Pentagon Rules On Media Access To The Persian Gulf War PDF Download

"Extensive research about military restrictions on the press and the political factors that have contributed to these restrictions during the past 10 years reveals a disturbing pattern of escalating control over media access to information on and off the battlefield. The evidence shows that, increasingly, information about Defense Department activities is being restricted or manipulated not for national security purposes, but for political purposes -- to protect the image and priorities of the Defense Department and its civilian leaders, including the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. This pattern is not simply a clash of mentalities between the military and the media. Many crucial decisions about information policies have been made by civilian leaders in the Pentagon and the White House over the objections of military officers who have fought hard to maintain journalists' access to the field and Armed Forces personnel, and have worked around the clock during operations to assist reporters' and photographers' efforts to present independent information to the American people. The techniques used by the government to limit and shape news coverage -- which have included prohibiting access to military operations and releasing misleading data about U.S. successes and casualties -- bring up issues that go far beyond the obvious need to balance military secrecy requirements with the public's right to know. This information-control program has distorted accounts of what occurred during the military operations in Grenada, Panama and the Persian Gulf, has led to false perceptions about the operations' short- and long-term impact on these regions and on U.S. policy, and has threatened the historical record."--Executive summary.