America’s Team; The Odd Couple —  A Report on the Relationship Between the Media and the Military

By Frank Aukofer and William P. Lawrence, The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, 1995

As always, the overriding issues between the news media and the military involve access, censorship and the timely reporting of news from the battlefield. News people, not surprisingly, want total access, no censorship, and the  apability to get their stories out to their audiences quickly. Military people, not surprisingly, want the option to exercise some control for operational security purposes.

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The greatest fear of a military commander in a pre-invasion scenario is that something might leak that would tip off an enemy.

News executives understand that concern and have agreed in specific  ircumstances to delay or modify coverage in the interests of security. Their biggest fear is that military leaders—or their civilian superiors—might stifle news coverage by stretching the security blanket for political purposes or to enhance
their public image, cover up mistakes or influence public attitudes about a war.

The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center:

The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University is an  ndependent operating program of The Freedom Forum. The Center was  stablished by The Freedom Forum, one of the nation’s largest foundations, on Dec.15, 1991, the 200th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment Center’s mission is to foster a better public understanding of and appreciation for First Amendment rights and values, including freedom of religion, free speech and press, and the right to petition government and to assemble peacefully.

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