"Then defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld was ecstatic after the fall of Baghdad in 2003, insisting publicly that it showed the resounding success of the US invasion of Iraq, Bowman wrote in an NPR opinion piece this week. But through informal conversations with officers, Bowman soon found out that the truth was much more complicated that more American troops would have to be deployed to Iraq to guard the supply lines that were under attack from Saddam Hussein's supporters."
"Bowman is one of many Pentagon reporters about to lose official access to the Pentagon rather than accept defense chief Pete Hegseth's draconian new policy, which would require reporters to sign an agreement stating they will publish only information explicitly authorized by the defense department (or as Donald Trump's officials now call it, the Department of War). But signing would transform reporters from watchdogs into state functionaries, according to Dan Perry, the former chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem."
After Baghdad's fall in 2003, the defense secretary publicly celebrated the invasion as a resounding success, while informal conversations with officers revealed the situation was more complicated and required more American troops to protect supply lines from attacks by Saddam Hussein's supporters. Journalists routinely solicit information to uncover realities behind official statements. The defense department's new policy would require reporters to sign agreements limiting publication to department-authorized information, a move described as transforming reporters from watchdogs into state functionaries. Major news organizations are rejecting the demand, while a propaganda outlet has agreed to sign; major TV networks issued a joint statement opposing the policy.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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