This happened decades ago. In another state. The commander of our National Guard outfit said, hey you, aren't you a reporter in real life?
Real life meant when we weren't in uniform on the weekends. And yes, ma'am, we worked for a newspaper in real life. So we were given a strange assignment: Going to a National Guard training spot the next weekend but dressed business casual, or as close as reporters get to business casual.
The training was riot control. Soldiers in one company were to show up at a "town" that was being torn apart by looters (all volunteers from other outfits) and get things under control ASAP, as National Guardsmen are supposed to do. Our mission: Play the part of a reporter who gets too fresh with the troops trying to do their jobs.
It took about, oh, three minutes into the fake riot to find ourselves sitting on the ground, hands bound behind our back, and out of the action for the rest of the afternoon. The commander of the Guard unit was low drag, and had us on the rain-soaked ground before we could shout in the face of the second soldier.
We remembered that fine wet fall day all those years ago after an Associated Press report came out this week about the "new" Defense Department guidelines allowing journalists to be treated as Unprivileged Belligerents on the battlefield. According to a new manual issued by the DoD, military commanders have been given more options when dealing with reporters. Including locking them up.
This is new? Since when? If a reporter on the battlefield, or in a riot, or on a military base of some sort starts acting a fool, he should be treated like any other fool.
The manual also notes that if a journalist is caught spying for the enemy, he should be treated like any other spy. Our considered editorial opinion: You're darn tootin' he should be.
Those panicky types who always see danger in any military manual told the AP the so-called new guidelines will allow overzealous commanders to detain and hold journalists indefinitely or keep reporters from writing critical stories. Not likely. Not as long as there are editors back at the news organization who (1) keep up with their reporters, and (2) know the difference between critical reporting and passing information to the enemy. And not as long as those editors and reporters have access to courts and their own lawyers. Not to mention judges and the rule of law in this fine country.
No, this manual the DoD put out might be new. But there's little new about a commander's duty to do what he thinks is best to protect civilians, his troops, and, yes, even reporters themselves. Even if that includes cuffing one, sitting him down on his backside on the wet ground, and telling us to hush up until the exercise is over.
Yes, sir. Do you have any coffee?
Editorial on 08/29/2015