December 23, 2005: The U.S. Army went into the war on terror with the best trained, most skilled force in its history. The troops achieved, by historical standards, remarkable feats. Yet you rarely hear about it. The troops don't mind, well, actually they do. But you're not supposed to complain about that sort of thing, so they don't. Why aren't these achievements noted. Part of it has to do with a long time truism in the media; "bad news sells better than good news." But the way this works is pretty bad news in itself.
For example, in the first nine months of 2005, there were over 1,300 news reports on network news programs. Only 17 of these showed the accomplishments of the troops (either battlefield heroism, or work helping Iraqi civilians), while 79 covered actual or, more usually, alleged, incidents where the troops had made mistakes or committed a crime on the battlefield. The people who are there, be they the troops, local civilians, or reporters, know better. Heroism is a daily occurrence, as are good works done for civilians. But the reporters have learned that good news doesn't sell. If you want a career in journalism, you've got to get the dirt.
Even when a soldier won a Medal of Honor in Iraq, the media either didn't say much, or covered it as a minor story, or gave it a negative slant. This sort of thing is not good for morale, and the troops have developed a disdain for the media, and the journalists they encounter. Some reporters try to develop good relations, but most just suck it up and keep looking for dirt. Not a healthy relationship. But, hey, it's just business. The news business.
