Gates Urges Greater Clarity By Military Media Analysts

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Yahoo.com
April 21, 2008 WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US Defense Secretary Robert Gates Monday urged retired officers to make clear they are speaking for themselves, not their military services, in supporting political candidates or serving as media analysts.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that the Pentagon used retired senior military officers working as television "media analysts" to make its case for the US invasion in Iraq and maintain public support when it ran into trouble.
The report said many of the media analysts also worked as consultants or board members of defense contractors, potential conflicts of interest that were not often disclosed by their networks.
"I did read the article," Gates said in response to a question at Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. " And frankly, I couldn't quite tell how much of it was a political conflict of interest or a financial conflict of interest.
"The one service they owe everybody is making clear that they're speaking only for themselves," he said.
Gates raised no objections to the Pentagon's use of the retired military officers.
He said his main concern was that "when they are referred to by their title, the public doesn't know whether they are active duty or retired officers because those distinctions tend to get blurred."
 
Back
Top