Tell A Friend
Below is the text of the email you'll be sending to your friends.
I wanted to make sure you saw this...
[Your additonal comments will appear here.]
Earlier this week, the 2009 Defense Authorization Bill was sent to the president to be signed. This bill included language responding to criticism of the clandestine relationship among media military analysts, the Pentagon, and the defense industries.
You may remember this from an email we sent you back in May*:
We rely on the media for much of what we know about the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our national security, but according to an explosive New York Times investigative report, many of the military analysts major media outlets relied on have been involved in an elaborate Pentagon program designed to bring the Bush administration's talking points to the public's airwaves. The Times story exposes what until now was a hidden relationship between the Pentagon and these analysts, many of whom also represent defense contractors.
This week*, Media Matters for America released an exclusive accounting of the media military analysts identified in the Times exposé and their more than 4,500 appearances and quotations on network, cable, and radio news outlets since January 1, 2002. These numbers show in startling detail just how far and wide the Pentagon program may have reached.
As a result of the Times article, the accounting by Media Matters, and the work of Rep. Paul Hodes (NH-02), supported by Reps. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Peter DeFazio (OR-04), and Sens. Frank Lautenberg (NJ), Robert Menendez (NJ), Hillary Clinton (NY), Byron Dorgan (ND), and John Kerry (MA), Congress has taken important first steps to make sure the wool is not pulled over the public's eyes again on critical issues of war and national security by implementing the following provisions with this legislation:
- Prohibits taxpayer money from being used for "publicity or propaganda purposes" by the Department of Defense.
- Requires the Department of Defense Inspector General to investigate the media analysts program and report the findings back to Congress 90 days after the bill is enacted.
- Directs the GAO Comptroller General to issue a legal opinion to Congress within 120 days of the bill's enactment on whether the media analysts program violated the law.
While Congress has taken a strong stand to ensure that the government is not promoting propaganda unchecked, sadly, the media remain mostly silent. As the independent check on government, the media have the responsibility to present accurate, unbiased news and analysis that will allow Americans to make an informed decision based on the facts, and not on any given administration's talking points.
Tell the networks that you deserve an honest representation of military analysis and that they must ensure that future analysts are independent in their commentary and are free from conflicts of interest -- send a letter to the networks and demand they address the issue.
I hope you will take a moment to stand up for conscientious media coverage of military issues, and thank you for your continued support.
Erin Hofteig
Director, New Media
Media Matters for AmericaPS -- You can get an overview of the military analysts disgrace here.
* The original email was sent on May 15, 2008.
