While the military embraces blogging, servicemembers walk line between free speech an

[thedrifter]

While the military embraces blogging, servicemembers walk line between free speech and responsibility to command


By Allison Batdorff and Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Tuesday, July 8, 2008

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Jim’s blog began as a way to post his Navy adventures. Ports visited. Exotic food consumed.

Then he wrote about hot-button issues within the forward-deployed U.S. Navy — sailor crimes in Japan, liberty policy and a lunch-duty grievance at a base school — and visitors to his Fewl.net site swelled to about 15,000 per month.

The 25-year-old sailor, who asked to remain anonymous, said the blog has influenced some positive changes in liberty policy, but he fears reprisals from the military for speaking publicly.

"I’ve been told that the blog is going to adversely affect my career," he said. "I’ve also been told that I need to realize how powerful this is and that I have to be more judicious."

Other bloggers said they have been challenged or asked to change posted comments, and they point to the regulation of free speech online as a top concern in the growing military blogosphere.

Thousands of servicemembers, family members and military workers now keep blogs to share their stories, connect with others and vent over the mass media and politics.

The U.S. military has outwardly embraced blogging. Still, many bloggers face a thin line between the freedom to speak and the reality of commands that do not like electronic dissent.

Army 1st Sergeant C.J. Grisham, of Huntsville, Ala., and a partner operate a site that is among more than 2,000 U.S. military blogs posted around the world, according to Milblogging.com, a site that tracks the military blogosphere.

He said he has been confronted by the military twice over his writings. A Web security unit of the Pentagon sent a message asking Grisham to remove a post on his blog, "A Soldier’s Perspective."

In a separate incident, a public affairs office passed along a message from a commanding general that alerted the military to his blogging, Grisham said.

"I work hard not to cross the lines and keep my blogging separate from my military responsibilities," he said. "But I’ve had commanders and officers who had problems with my writing in the past."

Operational security — keeping sensitive information from public forums — is a top priority for the military. Grisham feels 99 percent of bloggers understand operational security rules and would not release damaging information.

Bloggers, such as Army Maj. Charles Ziegenfuss, a wounded combat veteran from Indiana, Pa., often see their Web posts as an exercise of their hard-won rights.

Ziegenfuss said he has been approached about the content of his blog site — "From My Position … On the Way!" — but refused to change or delete postings.

"I will continue to exercise my freedom of speech, which I have literally given pounds of flesh to purchase, realizing fully that whatever I write may be read by my mother, my priest, and my boss," Ziegenfuss wrote in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.

Meanwhile, the military is publicly supportive of blogging and has created blog sites such as the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center Blog and shipboard blogs aboard the USNS Mercy and USS Russell.

President Bush met with military bloggers in 2007 — some videoconferencing from Iraq — to discuss issues such as the war.

Blog entries are also included with the press clippings passed up to Navy leadership, a show of their growing influence on military policymakers, said Lt. j.g. Laura Stegherr, who clips news reports for the Navy Office of Information.

"Blogs are a representation of public opinion, and we do consider them media," Stegherr said. "We are ultimately accountable to the American public, and that public scrutiny will ultimately bring out the best in the Navy."

Still, some bloggers said they are not received so warmly in their daily lives.

"I have never officially been reprimanded for my blog, only indirectly discouraged," a blogger corpsman wrote in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.

The corpsman asked to remain anonymous because he said he feared reprisals for speaking publicly.

"One of the powers that be inadvertently told someone in my immediate chain of command that, while I was allowed to blog and I couldn’t be ordered to stop, my actions could inadvertently affect the comfort levels of the people that work for or with me," the corpsman said.

Commander U.S. Naval Forces Japan has no official policy to regulate blogs but uses a "reasonable approach," treating blog sites similar to other media outlets, said CNFJ spokesman Cmdr. Ron Steiner.

"We’d be concerned if there was an operational security violation. We’d let the sailor know," said Steiner. "Also, if there was some egregious error in fact, we would treat the blog like any other media source and let them know about it. It’s up to them whether they decide to use the correct information."

For the most part, bloggers and blogger fans police themselves, said Jim. He even includes a tutorial for bloggers-to-be on his site.

While policies change, and controls loosen and tighten with changing leadership, military bloggers show no signs of giving up their space — and voice — in the blogosphere.

"I feel like I’m making a difference, to an extent," Jim said. "But I was told once, ‘Live by the gauge; die by the gauge,’ and that’s probably true."

Military blogs: A growing domain


Today, there are 2,018 military blogs from 37 countries registered on Milblogging.com, a site that tracks the military blogosphere.

The growth in military blogs began after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and flourished during the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a history posted by the Mudville Gazette military blog site.

The blogs started as a way for servicemembers to stay in touch with family and friends during deployment.

But early "milbloggers" were also inspired by the do-it-yourself attitude of the political blogs such as Instapundit that surged in popularity during the first half of the decade.

Some milbloggers gained fame, too. LT Smash, which claims to be one of the first widely read blogs issued from a war zone, went from about 500 readers per day to 200,000 after the site was touted by mainstream media, according to the Mudville Gazette.

Milblogging quickly evolved into a mouthpiece for servicemembers who felt their side of the story often went untold or who needed a space to vent frustrations with the mass media and politics.

The influence of military blogs continues to grow. In 2007, President Bush met for a roundtable discussion on military issues with milbloggers, some of them videoconferencing from Iraq.

— Travis J. Tritten

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Some leading military blogs at a glance
Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Tuesday, July 8, 2008



Some popular military blogs and some of the authors’ thoughts:

¶ 365 and a Wakeup: http://thunder6.typepad.com/

¶ A Soldier’s Perspective: http://www.soldiersperspective.us

"What I was reading in the media and what I experienced [in the military] were two completely different worlds. Today, my purpose is educate my readers on what really happens in the military and put the ‘fire and forget’ sensationalist news stories into a bit more perspective. My aim is to show the honorable side of military service in the hopes that people can judge for themselves that soldiers aren’t robots or mindless killers."
— 1st Sgt. C.J. Grisham, U.S. Army, Huntsville, Ala.

¶ Blackfive: http://www.blackfive.net/

¶ Afghanistan Without a Clue: http://traversa.typepad.com/

¶ One Marine’s View: http://onemarinesview.com/

¶ The Mudville Gazette: http://www.mudvillegazette.com/

¶ From My Position … On the Way!: http://tcoverride.blogspot.com/

"The ideas of clamping down on blogging, of restricting free speech, of trying to ‘approve’ everything written, tends to stifle the initiative of those who can tell the Army’s story while telling their personal story. We can sell the Army better than any TV ad because people have always been interested in what soldiers do. [The public affairs office] is restricted in what it can tell and often glosses over the bad news to do ‘puff’ pieces. Mil-bloggers add integrity into propaganda. We tell the good right along with the bad."
— Maj. Charles Ziegenfuss, U.S. Army, Indiana, Pa.

¶ Some Soldier’s Mom: http://somesoldiersmom.blogspot.com/

"When my son was deployed and until he was medically discharged, I didn’t use his name to avoid any retribution for things I might write. I didn’t use locations or unit identifications during deployment for [operational security] reasons."
— Carla Lois, civilian, Arizona

¶ Wordsmith At War: http://www.wordsmithatwar.blog-city.com/

"I think the military is perhaps trying to regulate too much. Leaving it up to the individual mil-blogger’s chain of command seems like the best scenario to me, not ‘mass regulation’ by some team at the Pentagon."
— Capt. Lee Kelley, U.S. Army, St. George, Utah

¶ Ma Deuce Gunner: http://www.madeucegunners.blogspot.com/

Source: Milblogging.com

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Blogging rules by branch
By Allison Batdorff, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Tuesday, July 8, 2008



While all the military services are concerned about operational security and compromising the mission, each branch has its own rules for servicemembers who want to sound off in the blogosphere.

Army

An April 2007 operational security policy mandated that soldier blogs get "eyes on" by a blogger’s immediate supervisor and OPSEC officer before publication. The policy also covered (but was not limited to) "letters, resumes, articles for publication, electronic mail, Web site postings, discussion in Internet information forums, discussion in Internet message boards or other forms of dissemination or documentation." The free-speech firestorm was fast and furious, and the Army released a fact sheet in May 2007 saying the policy’s depiction of camouflage-clad censors was wrong, that there is "no way every blog post/update a soldier makes on his or her blog needs to be monitored or approved by an immediate supervisor and operations security officer," but that soldiers should receive "guidance and awareness" training before blogging. Pundits worried about the chilling effect the regulation would have on bloggers-to-be, but the Army has said the new guidelines have not affected blogging.

Air Force

The service recently banned all blogs from Air Force computers, except for those deemed "reputable media outlets."

The Air Force doesn’t prohibit personnel from blogs or social network sites on personal computers, but airmen bloggers are cautioned to be wary of posting information that is classified or might violate OPSEC. The service also warns that airmen’s blogs can be used as evidence against them if they write about committing illegal acts or acts under investigation.

Navy and Marine Corps

According to Wired magazine, compared to the other military branches "The Navy Hearts Blogs."

The Department of Navy regulation (SECNAVINST 5720.47B) mostly focuses on Navy-generated information but says this about personal blogs:

"There is also no prohibition on blogs operated by individual members as private citizens. The DON recognizes the value of this communication channel in posting current information and supporting the morale of personnel, their family and friends. As long as personnel adhere to specific restrictions on content, the DON encourages the use of blogs and recognizes this free flow of information contributes to legitimate transparency of the DON to the American public whom we serve."

The "specific regulations" are left to commands to decide, with emphasis on observing OPSEC, and rules regarding proprietary information, Privacy Act, HIPAA and copyrights/trademark infringement.


A Department of Defense policy update (August 2006) notes that blogs are increasingly used by military personnel but tells commanders to ensure that blogs, other than ones sanctioned by the DOD, are not "created or maintained" during working hours. Blogs also can’t contain information "not available to the general public" including daily military activities, unit morale, equipment status and other information "beneficial to adversaries."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Peers say blog freely but responsibly
Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Tuesday, July 8, 2008



Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyrone Wigfall isn’t a fanatic about military blogs, but he periodically checks them out.

"Every now and then, I’ll read some just to see what some of the opinions are about the military," said Wigfall, an information systems technician with Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Naples, Italy. "There are opinions about a lot of different issues, but I find it’s mostly all just ranting and raving.

"Once in a while, you’ll have a good, enlightened opinion by someone who has done some research and is well informed, and then, you do get a new perspective."

Blogs neither help nor hurt the military, the 34-year-old sailor said.

"It’s just another avenue for people to vent and give their opinions," he said, adding that readers should remember to consider the source.

"I do think that they should be able to get their opinion out there," Staff Sgt. Kira Loera said of military bloggers.

But, she said, the blog content should keep within the military’s rules "because there are some things that can get us all into trouble."

The 23-year-old stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea, pointed to matters of operational security, for example.

Pfc. Michelle Clifton said she’s never read a military blog, but thinks they’re really little more than public diaries of personal experiences and beliefs.

The 22-year-old of the 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion, Darmstadt, Germany, said, however, that people could get carried away and post details that could compromise a military mission.

"People who do that, I think they’re wrong," Clifton said.

But she hasn’t seen or heard of anything crossing that line, and besides, blogs aren’t much more than people ranting "just about the randomness of the day," she said.

Senior Airman David Walton, 23, reads military blogs weekly and is undecided on whether they’re good or bad for the military.

"I think it has mixed outcomes," Walton said.

The aerospace ground equipment mechanic with Osan’s 51st Maintenance Squadron said he has misgivings about servicemembers who might use a blog to divulge details of military life that might "embarrass" the service.

On the other hand, military blogging could be a good thing, partly because it could pass on information of use to other servicemembers, Walton said.

"To me, it all goes back to freedom of speech, because every individual should have the right to speak their mind," he said.

And the blogs can be a way for servicemembers to get certain things said that might not be easy to put before their chain of command, Walton added.

Two airmen based in England think blogs should give practical insight that helps the military, not bash it.

"As long as it’s legitimate and not slander," Staff Sgt. Jason Grant, of the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, said of blog contents. "It brings [problems] out into the open and lets the military figure out how to deal with it."

Constructive criticism for the military can be good, said Staff Sgt. Nathan Bodkins, of the 48th Component Maintenance Squadron.

"Whatever criticism is out there could affect a leadership’s decision on what and what not to change," the RAF Lakenheath airman explained.

"You can’t be critical of the Army; you can just be honest about your experiences," Army Pfc. Jaclyn Lodigkeit, 21, said, adding that it would be absurd for anybody to base his or her opinion of something on just one other person’s belief.

"Everyone’s experience is different," said Lodigkeit, who is attached to 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion.

Stars and Stripes reporters Matt Millham, Sandra Jontz, Franklin Fisher and Sean Kimmons
contributed to this report.

Ellie