Lauren Kastner | Oct. 19, 2011
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| Photo by Lauren Kastner |
| Col. Jill Morgenthaler talked to two classes of students about changes in the relationship between the military and the media Tuesday at Ernie Pyle Hall. |
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Retired Col. Jill Morgenthaler returned to Ernie Pyle Hall for the third time Monday to speak to professor Steve Raymer’s class, J460 Conflict, Terror and Humanitarian Intervention, about challenges between the military and the media. Lecturer Craig Wood’s J349 Public Relations Writing class joined to hear Morganthaler’s talk.
Morgenthaler most recently served in Iraq overseeing public relations and communications between TV, radio and print media, and was called to duty in 2004 at the onset of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. It was this instance that convinced her that it is always best for the military to release the truth to the press immediately.
“If we don’t tell our side of the story, the story will still get told, but we won’t have any input,” Morgenthaler said.
Morgenthaler had many stories to tell herself, such as being “checked out” by Saddam Hussein right after his capture, confronting the Abu Ghraib scandal, gaining the respect of Russian military leaders, and coordinating journalists like Christiane Amanpour and Dan Rather.
The military and the media have a difficult relationship because their fundamental goals and duties often collide, Morgenthaler told the students. Soldiers are trained to obey orders, are disciplined and are team players. Journalists, Morgenthaler said, are trained to challenge and question authority, are free roaming and must be independent and competitive.
“Both are very dependent on the relationship and both must develop a relationship of trust and honesty,” she said.
Morgenthaler emphasized that the media often confuse freedom of the press with full access to the military. However, she also said it was in the military’s best interest to share the good stories as well as the bad.
“If you don’t let media in to tell those good stories, it never happened,” Morgenthaler said.
According to Morgenthaler, the media’s coverage of the military also suffers because of the media’s short attention span, the increase of unaffiliated bloggers and the decline in serious war journalists due to budget cuts.
“Jill brings the perspective of both the media and the military,” Raymer said. “The military needs a human face because there are unfortunate stereotypes and Jill defies a lot of those stereotypes.”
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| Photo by Lauren Kastner |
| "The military defends, the media informs, and somewhere in the middle, we tell the story," Morgenthaler said. |
“We need to know these wounds are real, especially when we are cutting back on medical and mental health care in veteran hospitals,” Morgenthaler said.
While the relationship is complicated, Morgenthaler said she appreciated journalists who do their research and really understand the inner workings of the military.
“The military defends, the media informs, and somewhere in the middle, we tell the story.”
While not part of the program, the class topic is related to the College of Arts and Sciences Themester program, which this fall is looking at the topic of "Making War, Making Peace." Last week, author and journalist Ron Rosenbaum spoke on the threat of nuclear war as part of the program's fall offerings.
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