In April, The New York Times broke a story about the Pentagon's media analyst program. The program used retired military "media analysts" to appear on television programs as experts. The program came under intense scrutiny and the Pentagon decided to "suspend" it about a week after The New York Times article appeared.
HuffPost's Jason Linkins noted at the time that neither The New York Times or any other major media network had done little to advance the story.
Media Matters reports today that the analysts program was much more far reaching than reported in the Times.
A Media Matters review found that since January 1, 2002, the analysts named in the Times article -- many identified as having ties to the defense industry -- collectively appeared or were quoted as experts more than 4,500 times on ABC, ABC News Now, CBS, CBS Radio Network, NBC, CNN, CNN Headline News, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, and NPR.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/0...21.html
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er--that would be "VivaI.
Hilariously, you saw Perle on Stewear claiming the problem was that we all mis-remembered how even-handed the regime was whilst pimping their war, how terribly much they didn't want to go to war. And as they say, Etc.
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{An article of interest from Editor & Publisher}
SPJ Says Media Must Hold Their Military Analysts to Journalistic Standards
By E&P Staff
Published: May 12, 2008 11:52 AM ET
NEW YORK Society of Professional Journalists leaders are urging the U.S. media to hold their military analysts to the same ethical standards journalists are required to meet concerning potential conflicts of interest, financial ties, and relationships with government agencies.
SPJ leaders also expressed outrage at what an April 20 New York Times story revealed was the Pentagon's willingness to use military analysts as a "media Trojan horse" to spread the Bush administration's perspective on the Iraq War.
"The Pentagon's practices to co-opt military analysts should end and be replaced by an honest, open dialogue with representatives of the media about the facts of the war," SPJ President Clint Brewer said in a statement. "In addition, the country's news organizations should disclose the ties of their analysts both past and present. America's news media should hold these analysts to the same ethical tests they would any journalist.”
SPJ Ethics Committee Chairman Andy Schotz added: "The Times should be commended for bringing this practice to light. It's now up to members of the media who use these sources to fully disclose their affiliations."
The Times story reported that the Pentagon, by controlling access and disseminating selective information, has co-opted some military analysts to generate favorable news coverage during the war. Also, the article showed that few national TV networks understood their own analysts' financial ties to defense industry contractors doing business with the U.S. military.
Internal Pentagon documents obtained by the Times called the analysts "surrogates" and "message force multipliers" who could deliver the administration’s "themes and messages" via the U.S. media.
www.editorandpublisher.com/eand...y.jsp
