GEN. RICARDO Sanchez gave a speech at the Military Reporters and Editors conference Oct. 13. He had some harsh words for the the conduct of the war in Iraq. These words were splashed across the the papers in States and elsewhere. However, his comments on the media were more pointed. One of the advantages of being the gatekeeper is that you can suppress criticism directed at you. Indeed, his comments were simply not reported. For the record, he said:
"Given the near instantaneous ability to report actions on the ground, the responsibility to accurately and truthfully report takes on an unprecedented importance. The speculative and often uninformed initial reporting that characterizes our media appears to be rapidly becoming the standard of the industry. An Arab proverb states - "Four things come not back: the spoken word, the spent arrow, the past, the neglected opportunity." Once reported, your assessments become conventional wisdom and nearly impossible to change. Other major challenges are your willingness to be manipulated by "high level officials" who leak stories and by lawyers who use hyperbole to strengthen their arguments. Your unwillingness to accurately and prominently correct your mistakes and your agenda driven biases contribute to this corrosive environment. All of these challenges combined create a media environment that does a tremendous disservice to America."
U.S. leftists employed as journalists (most newswriters and 99 percent of feature writers in my experience) will instantly yelp that Sanchez "was questioning their patriotism." While I certainly would, he wasn't--he was pointing out that they are ill-informed and ethically corrupt.
