHT. So, No, Jaime, your profession has brought upon itself the mistrust and disdain all on its own. As for me, as far as the Media goes, I believe 10 % of what I hear, 40% of what I see and 0% of what I read. The other 50% is reserved for my sanity.

PopeYodaI November 12th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

Chief K tells it like it is. I can add nothing more to that.

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