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TOPIC: Unescorted Media.

DISCUSSION: Unescorted or unaccredited media representatives -- perhaps host-country or third-nation reporters -- can be expected on future battlefields. Some reporters balk at media pools and being escorted by public affairs officers or NCOs, preferring to strike out on their own. Public affairs doctrine says those reporters should not be granted access to anything not open to the public and should be referred to the nearest PAO for registration and accreditation. The goal is NOT to restrict media access but to ensure the representatives are legitimate reporters and to prevent them from interfering with operations. Accreditation and escorting are not done out of concern for the media's safety. The media have made it clear they know the risks of covering a war and that they do not want restrictions placed on their movement to protect them.

We were out there in the middle of nowhere with good intelligence that there was a possibility of Saddam attacking. Out of nowhere, a pool of four or five guys shows up -- no military escort -- wanting to know what we were doing. So I said, "I'll answer your questions, but not until you come up with a military representative that says you are who you say you are."
Battalion Commander

Our battalion chaplain was holding communion.... Up drives a car with four French reporters. They didn't speak English. I told them they could take pictures. Later, I wondered if I'd done the right thing. I suppose there is nothing I could have done. They were just traveling through the area.
Battalion Commander

In some cases [the media] sort of wandered on their own. One group got robbed by locals. Had we known they were in the area, we could have prevented it.
Battalion Commander

LESSON(S): Ensure leaders and soldiers are aware of the type, size and color of badge accredited media will be wearing. Develop a Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) to deal with unescorted, unaccredited media. PAOs should educate the media about the dangers of modern, fluid battlefields. Commanders and PAOs should also make pool procedures as painless as possible so that reporters are less likely to strike out on their own.

TOPIC: Support for the Media.

DISCUSSION: The media should be outfitted for the field at theater or corps level since subordinate units often cannot spare the supplies and assets. However, commanders and leaders at all levels should provide water, food and other sustenance if doing so would not detract from the mission.

I expect you to accommodate the press' needs as best you can without affecting your ability to carry out your warfighting mission.
GEN Norman Schwarzkopf Message to Operation DESERT STORM Commanders, August 1990

I had some concerns, because they said we were going to have seven [media reps] for the whole corps. I couldn't really support more media than that. We were just coming in, and we didn't have enough tents, heaters and cots for ourselves.
Corps PAO

It is not fair to ask someone to come out and live with you, and play by your rules, and risk their lives, and then not fully support them. But this thing has to be top-driven.
Division PAO

The Army chief of staff, maybe as a result of a conversation with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, told the division commanders that we could win every battle but lose the war if we did not include the media. The instructions to the division commanders were to support the media as much as possible.
Division PAO

We provided them [reporters] with housing, TA-50, flak jackets, sleeping bags, MREs and so on. They lived with us and they lived like us. They got dirty, took bird baths like us, and stayed with us until their mission was completed. They didn't go back to the hotel at night.
Commander, Public Affairs Detachment

LESSON(S): PA and operational planning should consider the need to support the media. Commanders should issue guidance outlining the extent of support to be provided. Under no circumstances should support detract from the mission, but that which would not detract should be provided.

TOPIC: Soldier and Family Member Media Interviews.

DISCUSSION: PAOs and unit leaders need to educate soldiers and family members about the role of the media. Soldiers and family members need to understand that the media represent the American public and are not the enemy. They need to understand their rights to talk or refuse to talk to the media. They also need to realize how talking to the media can support and contribute to the mission.

Many family members and soldiers suffer from what might be called "mediaphobia." By projecting confidence and commitment during interviews, they can help gain public support and tell the Army story. Most don't realize that they often have more credibility with the public than commanders and senior officials. On the other hand, they need to be aware of some dangers that might be associated with granting interview requests. Many don't stop to think, for example, how appearing on television or in the newspaper could identify them as targets for crank calls, pushy salesmen or even criminals. (See Appendix B.)

We told the leaders and the soldiers to accentuate the positive, to stay away from operational matters, and to be very mindful of the impact the information they were giving the folks back home. You always get a guy who gripes, but in some ways that adds a little dose of realism. My guys were superb in their dealings with the press.
Battalion Commander

We were told to tell [the media], "No comment."
Sergeant

My family and the other families tended to be cautious around the media. I think that there was some good guidance put out to the families to be cautious. First, it identifies you as being a service family, which might not be something you want to advertise. You could open yourself up to a local burglar or something.
Battalion Commander

You can trust soldiers; they are perceived, in fact, by both the public and the media as our most credible spokespersons.
Corps PAO

The media would look through the phone book for names with [Army] ranks, then they would call those numbers for interviews. One of our wives worked at a local motel where a lot of the media were staying. When they found out she was a military wife with a deployed husband, they hounded her for interviews. She had to take off work for a week or two.
Division Rear Detachment Commander

LESSON(S): For soldiers, media-encounter training should be incorporated into individual and collective training. Soldiers should be cautioned about having a phone book or postal listing that makes it obvious they are military. Handouts offering tips on how to deal with the press are available through public affairs channels. They should be provided to soldiers and family members.

TOPIC: Media Coverage of Attached and Operational Control (OPCON) Units.

DISCUSSION: Units that deploy to a theater of operations often lose their identity when attached to a higher headquarters. They probably have no PA assets to carry on their own command and public information missions. It is a challenge to ensure continued coverage and flow of information to these "isolated" or "forgotten" units.

If you were to leave tips for battalion commanders on how to handle the media, one of them would be: Spread them around your units to give your soldiers equal balance. It will maintain their morale.
Battalion Commander

In comparison with all the other units over there, you would hardly know we was there.
Specialist

There were a lot of civilian media in our base camps.... But when you would pick up a copy of any news publication, [our unit] was not mentioned. It was as if we were never over there. That hurt morale.
First Sergeant

When one company was "left out" of the media coverage and photo opportunities, I would get with the PAO and have them guide the media to that company the next time. The PAO would prebrief the media on what to look for, what to stay away from.
Battalion Commander

The guys were getting a little grumpy and upset about everybody else grabbing the headlines.
Battalion Commander

LESSON(S): Commanders and PAOs should attempt to ensure balanced coverage. They should make a special effort to include attached units in their planning and operations. Such units require an even greater flow of information and should be considered for separate coverage whenever possible. A UPAR could provide continuity, no matter where a unit is deployed.

Table of Contents
Section II, Part 1
Section II, Part 3