In May 2007, Matt Mabe was a junior Army officer who had done two tours of duty in Iraq and was leaving the service for good to pursue a career in journalism -- or so he thought.
In "One of Us," which appears in the new issue of the Columbia Journalism Review, Mabe reveals that of his journalism school colleagues, "most, it seemed, had never met a veteran," although that didn't stop them and their teachers and lecturers from hostile stereotyping of military members as troubled, poor, scheming, and stupid.
I was twenty-seven and had spent my entire adult life in uniform. The thought of abandoning my unit in a time of war made me feel cowardly. But having already served two grueling tours in Iraq, I convinced myself that I'd done enough.
That evening, I boarded a plane to New York. I was headed to Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism.
In Iraq, Mabe had come to admire "the few reporters who took extraordinary risks to venture out our way" and had decided "that the next time I came to Iraq, it would be as a reporter." He went to Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism (the publishers of the Columbia Journalism Review) and left with choice criticisms of journalistic attitudes toward the military:
Columbia was a fresh start. No uniforms, no one to salute. At first, I relished being among students from different walks of life: lawyers and businesspeople, teachers and activists, creative people with strong convictions and a range of views on every issue. Few of them, however, had any experience with the military. Most, it seemed, had never met a veteran.
Some of their notions about military culture and the conduct of the war typified the simplistic views prevalent in the mainstream media. For example, there was a perception that military service was merely a last resort for poor kids or immigrants; all veterans, some people assumed, suffered some degree of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It signaled to me that the cultural rift between the institution I had left and the one I was joining was more hardwired than I had realized, and I increasingly found myself defending the military against stereotypes.
As the semester progressed, I felt a creeping sense of isolation. I had my own criticisms about the failed strategy that plunged Iraq into chaos, but I was resentful of the hostility from prominent panelists and lecturers at the school that year. One evening, an award-winning photographer presented work he'd done in Iraq to my war correspondence class. During his talk, he ridiculed the hapless officers and scheming NCOs he'd dealt with on his various embeds, caricaturing them with tired labels and silly voices. He even delivered a mocking impersonation of one dim-witted private assigned to protect him.
These were extreme views, yet as some of my classmates laughed that evening, images of the soldiers my unit had lost swirled in my head. Brave men who had died serving a cause they believed in didn't deserve such desecration, I thought. I sought advice from a professor about how to manage the raw emotions these interactions provoked. Her response, as she later wrote in my performance evaluation, was hardly encouraging: "I would advise that Matt refrain from working in Iraq until he feels comfortable maintaining an emotional distance from his old life, so as not to impair his journalistic judgment."
Mabe's tale ends on a bitter twist, with the soldier-turned-journalist involuntarily turning soldier again, being called up as a reservist for a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
—Clay Waters is the director of Times Watch, an MRC project tracking the New York Times. You can follow him on Twitter here
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Nice try...
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 15:51 ET by Saint ZeroThey're not ready for the truth in journalism yet.
not surprised
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 15:59 ET by mgindi26This is unfortunately not surprising. The left in our country only has the lowest view of the fine service men and women in our country. They are them all as right wing uneducated people who saw the military as a way out, rather than what they truly are which is fine men and women who see the need of our country and have a love of our nation that is so great that they are willing to put themselves in harms way for our country. The left can't relate to this. They can't envision a calling as noble as serving.
Whenever I see military personell I always make sure to thank them and let them know that contrary to what the media and journalists may imply in their "reporting" the cast majority of us respect them and appreciate the great sacrifice they show in serving.
We should always thank them.
THANK THE MILITARY
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 16:23 ET by Nortoevery chance we get. And my liberal kids better not start, I get hackles real quick and say things that I am NOT sorry for.
...
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 01:46 ET by Tom1969caSomeone here (I forgot whom; sorry) uses the following as a signature on his/her posts:
There are two kinds of people in America
- those who enjoy freedom, and those who provide it.
The sad thing is that those who enjoy freedom don't seem to understand that someone has to provide it, guarantee it and defend it. They think it just happens because it's written on a piece of paper in D.C.
And if they don't understand that simple fact, they certainly don't appreciate the men and women who guarantee their freedoms.
But I do.
=====
Daily Sarah Palin fact:
Sarah Palin has a dog in the fight, too.
interesting fact
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 05:57 ET by dr_devil_dogthere is no battle for freedom. there are many free countries in the world who are much less militaristic than the u.s. i have the utmost respect for kids who join the military, but we need to be honest, as the people at columbia were honest with this vet. the iraq war is a waste. period. when we can deal with that honestly then we can start to discuss the pro's and con's of service. this has nothing to do with media bias, this has to do with our government failing the men and women who serve it. let alone the men and women who it is supposed to represent.
bull hockey!!
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 12:45 ET by wizardjrJust ask the folks of places like the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, etc. They had a fify year battle for their freedom. Getting it cost the lives of hundreds of American service men and women in the so-called Cold War. Today they are still threatened by the Old Guard of Russia like (Ras)Putin. Georgia could be swallowed up any day now by the Russian military.
As to the "many free countries in the world who are much less militaristic", You are mainly referring to the free riders in Western Europe. When they figured out we would spend our capital and lives to defend Europe via NATO, they casually dropped their expenditures for military stuff and switched to "free stuff" for themselves like extraordinarily high unemployment payments.
Your world view is shallow and ill informed. As we blog there is a battle for freedom versus fascism in Honduras and many other places.
There is always a battle for freedom on this planet. Mugabes, Hitlers, Stalins, et al do not settle for anyone having the least bit of power with such things as votes or other benefits of a free society. They never will. Men and women like the ones I served with are the only bulwark against the darkness. The Jews negotiated. The Zimbabwe whites negotiated. The got what all negotiators and appeasers get - the shaft.
A Job Well Done
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 13:44 ET by UtherpendWell said Wizardjr.
Too often we let people like devil-dog get away with slanting the view they hold with what the facts are. More of us need to stand up and call BS when we see it.
"For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security."
I can't even imagine the
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 16:00 ET by bigtimerI can't even imagine the feeling Mabe's must have felt and endured at Columbia that isn't even written here.
All I can say is I salute Mabe, he has our gratitude...may he stay safe and have a career in journalism eventually, one way or the other...we sure as heck need more like him, not what we have now... men like him are few and far between.
John Burns is the only one I can think of right off the top of my head that worked for the NYTs.
Yon goes without saying....
Anyway, whatever he does, I wish him the best.
Sad what so-called journalism is taught anymore...it's been more than obvious 24/7.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
My coworker has pretty much
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 16:16 ET by Dan The Man 2My coworker has pretty much the same view as the leftists, even though his nephew enlisted. He doesnt understand why though; he relates thats all his nephew wanted to do is be in the military.
He was at one point saying anyone in teh military was stupid and my brother was in afghanistan at the time. I was getting pretty upset and we were getting some real words between ourselves until some peopel cooled us down.
...
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 16:31 ET by EugeniaMatt Mabe missed a poignant opportunity to put his professors, panelists and fellow students to shame during their condescending and despicable ignorance-spewing sessions by simply standing up amidst them and telling them calmly how what is being presented right now is "gross negligence in what is being taught, and an outright lie of the way I and my fellow soldiers are being portrayed by those here..."
"When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing -- they believe in anything."
-- GK Chesterton
Ah, these people ...
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 16:40 ET by SentryDanAh, these people just don't have a clue. They think that their "Rights" are guaranteed by our Constitution. I ask you, how can a piece of paper guarantee rights that were given to you by your Creator? The answer of course, is that the Constitution can't.
It is the United States Military that guarantees the "Rights" spelled out in the Bill of Rights. The "Right" are only guaranteed if there are people who are willing to fight to protect those rights. It is the duty of every American to be willing to protect those rights.
Beware, the process to take away those rights has started. I hate to say it, but the current administration is in the process of doing just that. "We the People" need to use every legal means available to see that it doesn't happen. Otherwise, I wouldn't care to guess as to what might happen.
Remember folks, Freedom isn't Free. It was bought with the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who are serving and who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know.
Also remember folks, that the way to SUPPORT THE TROOPS is to support their mission. Anyone who says that they support the troops but don't support their mission is lying about supporting the troops. And if you want to know, yes I do have a dog in the fight, he is a United States Marine.
I know that every single
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 16:48 ET by TruthMongerI know that every single US vet has the necessary sense of honor to suffer legions of these f#ck!ng so-called "journalist" bastards and beyond - tirelessly proclaiming to fight and die even for the rights of these leftard imbiciles...
but IMHO they do not AND WILL NOT EVER serve for these arrogant treasonous SOB's
TM
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 17:15 ET by well99Nicely said.I am not being sarcastic.That hit the nail on the head.
Lefties dont change.
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 19:28 ET by ahusserSame old crap and I know as I am a Vietnam Veteran.
Just read three good articles in the August 2009 issue of the VFW magazine.
Page 26. Cover Story: "GI's Died (While Woodstock Rocked). "... the VFW remembers the 109 Americans who died in the Vietnam War during those four days of revelry." by Richard K. Kolb
Page 20. A story about FDR cutting benefits to disabled veterans and how the VFW handed him his first major political defeat. By Steve Ortiz
(FDR didn't believe veteran's should have benefits other citizens weren't entitled to and passed a law cutting vets benefits in half. Again lefties disdain for the military never changes).
Page 28 "Why Truman Dropped the Bomb" "Each August, Americans are subjected to another round of self-flagellation over the atomic destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during WWII. Here is an antidote." By Larry Schweikart
"Somehow, I told you so, just doesn't quite say it." Will Smith in 'I, Robot.'
Different Motivations
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 17:14 ET by JustAlI am sure the soldiers who have to put up with these "journalists" in their midsts do their fair share of making fun of them as well.
Even before the war started I told wife and friends over dinner that Bush was making two major mistakes:
1. Using WMD's to justify enforcing the terms of the cease fire when it was not necessary and WMD's were too easily moved and hidden.
2. Allowing the media into the theater of operations is always going to lead to "aid and comfort" to the other side. The only news coming out of the war zones should be official military briefing papers.
The only good the journalists could do would be to point out where they are going to interview targets ahead of time.
The problem with point 2 is
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 19:21 ET by lsudolemitethat other Coalition nations would have allowed their media to do embed coverage during their own operations and joint ones with the U.S. Once they showed all of the "war atrocities" back home, not only would the U.S. media splatter the footage all over the nets and cable news, but the accusations of a military coverup would have been piled on top of all the other problems. Think Abu Ghraib to the n-th power.
As much as I love the work of the embed "journalists" I love how wire services depend in large part on local sources and er, "witnesses" to report things like death tolls without any sort of verification even more.
And he kneeled down
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 17:22 ET by acumenand started writing words in the sand with his finger; intolerant, bigoted, ignorant, arrogant, biased, hateful, ungrateful, prejudiced, unsympathetic, fanatical, mislead, small-minded, narrow-minded, etc, etc while the clique continued to attack him saying he let his emotions impair his judgement.
And in their frenzy, irony escaped the gathered horde.
ac... You spoke
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 17:33 ET by bigtimerac...
You spoke volumes.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Ha BT
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 17:39 ET by acumenSheila accuses me of that all the time....but she phrases it a little differently - running off at the mouth. :)
ac... LOL...well now,
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 17:42 ET by bigtimerac...
LOL...well now, that's in different scenario...run your mouth off some more here...what you posted was priceless...in my eyes anyway.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
They're just brainwashed
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 17:25 ET by mattmThey're just brainwashed dupes of the socialist college system.
They suffer from PCID - Post College Ignorance Disorder - which can only be corrected by years of deprogramming, if at all.
Sounds Familiar
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 18:05 ET by JustAlScr__ed and abandoned, just like dear old dad. And just like dear old dad, His "O"lliness will continue to be worshipped by those he does the old one two to.
opps! This was a comment on Dan Rather's prayer to his idol, I don't know how I managed to attach it to this story, my bad.
An idea
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 17:46 ET by Joe CamelMaybe they should move their classroom over to oh, say Afghanistan or Iraq for a semester. They of course would not have anyone to guard them against evil doers, as such people do not exist in their alternate universe. Maybe then they may be able to actually get a look at life through a different lens than they currently use. Make sure you take plenty of changes of underwear, as me thinks you will be changing them quite a bit...
Joe,
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 19:26 ET by UpNorthyou and I know, even if they ever set foot in the Stan, or Iraq, they'd never get out in the field. It's so much easier to report on a war from Baghdad, or Kabul, inside the American compound. Where they're protected by the very people they find lacking. Sorry, newsies and leftists, but I repeat myself, I'd much rather be with the troops, or with veterans, than with you, any day, anywhere.
A difference in perceptions
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 20:16 ET by HumblepieMy father was exempted from military service during the Korean Conflict due to health problems. I grew up never knowing this. This past Saturday my Dad passed away and we conducted a "Celebration of Life" service. My sister was closer to my Dad than I so he confided in her and she passed on his last wishes to the family. My sister told me that my Dad was so proud that I dedicated a good portion of my life to defend his liberties and freedom. I never felt so proud as then.
Liberals will never understand that simple statement. They cannot understand that some see it as a noble pursuit, an unselfish way to uphold our way of life and provide for the liberties that they take for granted. Anyone who served is in a brotherhood, comrades for life. We sacrifice much so they can enjoy their spew of hatred for things they do not, nor want to understand.
Here's a salute to comrades in arms. As Gen. George Patton once said, "Look at all them poor bastards, God, I love them all".
Quick! The gene pool needs more chlorine.
Humblepie
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 20:46 ET by general companyMy condolences to you and yours
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Hp... Mine also. ...and
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 20:52 ET by bigtimerHp...
Mine also.
...and you are so correct about liberals never understanding.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Wow, what different times.
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 20:39 ET by nolotrippenWow, what different times. When WW2 broke out, my father was a 33 year old, married business man and tried to enlist. He had two polio legs and he still tried to sign-up (he couldn't walk with out heavy braces and a cane).
Not only was that how virtually all men saw the military not too long ago, that's what they thought about serving their country.
I KNow How He Feels
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 23:12 ET by txradioguyThe very bias and outright lies told by the left about the military is why I will be a journalist (MOS 46R) only until the day I hang up my uniform. I have no desire to continue my chosen profession in the civilian world with the kind of scum that Mabe encountered.
"I May Be Changed By War, But I Will Not Be Defeated By It" - Audie Murphy
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 10:00 ET by jessieHThis is the kind of B.S. they teach at Columbia U. They turn people into zombies. Isn't this where obama went to school?