thedrifter
07-07-06, 08:38 AM
U.S. Soldiers <br />
Aren't Guilty <br />
Before a Verdict <br />
The U.S. military needs a PR counteroffensive. <br />
<br />
BY DANIEL HENNINGER <br />
Friday, July 7, 2006 12:01 a.m. EDT <br />
<br />
We seem to have a new national...
WalkingMan
07-07-06, 03:44 PM
All the military attorneys I spoke with said ugly crimes do happen in war. But war at the shooting level is often a complex event. Haditha or one of the others may yet produce a crime or a cover-up. But in the age we live in, rush-to-judgment can become a bad habit. It might be better to wait for a real verdict.
It is worth remembering that the Koran permits lying, as a weapon of war.
I suspect that the 'rush to judgement' will eventually give way to a more healthy skepticism over time, as more of these kind of claims, made by the enemy, are demonstrated to be false.
The news media tends to care more about ratings than accuracy, nowadays, and the 'outrage story' gets ratings, while a retraction can be put on page 76, between the ads, or on TV or Radio, quickly mumbled during the 3:00 AM headlines recap.
An important factor in seeing this kind of behaviour does not go unpunished, is that US citizens take it upon themselves to to publicly inflict damage on the professional reputations of those in the news media who make a habit, of such 'rushes to incorrect judgement'.