In the last few days I have come across a couple of examples in my life that have not depicted well the lengths the media will go for the sake of a story.
A little background for you. I have been a member of a couple of forums over the years that help provide support to not soldiers, but their wives, their mothers, their lovers, their friends. One of the forums is fairly tight security-wise. You have to prove your way into admittance. Another, well it certainly could have been a bit tighter as I will prove later. These forums are a place for people to support one another through some of the most difficult times as loved ones of soldiers. As you can well imagine, a lot of very intimate and painful thoughts are expressed there. Now, imagine the surprise when this was found on our forum:
Quote:
Hello,
My name is Lara Yamada. I'm a reporter at Q13 FOX News in Seattle. I've done several stories in the past supporting Ft. Lewis soldiers. On our website KCPQ Q13 FOX News | Home - KCPQ check out "Only on Q" and then my series "From the Front Line."
I am doing another story TODAY (Thursday) - talking to familys who have service men and women in Afghanistan.
I know it's been a difficult time with the recent news, and I'm hoping to share your thoughts with other family members out there who value your support.
Please give me a call at your earliest convenience. I'm hoping to arrange an interview or two this afternoon.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Lara Yamada
Q13 Fox News
Anchor/Reporter
(respectfully I removed her cell number)
lara@q13fox. com
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Of course OPSEC reminders followed that posting and she replied once more.
Quote:
I understand your concern. I assure you I am not interested in - in any shape or form - any sensitive information.
As you mentioned, this is simply a human interest story. If you have any questions please feel free to call me or email me. I am concerned about blanket emails like this that clearly add an element of fear.
I am happy to speak with folks or their representatives first before they make any commitments.
I hope you will have the courtesy to share my thoughts along with an email like this.
Thank you,
Lara Yamada
Q13 Fox News
Anchor/Reporter
(cell number)
lara@q13fox. com
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As you can well imagine there was a great feeling of disgust to be invaded like this. It may seem like little to many of you, but it is a very private place. Imagine someone reading your private journals to put it in perspective. of course this issue was rather quickly remedied and as far as I know, no one on the forum chose to speak the the woman, but she very clearly entered a place she didn't belong. I will say that regardless of the violation on our privacy she did manage it professionally. I haven't heard that she has published anything that could have been taken from the forum without permission.
Onward, to another point. Strangely enough, I was alerted to this by another Military family oriented forum.
Gates vs. AP over war photo - First Read - msnbc.com
Quote:
Gates vs. AP over war photo
Posted: Friday, September 04, 2009 11:08 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Security
From NBC’s Courtney Kube
For the first time since he took office as Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates has reached out to a news organization to ask them not to publish a photograph.
While an Associated Press photographer was embedded with Marines in Helmand last month, a Marine convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG. It struck Lance Corporal Joshua M. Bernard severing his legs. He was treated on the scene, but later died at a combat field hospital.
The AP took still photos and video of the attack, and of Bernard, as he lay dying.
Several weeks later, while working on a feature story about the war in Afghanistan, the AP reporter met with Bernard's family and told his father that they had photos and video of their son before he died. Bernard's father was furious that the photos of his mortally wounded son would potentially be published, so he reached out to the U.S. Marine Corps, asking them to stop the publication.
The AP had not violated any rules of embedding, so the Marines' hands were tied. Gates found out about this and called AP President Thomas Curley yesterday to try to stop the photo release.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Gates called Curley yesterday and was "begging him" to "defer to the wishes of the family," adding that the publication of the photo would "cause them great pain."
AP disagreed and the photo was released.
Gates followed up with a scathing letter to Curley yesterday afternoon. The letter says Gates cannot imagine the pain Bernard's family is feeling right now, and that Curley's "lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put out this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right -- but judgment and common decency."
Morrell said Gates was disappointed that he could not convince Curley "to do the right thing," but that the secretary is pleased this morning that most news outlets chose not to publish the photo.
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I agree in the freedom of the press, I also agree that there are limits. My personal opinion is that the request of the bereaved family should have been honored. A lot can be explained without the lens of a camera.
I also reflect on one of the reasons I shut off my own television in 2006. I tired of soldier deaths being treated as numbers and I tired of the news getting it wrong seemingly every time. I had an "in" to what my soldiers were seeing and it was not at all what I would see depicted on the television. While I do believe that the family was being disrespected, a part of me realizes that this is a reminder to people that soldiers are human and their deaths are real. I believe many people have become desensitized to this.