Military/Media Relationship in Future Conflict
Abstract
There appears to always have been an adversarial relationship between the military and the media. Most people believe that relationship grew out of the Vietnam conflict, but it actually began during the Civil War. Press correspondents were referred to as 'paid spies' by the military on both sides during the Civil War. Vietnam served only to widen the chasm between the military and the media. This paper briefly traces the history of military/media relations-from Vietnam through our involvement in Somalia. Each conflict during the past two and one-half decades is discussed in an attempt to discover the root causes for the friction between the military and the media. The common thread throughout is the underlying problem that the military and the media do not trust each other nor do they have confidence in each other. In conclusion, it makes suggestions how the military and the media can learn to trust each other and gain confidence in each other.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 15, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA264942
Entities
People
- Randall L. Pingley
Organizations
- United States Army War College