Of late, radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been arguing that the mainstream media persistently exercise the "management" of the news. That is to say, aside from slanted and biased reporting on the news of the day, they frame news developments in a way that manage events to fit a preconceived meme or storyline.
The media's coverage of Army recruiting numbers is no exception.
Bear in mind these facts included in some of the stories I cite below but usually well after the lede:
- The Army is nonetheless ahead of its year-to-date recruiting goal
- July, August, and September are traditionally the best months for recruiting
- Many potential enlistees are turned away from being overweight or lacking a high school diploma
- Some experts, such as former Defense undersecretary Edwin Dorn, marvel that "the big surprise is that Army recruiting has remained as healthy as it has been" given the Iraq war's falling support in the polls.
Nope, instead the lede is two straight months of numbers that aren't up to par and immediately Iraq is blamed.
Voila! A "trend" story waiting to happen for a media bent on managing the news.
Let's take a look at some major news outlets.
Chicago Tribune (at least they admit the economy's strong)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Army missed its recruiting goals in June for
the second straight month, as rising casualties in Iraq and a strong
economy at home kept the service from enlisting enough new soldiers,
Pentagon officials said.
The New York Times (another economy is strong admission, is Paul Krugman looking?)
WASHINGTON, July 9 — The Army missed its recruiting goals in June for
the second straight month, as rising casualties in Iraq and a strong
economy at home kept the service from enlisting enough new soldiers,
Pentagon officials said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army, strained by wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, missed its recruiting goal for the second straight month
in June, indicating a trend that some defense officials on Monday
called worrying.
And last but not least, The Washington Post:
The U.S. Army fell short of its active-duty recruiting goal for June by
about 15 percent, defense officials said yesterday. It is the second
consecutive month the service's enlistment effort has faltered amid the
American public's growing discontent over the war in Iraq.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
I'd say the acid test of th
July 10, 2007 - 14:28 ET by dervishI'd say the acid test of the war's effect is the military's retention rate -- people that have been there, have the opportunity to leave, and don't. Since they're not being reported, it's probably safe to assume those numbers remain remarkably high.
Media Cut and Paste
July 10, 2007 - 15:54 ET by kwThanks for posting the first paragraph of these four different outlets. This is something that I have come to notice...EVERY STORY from EVERY OUTLET is the exact same. Not just the liberal talking point same, but plagiarized same. What gives?
Wire services , all organiza
July 10, 2007 - 16:22 ET by Dan The Man 2Wire services , all organizations use the same wire services so the stories reflect the same bias and use the same facts.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark. -- save my gun, shoot a liberal.
AKA, "Big Brother"?
July 10, 2007 - 16:23 ET by drillanwrAKA, "Big Brother"??? : ^ ))
Many potential enlistees are
July 10, 2007 - 14:31 ET by Challenger GrimMany potential enlistees are turned away...
But of course, any right-winger not in the military is immediately labeled a chicken hawk, coward, hypocrit...
Seems to never occur to any of them that maybe some of us HAVE applied but have been turned down.
Then again, why do I keep being surprised about "the Left's" ignorance of military matters? You think I'd know better by now.
Be sure to get your daily Fred Thompson Fact!
What got me is this. In 04 or
July 10, 2007 - 16:14 ET by jcrapes4What got me is this. In 04 or 05 the National Guard was the one not meeting the recruiting goals. The Drive by Media and in general liberals painted the Active Duty Army as having the same problem. When that did not work the other liberal argument was that standards were lowered and the Army was forced to take in anyone just to meet the recruiting goal.
Grim,
The chicken hawk comments are nothing more than red herrings. Even if a conservative or moderate for that matter would have served in the military then the argument would have changed "yeah but you did not deploy to iraq". If the person in question actually did deploy to Iraq then he/she could expect "well why don't you do another tour in Iraq?" Now if you really want to get under liberals skins then suggest they join the military to protect their right to dissent. The reaction can be priceless.
Now if you really want to get
July 10, 2007 - 16:23 ET by drillanwrNow if you really want to get under liberals skins then suggest they join the military to protect their right to dissent. The reaction can be priceless.
Say now ... Hey, I LIKE that!
That is a GREAT idea. Be s
July 10, 2007 - 16:40 ET by Challenger GrimThat is a GREAT idea.
Be sure to get your daily Fred Thompson Fact!
Have you ever noticed that mo
July 11, 2007 - 05:54 ET by lnthompHave you ever noticed that most of the far-left liberals think that the only reason there are wars is because there are soldiers? They also believe that the only reason there is crime is because there are police.
Lee T.
U.S. Navy (ret.) / Vancouver, Washington
The history of the race, and each individual's experience, are thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.-- Mark Twain
What would be interesting i
July 10, 2007 - 16:40 ET by happyuscitizenWhat would be interesting if reported, and what I hear from time to time, is this:
Along with high retention rates, there is no shortage in recruitment into the traditional combat arms, infantry, artillery, etc; where the shortfalls are is in the once coveted technical fields, i.e. electronics, aviation mechanics.
The concept that there are young Americans out there willing to fight for something is an alien concept that grates against the beliefs of their parents' baby boomer generation, and the MSM.
America is not just geographical location, along with the land it embodies the principals and ideals of what it truly means to be free, and thankfully some of the offspring of the most ungrateful generation believe in fighting for something.
I personally know two young M
July 10, 2007 - 16:49 ET by drillanwrI personally know two young Marines who request deployments ... One who requested a third deployment to Iraq, even after nearly losing both feet when a roadside IED took out the Humvee he was in ...
I was way too busy doing absolutely nothing on the 4th of July, (and tuning into the Sci-Fi Channel's annual "Twilight Zone" marathon) to know if and how much coverage this got in the MSM:
Jul 4th 2007 Camp Victory, Iraq, July 4, 2007: 588 U.S. Troops Marked The Fourth Of July By Re-Enlisting In The Military Wednesday While Others Took Oaths Of American Citizenship
http://patdollard.com/2007/07/04/camp-victory-iraq-july-4-2007-588-us-troops-marked-the-fourth-of-july-by-re-enlisting-in-the-military-wednesday-while-others-took-oaths-of-american-citizenship/
Happy,Shortfalls are in tech
July 10, 2007 - 16:54 ET by jcrapes4Happy,
Shortfalls are in tech fields. That is interesting news to say the least. Thanks for the info:) Drill and Grim glad you liked my jab at the libs:)
the military has some very hi
July 10, 2007 - 18:36 ET by PKthe military has some very hightech stuff. a lot of it is way beyond commercial. people that can maintain and build this stuff are few and far between. they don't like to get up at 6:00 a.m..
so the dod buys stuff that is repaired by replacing modules. they buy a great number of modules and then let repair contracts to fix the ones that have been replaced. naturally the people that built the modules to start with try to put little "features" into them that cause real heartburn for other people to repair.
we also see replacement in kind "modules" that are of vastly larger physical size and will not fit in the place that the original module came out of. this is justified by procurement types that trumpet that "we saved you $65,000 each on those things, what do you mean they'tre bigger than the airplane you want to put them in. just make them fit."
taking this situation to the absurd we are faced with airplanes, ships, tanks, trucks that the suppliers want the military to throw away and replace with new when the slightest problem appears.
(you do it now with tv sets don't you?)
C