Influencing Our Analysts: A Crisis in Trust and Credibility

Last Sunday, the front page of the New York Times included a story about the efforts of the Pentagon's public affairs operation to influence retired military officers now working as military analysts for some of our nation's largest media organizations.

I am very angry about the issues raised by the New York Times' story, as are many of my colleagues who have called me aside to discuss it. The story does not reflect well on the Pentagon, on the military analysts in question, or on the media organizations that employ them.

Maybe I am too idealistic, but this story is appalling to me on a number of levels. For me, it all comes down to trust and credibility. And it would be a dangerous thing for the American people to lose trust in the Pentagon, in our retired officer corps, and in the press, each of which has a critical role to play in preserving our nation's freedoms.

Through the years, I have frequently urged our military services to improve their efforts to tell America about the good work that is being done by our country's sons and daughters in uniform. Our military services have an important story to tell, and public affairs offices are critical to that task. But credibility is paramount. Once lost, it is difficult or impossible to regain.

There is nothing inherently wrong with providing information to the public and the press. But there is a problem if the Pentagon is providing special access to retired officers and then basically using them as pawns to spout the administration's talking points of the day. There are allegations that analysts who failed to deliver the message required by the administration mysteriously lost access to future briefings and information. I find this deeply troubling. We deserve to be able to trust the actions of the Pentagon.

We also deserve a retired officer corps that is worthy of the respect it receives from the American people, who place great faith in their judgment and loyalty to our nation. Americans trust our active duty and retired military, and rightly so.

I know a number of the retired officers employed by the media as military analysts to be honorable people. But the special access they are alleged to have received and the circumstances of their employment, without proper disclosure of their outside interests or biases, raise a number of uncomfortable questions that deserve serious answers.

Which master do these analysts serve?

The United States Government, which supplies their retirement pay?

The Pentagon, which may reduce the amount of analysis they actually need to do by providing detailed talking points promoting the current administration's message agenda?

The defense contractors, who pay them for serving on boards or for their defense expertise, and perhaps more to the point, for their Pentagon connections?

Will their analysis, either by design or just by lucky coincidence, result in contracts or other advantages for the companies from which they take home a paycheck?

It hurts me to my core to think that there are those from the ranks of our retired officers who have decided to cash in and essentially prostitute themselves on the basis of their previous positions within the Department of Defense. I would hate to think that because a few people have blurred ethical boundaries and cashed in on their former positions that we might tarnish the military's hard won reputation for professionalism and objectivity and love of country first and foremost.

Finally, I think our media have a serious responsibility to disclose potential conflicts of interest when they do their reporting. This applies to all of their stories, of course, and not just those that include retired officer military analysts. I understand that different organizations have different rules, but perhaps it would not be out of order for our journalism schools and professional journalism organizations to develop ethical guidelines for dealing with such issues.

Our nation's military exists to protect America's freedoms for citizens today and for future generations. The First Amendment guarantees the right of all Americans, including retired service members and members of the press, to speak freely and without restraint. But with our rights come responsibilities to act honestly and ethically. I have no doubt we will continue to discuss these matters in the days ahead.

Comments

[scooperss]

You ask "which masters do these analysts serve"

The answer is of course the Almighty Dollar and to HELL with the truth.

[scooperss]

And

Stop talking and act like OUR representative. You weren't elected to blog on liberal sites but you were elected now get to work and do your job and stop being a pushover for the administration.

Unless like others you've been bought.

[HGS111]

Oh! by the way the only thing that can save us now is term limits..... PERIOD. If congress won't pass it we must.

http://tenurecorrupts.com

[HGS111]

I would ask anyone who has been paying attention for any length of time to think back in your memory. Has there ever been a time when we have seen such of parade of X military brass on the teevee. I can't for the life of me ever remember more face time for military officers than in this administration. They remind me of salesmen and hacks at that. As for the bush team, they have fired more military experience than at any time in our history. Generals who told them what they didn't want to hear just left the landscape all together. What a mess.

[Spookcatcher]

Nice try to act like this is news to you. The U.S. constitution has been shredded along with the Bill of Rights and recycled into Capital Hill's Congressional and Senatorial Bathrooms toilet Paper rolls and yet here You talk so righteously, which means you must only be jeolous of the slick angle the Pentagon and these Traitor Buddies of yours used or maybe feeling left out of your cut of their ability to grab a bigger take of the budgeting spoils and contracts you pushed through and up our taxpayer Asses to "wage" this Fake War On Terror, you old Fascsist S.O.B.!

[ljmck]

Rep. Skelton,
I appreciate your sentiments and your awakening, but the duplicity was apparent, if not yet proved, to anyone watching commentary on the war.

Congress, which has had a Democratic majority for many months now, has been remarkably timid and ineffectual in changing the way business is done in Washington.

Leadership and courage will be welcome.

[Enzo]

Good blog entry, Rep. Skelton.

Now, as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, responsible for oversight and investigations of the Pentagon, what are YOU going to DO about it?

[HeevenSteven]

I don't think there is any will in congress do do anything about media abuses. When the public has no reliable way to tell truth from lies, we are no longer a democracy, tyranny is sure to follow.

[pkohan]

Wow - maybe Rep. Skelton could use his standing as Chair of the Armed Services Committee to do something about all this anger and all these nagging questions.

Just maybe. Maybe he could pour a little sunshine on these practices and work to amend or eliminate them. Just maybe.

[thejoshuablog]

Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!

Hearings.
Hearings.
Hearings.

Call in all the on air military analysts and the network heads for starters. Then the pentagon brass.

[HeevenSteven]

Remember when another Ike coined the phrase "Military Industrial Complex"? Well we can now add News Media: "Military Industrial News-Media Complex"

[deminmo]

Rep. Skelton,
Not every military man is as honorable as you, even if they
have served honorably. The news media does not present the
real Iraq "war". The represent the Bush spin on the Iraq war.
Most bloggers and most citizens in general, realize this to be
the case. The select few closest to the President never ask
real questions, if they want to continue where they are. And top
military brass get promotions as much on how they support
the administration as their military record.

[HeevenSteven]

Rep Skelton, many of us lost trust in the media long ago. There has been a virtual blackout on this story, even though it was no surprise to many of us.

[JNV]

Wonderful. Maybe you can discuss these matters for the next 100 years.

[julianne]

Rep. Skelton, we, too find it deeply troubling. and we have for the last six (6) years. Where has the House and Senate been? This is old news. Have you been in the military? Many, many officers are self-serving bootlickers on a level that is staggering which, historically, drives many citizens out of the military. The Pentagon under the fascists and mentally ill Rumsfield and Cheney, became the fourth branch of government, a total psy-ops operation which used a corrupt and superficial media to thwart the will of the American people and the world. Books have been written about it. After all these years, why hasn't the hammer fallen on the Pentagon from our Congress and Senate and a copy of the Constitution delivered to West Point and Annapolis by; a senior member of the Senate? Answer: We don't have a viable representative government. We have 535 suits filled with, mostly, millionaire lawyers with a total four (4) of their children in the military. We have a corporate state with the largest penal colony in the world.

[elbzee]

Bravo Julianne! Well posed! And I agree.

Rep Skelton, you've been in the house for the past 31 years. Why have you allowed this to happen?

[ez14livin]

I also agree. What a bombshell, Rep. Skelton

What's next: an expose on how CEO's are cooking the books to manipulate stock prices prior to bailing w/ billions and the golden parachute?

or how lobbyists are really writing the laws of our country?

or how career politicians haven't a clue how the majority of the country is living and are complicite if not directly responsible for the destruction of our democracy?

politicians talking about ethics... is political ethics an oxymoron?

[HeevenSteven]

Ditto the Bravo Julianne!

Yes Rep Skelton, There are no shortage of books written about these matters and they aren't just chicken littles. Fortunately for the broadcast media and the government, 90% of Americans don't read non-fiction. Maybe the congress can hire people to read them and write book reports for you.

It's time to revisit the rules on media ownership. It's time for the Democratic leadership to start living up to the "Democratic" in the title.

[scooperss]

Excellent Julianne
Yes HeevenSteven
Yes ezi
and yes elbzee

Good to see some are trying to hold dems accountable too.

[elbzee]

I think it's time that we all revisit The 545 People Responsible For America's Woes By Charley Reese
It's just about impossible to refute his premis:

http://www.liberalsvsconservatives.com/the-545-people-responsible-for-americas-woes-t1957.html