May 21, 2007:
For the last 80 years, the U.S. Army
has had guidelines for dealing with media. The current version contains some
interesting advice. Things like;
Maintain a professional attitude
Make a good impression
Everything is ON THE RECORD
Tell the truth even if it hurts. Do not try to
cover embarrassing events with a security classification. Never lie to the
media.
Commanders, down to the battalion level, have some
troops selected and trained to deal with the media. The training includes role
playing. There's no shortage of able volunteers to play the journalist. Years
of watching TV news have made "acting like a TV reporter" second nature.
However, in the last few years, commanders have been encountering more and more
new troops who have rarely watched television news, or read newspapers. They
get all their news off the Internet. This is a growing trend among adolescents.