Fox News military analyst takes marching orders form administration and pentagon

**40sondacurb** · 04-20-2008, 09:03 PM

John Garrett, a retired Army colonel and a Fox News military analyst, was in regular touch with the Pentagon as President Bush prepared to announce his Iraq troop surge last year.

"Please let me know if you have any specific points you want covered or that you would prefer to downplay," Garrett wrote.

That note was one of numerous documents published yesterday in a lengthy New York Times investigation of the close ties between the parade of former officers who serve as television analysts, Defense Department officials who feed them information, and corporations who hire them to win federal contracts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...042002131.html

**sobeit** · 04-21-2008, 07:56 AM

most military news analyst will do as the pentagon says - not just fox. Most are retired military and they have no choice but to since they can be recall to active duty at any time for any reason - even to be prosecuted. They are not protected under the constitution of the United States. The military have their own constitution (persay) the UCMJ

mimo2005 · 04-21-2008, 10:05 AM

Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand

Quote:

Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks.

Quote:

A few expressed regret for participating in what they regarded as an effort to dupe the American public with propaganda dressed as independent military analysis.

Interesting article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/wa...ll&oref=slogin

**40sondacurb** · 04-21-2008, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sobeit

most military news analyst will do as the pentagon says - not just fox. Most are retired military and they have no choice but to since they can be recall to active duty at any time for any reason - even to be prosecuted. They are not protected under the constitution of the United States. The military have their own constitution (persay) the UCMJ

You can't be prosecuted for honestly analyzing a situation. You can be run out of town, but not prosecuted.

**sobeit** · 04-21-2008, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 40sondacurb

You can't be prosecuted for honestly analyzing a situation. You can be run out of town, but not prosecuted.

actually you can if the analyzing is too accurate and gives away secret stuff even if its unintended. This is the military we are talking about.

Rodomantade · 04-21-2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

actually you can if the analyzing is too accurate and gives away secret stuff even if its unintended. This is the military we are talking about.

A military analyst cannot be "prosecuted" for reiterating information the Pentagon feeds them. They cannot be called to active duty either. There is a 4 year parameter called the IRR (atleast there was for us as enlisted personnel) after your term is up that essentially puts you on a list in case the need for troops is so bad that they need to pull up names for MOS qualified people. They haven't touched that list for decades. Most officers have been in for years and years, so their IRR time is down to 0.

Anyway, there is no black helicopter that's going to swoop down and kidnap these analysts for giving accurate reports. These guys are retired Colonel's all the up to Major Generals and know their stuff. They simply give their opinions on the unclassified troop movement information they recieve from Washington. The information they recieve is always biased towards Americans, and their opinions are almost always biased. Take what they say with a grain of salt and form your own opinions based on the hard facts that you can find, if you can find them.

mimo2005 · 04-21-2008, 05:07 PM

Quote:

They have been briefed by officials from the White House, State Department and Justice Department, including Mr. Cheney, Alberto R. Gonzales and Stephen J. Hadley.

In turn, members of this group have echoed administration talking points, sometimes even when they suspected the information was false or inflated.

THIS !!!!!!! Analysts WHO 've been coached to talk like parots and repeat the propaganda message.

Got it ! There is no difference between these parots and the unfamous Baghdad Bob. They are tools of Propaganda.

**40sondacurb** · 04-21-2008, 08:48 PM

This is more embarrassing than anything else. It is just disappointing to know we sloth so low. I don't expect us to be saints, but I have hopes for us not to be this lame.

Mimo's right, this a Baghdad Bob caliber operation. That is really sad for a country where people go to school to be journalist.

yustr · 04-21-2008, 10:14 PM

Its really a matter of "Say what we want you to say or you're frozen out of any information at all." So the good generals think "Ok. Sure. I'm making more in 15 minutes than I did in a month with the Army - and nobody's shooting at my sorry butt. Besides, the morons listening won't know any better."

I remember talking to a older friend. I asked him how his country could have allowed the government to run so rampant? Were not the citizens alarmed by the actions? Wasn't anybody saying "but wait a minute"? His reply was that all the news they got was from the government. So they had no other perspective to go by. And the government was telling them only what they (the government) wanted them to hear.

We're not in that situation any longer - except when it comes to the DoD. They control the information that gets out. They control where the "in bedded" correspondents can go. They're in bed with the Pentagon but its us that are getting screwed. If information is power, they're very powerful, indeed.

And with our "liberal" [sic] media dominated by a very small few (who know which side of the bread their butter's on) it was easy to drown out any faint voice to the contrary.

BTW: My friend was speaking of Germany circa 1938.

**Chode** · 04-22-2008, 03:45 PM

I think one of the best sites for discussion of military topics is Military.com. They have an opinion page that covers the the entire political spectrum, and an extremely lively forum, plus excellent blogs from troops in the field. It would be a mistake to visit the site with preconceptions about any political bias.

It's a sad commentary on most reporting that the media all too often just use whatever managed content the White House provides. TV reporting is largely a feeble joke. Everything is reduced to a 15 second sound bite or video clip. "Just give us dirty laundry." Newspapers still do a better job, but look where readership is headed.

04-20-2008, 09:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
40sondacurb #64 & #36 BACKBONE Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 5,687 OS: xp	Fox News military analyst takes marching orders form administration and pentagon John Garrett, a retired Army colonel and a Fox News military analyst, was in regular touch with the Pentagon as President Bush prepared to announce his Iraq troop surge last year. "Please let me know if you have any specific points you want covered or that you would prefer to downplay," Garrett wrote. That note was one of numerous documents published yesterday in a lengthy New York Times investigation of the close ties between the parade of former officers who serve as television analysts, Defense Department officials who feed them information, and corporations who hire them to win federal contracts. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...042002131.html __________________ Donate to keep the forum running "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully" -George W. Bush

04-21-2008, 07:56 AM	#2 (permalink)
sobeit Mentor Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NEAR Posts: 3,750 OS: windows/linux	Re: Fox News military analyst takes marching orders form administration and pentagon most military news analyst will do as the pentagon says - not just fox. Most are retired military and they have no choice but to since they can be recall to active duty at any time for any reason - even to be prosecuted. They are not protected under the constitution of the United States. The military have their own constitution (persay) the UCMJ __________________ Do not feed the trolls.

04-21-2008, 08:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
40sondacurb #64 & #36 BACKBONE Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 5,687 OS: xp	Re: Fox News military analyst takes marching orders form administration and pentagon This is more embarrassing than anything else. It is just disappointing to know we sloth so low. I don't expect us to be saints, but I have hopes for us not to be this lame. Mimo's right, this a Baghdad Bob caliber operation. That is really sad for a country where people go to school to be journalist. __________________ Donate to keep the forum running "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully" -George W. Bush

04-21-2008, 10:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
yustr Asst. Manager, The Conversation Pit Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Connecticut shore/California Desert Posts: 4,561 OS: PCLinuxOS, XP Pro My System	Re: Fox News military analyst takes marching orders form administration and pentagon Its really a matter of "Say what we want you to say or you're frozen out of any information at all." So the good generals think "Ok. Sure. I'm making more in 15 minutes than I did in a month with the Army - and nobody's shooting at my sorry butt. Besides, the morons listening won't know any better." I remember talking to a older friend. I asked him how his country could have allowed the government to run so rampant? Were not the citizens alarmed by the actions? Wasn't anybody saying "but wait a minute"? His reply was that all the news they got was from the government. So they had no other perspective to go by. And the government was telling them only what they (the government) wanted them to hear. We're not in that situation any longer - except when it comes to the DoD. They control the information that gets out. They control where the "in bedded" correspondents can go. They're in bed with the Pentagon but its us that are getting screwed. If information is power, they're very powerful, indeed. And with our "liberal" [sic] media dominated by a very small few (who know which side of the bread their butter's on) it was easy to drown out any faint voice to the contrary. BTW: My friend was speaking of Germany circa 1938. __________________ I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said. J. McMurtry

04-22-2008, 03:45 PM	#10 (permalink)
Chode TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 670 OS: Windows XP Pro	Re: Fox News military analyst takes marching orders form administration and pentagon I think one of the best sites for discussion of military topics is Military.com. They have an opinion page that covers the the entire political spectrum, and an extremely lively forum, plus excellent blogs from troops in the field. It would be a mistake to visit the site with preconceptions about any political bias. It's a sad commentary on most reporting that the media all too often just use whatever managed content the White House provides. TV reporting is largely a feeble joke. Everything is reduced to a 15 second sound bite or video clip. "Just give us dirty laundry." Newspapers still do a better job, but look where readership is headed. __________________ Sweet!