Journalists have an important role to play in calling for reforms to the embedding system. The favorability of a journalist's previous reporting should not be a factor. Transparency, guaranteed by a body not under the control of public affairs officials, should govern the credentialing process. An independent board made up of military staff members, veterans, Pentagon civilians and journalists could balance the public's need for information with the military's need for operational security.
Reporters should have timely access to information. The military could do far more to enable the rapid declassification of information that does not jeopardize military missions. The military's Significant Activity Reports, for example, provide quick overviews of events like attacks and casualties. Often classified by default, these could help journalists report the facts accurately.
Opinion polls indicate that Americans' confidence in their elected representatives is at a record low. Improving media access to this crucial aspect of our national life — where America has committed the men and women of its armed services — would be a powerful step toward re-establishing trust between voters and officials.
By Chelsea Manning- New York Times.
*Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, is a former United States Army intelligence analyst.
(64 VIEWS)
This post was last modified on May 17, 2017 4:15 pm
Nearly 80% of Zimbabweans are against the extension of the president’s term in office, according…
The government is the biggest loser when there is a discrepancy between the official exchange…
Zimbabwe is currently in turmoil after it devalued its five-month old currency, the Zimbabwe Gold…
Zimbabwe today devalued its local currency, the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), by 44% to trade at…
Today is the third quarterly payment date (QPD) for the year, the second after the…
I left The Chronicle after nine years and returned to freelancing. I started The Insider,…