Media Case

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011 propelled the military in a long and sustained war or conflicts that have brought continuous media attention to military operations and the planning by military leaders. The increase media attention placed on the military, has brought forth an awareness by military leaders on their ability to incorporate the media into their planning, exploitation of the media as an information tool and the need for them to develop effective communication skills. Module 141 on Introduction to the Media and the media panel discussion, provided a baseline of understanding on how to effectively utilize the media and the requirements of military leaders for engaging with them. The lesson provided valuable information and guidelines on what leaders should considered, when they engage with the military and provided a historical perspective on how the relationship of the media and military has developed throughout various historical events. Module 141 will allow military leaders to develop the required skills of engaging the media, as world conflicts increase that will continuously involve the use of the U.S. military.

Throughout the history of the United States the military has been involved in major wars and conflicts that have shaped the course of the country, assisted in guiding the principals of the people and continuously projected the U.S. as a world superpower. Prior to the Vietnam War, information on military operations and casualties were only heard from the evening radio. The advances in media technology during the Vietnam War, has allowed for the images of the war to be projected into the living rooms of all Americans. The images and stories projected by the media, oftentimes brought negativity towards the military and questioned the necessity of engaging in operations throughout the world. The backlash received by the citizens towards the military as they returned from war, developed a relationship of mistrust and a dislike of the media, by those serving in the military.

The relationship between the media and the military has evolved into a positive relationship, as a result of the changing world landscape that has resulted in the military being more engaged in conflicts, with the media embedded with units that are conducting combat and humanitarian relief missions. During a 2012 interview with the DoD news General Ray Odierno (Army CSA) spoke about the media and military relationship and how the flow of information is very rapid that reporting is oftentimes 50 percent incorrect, which requires the military to follow up and provide accurate information. To ensure that the media receives accurate and relevant information from the military, General Ordierno further discussed that a strong relationship, interchange and trust is needed between the two entities (DoD News, 2012). Haigh (2012) discussed that the development of a strong relationship between the military and the media began after the first Gulf War, with the development of the "DoD Principals for News Media Coverage of DoD Operations." These principles outlined how the military will be embedded, assigned and utilized to cover military operations in combat zones. This agreed upon system between the military and the media, allowed for greater access to military personnel, reporting of information on troop levels, casualties, operations and provided hometown news of the service members those units that they were embedded with. The embedded system developed the trust and bond between the military and the media and allowed for the public to develop a greater respect for military personnel and the operations they conducted, based on the information received from the media.

Kenneth Payne (2005) stated "The media, in modern era, are indisputably an instrument of war. This is because winning modern wars is as much dependent on carrying domestic and international public opinion as it is on defeating the enemy on the battlefield." With the United States being at war over the last decade, military leaders and politicians have effectively utilized the media for disseminating information to the public that allowed them to garner support from the U.S. public and build a coalition within the international community to combat terrorist activity and sectarian violence. The information conveyed in the media panel video, effectively discussed this relationship and the importance of military leaders ability to fully understand the relationship