Matthew Yglesias (April 11, 2007) - Pentagon Vlogging (Media)

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Pentagon Vlogging

11 Apr 2007 02:06 pm

It turns out that the Department of Defense, under the Pentagonchannel.mil rubric does vlogs. Or at least webcasting. Including this semi-hilarious daily news broadcast called "Around the Services." For some reason, they decided that the job of anchoring this show couldn't be done by a civilian contractor and she does it wearing a uniform.

It turns out to be pretty interesting. The report on the Air Force dudes in Afghanistan was neat, I'm always glad to learn more about the military's increasing investment in the Horn of Africa, etc. It all serves as a reminder of how much conventional television has cut back on lengthier reported stories. It's also interesting how much more effective it is to get some competent people together and have them report some good news instead of having a bunch of know-nothings hectoring everyone "why don't you report the good news?!?! Why don't you report the good news?!?!?"

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Comments (20)

It's also interesting how much more effective it is to get some competent people together and have them report some good news instead of having a bunch of know-nothings hectoring everyone "why don't you report the good news?!?! Why don't you report the good news?!?!?"

I look forward to the continuation of this argument the next time the nutroots are bitching about the media not following this or that particular supposed Bush administration scandal, or not asking the correct questions in press conferences.

Posted by Homer | April 11, 2007 3:12 PM

For some reason, they decided that the job of anchoring this show couldn't be done by a civilian contractor and she does it wearing a uniform.

Have you never watched a military news broadcast?

Posted by Wade | April 11, 2007 3:16 PM

This is the incessant -- and i mean incessaant -- propaganda the military catapults at troops overseas. not lengthy or in depth at all, really, just the pentagon noise machine.

Posted by mmgood | April 11, 2007 3:33 PM

Matt,

I love you, man, but good Lord do I hate it when people who have no clue about the military point to something every service member knows about and says, "Gee, ain't that cool?"

http://nitpicker.blogspot.com/2005/06/lietv-don-rumsfeld-was-recently.html

Posted by nitpicker | April 11, 2007 3:48 PM

love you, man, but good Lord do I hate it when people who have no clue about the military point to something every service member knows about and says, "Gee, ain't that cool?"

How are people who haven't served in the military supposed to learn things that every service member knows about if people aren't allowed to point to newly learned things and say "Gee, ain't that cool?"

How many readers of this blog do you think knew all about PentagonChannel.mil before I mentioned it? Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm guessing it's not very many.

Posted by Matthew Yglesias | April 11, 2007 4:02 PM

Amen, Matthew. I'm glad that you point out stuff like this. Far too many people don't know that this information is out there.

There is actually a lot of cool stuff that the Pentagon is doing to embrace social media and leverage digital technologies to help tell the story on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan (as well as help bridge the civil-military divide).

Things like this help people on both sides come together to discuss issues and events, rather than sling talking points at one another.

Posted by Steve Field | April 11, 2007 5:26 PM

This channel came on with my last cable revision, living next to two bases and all. They really catapult the propaganda in a way that the military channel, the history channel, and discovery/wings et al can only duplicate over and over and over. It is a wonder our helicopters ever crash because the wings of angels are holding the ruined airframes in the sky, to see it on television.
I wonder if Russia is going to have a Kracnaya Zvezda television channel soon? Or the PRC? We like to think we aren't like them, but it seems we are developing a lawless, Stasi-like FBI who will protect us whether we want it or not, a military with its own domestic disinformation and counterintelligence capability, and generations of compliant, pampered veal children who are happy to forego freedoms they won't use so they can stay home and play video games and smoke buds, safely neutralized by the Soma.

Posted by Biff Spaceman | April 12, 2007 12:27 AM

Thanks Matt, as you make a good point that many of your readers probably would not know about DoD's Armed Forces Information media except for you pointing it out. Some of the public affairs stuff is "feel" good propaganda, but a lot of professional journalism is also produced. It is usually produced by military members or Department of Defense civilians, not contractors who work in these media (print, video, and internet), a tradition that goes back to Fred Friendly, Andy Rooney, and others who were part of Stars & Stripes Newspaper and other WWII media. Another link your writers might want to check for what is happening in that society so apart from the rest of us is: www.estripes.com

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