[Zhang Fei]

They have plenty of time afterwards to do all that they need to do. As it stands now, they’re simply shown to be fools in the press because they didn’t get it straight, and then continued it until *someone else* has to call them to account. If you’re going to come out with a *false story* in the beginning — then it pays for *that person* to be the one to correct it. If someone else has to correct it, then it makes the original source of the story look like a liar...

They're not minders of trivia involving individual soldiers - they're commanders of war efforts. The press can want what they want. But the military's job is not to hunt up information for the media. It is to defeat the enemy.

[Star Traveler]

You said — “They’re not minders of trivia involving individual soldiers - they’re commanders of war efforts. The press can want what they want. But the military’s job is not to hunt up information for the media. It is to defeat the enemy.”

They’re very well aware of public perception and news and reporters being there in Iraq. This is *part of* the war effort. You can’t tell me that the “press” is not a *big part* of the war. It’s an essential part, because (and they are *very* aware of this) — it also sets public opinion. And since we have a civilian government running the military institution, they’re aware that they can be *shut down* by civilians...

Thus, that’s why they put so much effort into the press and what is said to the public. So, this is *very much* a part of the war...