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Army PR Rep Fired for Questioning Media Censorship
washingtonpost.com — After an Army public relations officer criticized officials for banning media coverage of military funerals that the families had given permission for reporters to attend, she was fired.
miranda622- 775 diggs
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- GTKashi, on 07/14/2008, -5/+36Now you'll know better than to do the right thing next time, won't you?
- hansk, on 07/15/2008, -1/+4that'll teach her!
- Detry, on 07/14/2008, -5/+50Does this surprise anyone? Anyone at all?
- poprocksandsoda, on 07/15/2008, -8/+3Not at all. If someone invited the press to my families private moment of mourning I would want someone fired myself.
- rearlgrant, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6But if you did and the Army said "nope," what would you think of that.
Paragraph 5, 2nd sentence. - poprocksandsoda, on 07/15/2008, -4/+2Why would I want to use an event like the death of a family member as a publicity stunt?
- PhilLesh69, on 07/15/2008, -2/+5poprocksandsoda,
RTFA.
What kind of "publicity stunt" do you think they were trying to pull? Stop watching fox news. Not everyone who does things the neocons disagree with are trying to destroy america.
Perhaps the family was proud of their family member's sacrifice, and wanted the local news from their hometown to report on it, so that people back home would honor and respect his or her service to the country.
Stop being a narrow minded, blind supporter of an ideology, and start thinking about things in a rational way. Come back to the real world. - CryRightardCry, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3Way to show you didn't read the article.
AND way to show you are just an ignorant jackass who drinks the Bush kool aid.
*****, if the families want press, they should have press.
The fact that you support the deception means you suck.
Ah, yeah. I see by your other comments that you just believe anything the Bush administration says.
Too bad you can't think for yourself.
- rearlgrant, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6But if you did and the Army said "nope," what would you think of that.
- AutoTom, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2I try to live in denial.. like a good citizen.
- voodoosteve84, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1"I'm not surprised" is the most overused comment
- poprocksandsoda, on 07/15/2008, -8/+3Not at all. If someone invited the press to my families private moment of mourning I would want someone fired myself.
- mvlazysusan, on 07/14/2008, -4/+8((the interest of the press)) Paul Boyce said in an e-mail.
I want this Boyce held on charges of sedition !
- poprocksandsoda, on 07/15/2008, -2/+5Sedition? Are you at a loss for a dictionary?
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
- poprocksandsoda, on 07/15/2008, -2/+5Sedition? Are you at a loss for a dictionary?
- jabberwolf, on 07/14/2008, -21/+11Not surprised at all.
She can criticize all she wants when she leaves the army.
As an army public relations officer, she does not have that right to express her induvidual opinion when hired to do the job for a group.
Thus fired.
Now you could be a liberal dumbass and cry no fair no fair !!! Or simply do the logic bit.- neognostic, on 07/14/2008, -5/+17I can see that you will be first in line when they start rounding up Americans for the new Halliburton camps. Enjoy your stay, the rest of us will be fighting by doing the right thing.
- nblsavage, on 07/14/2008, -3/+13Being hired for a job doesn't mean you leave your right to free speech at home.
- bovox, on 07/15/2008, -8/+3Yes it does. Do you have any understanding of constitutional law at all?
- nblsavage, on 07/15/2008, -2/+8obviously more than you do bovox.
- mm911, on 07/15/2008, -2/+4nblsavage: Actually it does mean that if you have a regular job, and even more so if you're in the military. No matter if she was doing something honorable or not, if you question your superiors and challenge the chain of command in the media, you're going to get in big trouble.
- jabberwolf, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1Actually working at a PR job
Yes it does!
Especially when you decide to give your OWN opinion for that firm.
You have freedom of speech but there is nothing in the constitution that garantees you have a job after wards. Whistle blowing at a firm comes close to that protection but not at a PR firm.
- smcgrath, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3Read the article next time.
The army was was trying to impose restrictions on the media AFTER the family had granted them access.
Yes she thought this was wrong, but she also believed their actions were not supported by Army regulations. That takes it from someone who expresses her individual opinion to an employee calling foul on someone breaking policy. That means she was doing her job, and after she notified the press about this activity she was "Thus fired"- jabberwolf, on 07/15/2008, -3/+1I think you should read yourself.
Again, releasing records and giving your OWN opinion when part of a PR firm is NOT DOING HER JOB!
I swear you idiots make the USA look stupid, thank god there are people that actually work at these jobs that know better.
- jabberwolf, on 07/15/2008, -3/+1I think you should read yourself.
- jabberwolf, on 07/15/2008, -4/+1ITS A ***** JOB YA RETARDS!
She can have her entire opinion, as SHE IS NOW!!
But to stay and be paid, and break ANY ***** PR firm rules.... SHES FIRED!
That's the way it is ANY PR firm !!
For ***** sake do you people have real jobs or just the net for lives? - CryRightardCry, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2Hey, congratulations on defending the hiding of the war from America.
Kudos to you for supporting LYING to your fellow citizens.
Yep, typical rightard scumbaggery.
No regard for the families, no ethics, no morals, no basic Christian decency.
Yay rightards!
- solstice21, on 07/14/2008, -2/+7***** up
- sonnybobiche, on 07/14/2008, -21/+16Military funerals are staffed by military servicemen and paid for by the military. If they don't want the media there, they certainly can and will tell them to go away. But beyond that, this woman was paid to be a public relations officer. Then she publicly criticizes military officials. What did she expect, a promotion?
- rearlgrant, on 07/15/2008, -4/+6Given the military has its own source of funding, I'll take my tax dollars back please.
- sonnybobiche, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1So I guess because your tax dollars fund the military, they should consult you when they're making tactical decisions on the ground too?
- rearlgrant, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1No, but they shouldn't dictate to civilians how to have their funerals for the benefit of Administration policy.
- 98percentcogdis, on 07/15/2008, -4/+9The families gave their permission. What part of that do you not understand? The coercive means that are used to get the kids into the army to begin with is appalling. Wide eyed boys have no idea what they are getting into. So, when they come home in a body bag, the least that the army can do is to respect the wishes of the families.
- nigh7dagger, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3Yeah, because it's not obvious at all that when you're in a war you might be killed. With the kind of media coverage about Iraq these days, it's hard NOT to know that soldiers are being killed.
- 98percentcogdis, on 07/16/2008, -0/+1Are you saying that the media coverage is so good that the kids should know what they're getting into? So you think that the main stream media is doing an excellent job of showing the US citizens exactly whats going on in Iraq? Could you tell me what you're watching so I can tune in? I just talked to a kid (at his graduation party) that got suckered into the army by a parasitic recruiter, in fact, his mom found out that day too. The guy wouldn't take no for an answer. He's so exited, he's signed up for infantry. Poor kid, I swear he has no idea. It would be one thing if it was a just cause, but to die for the Lobby, it's a pity.
- rearlgrant, on 07/15/2008, -4/+6Given the military has its own source of funding, I'll take my tax dollars back please.
- freemenow, on 07/14/2008, -12/+12Don't blame me, I voted Libertarian.
- nblsavage, on 07/14/2008, -5/+9Thanks for nothing
- onetimer, on 07/15/2008, -4/+9Oh jesus, is this going to be the next lame sheep-like platitude we hear on digg ever since Ron Paul's "freedom is popularz!" went out of style?
Part of the libertarian platform:
-Abolish any kind of regulation of the free market, including (but not limited to), work safety laws, minimum wage laws, environmental protection laws, anti-trust laws, and child labor laws.
-Abolish all funding of scientific research (grants and direct funding), NASA, as well as the NIH.
-Abolish oversight agencies like the FDA
So please, excuse me for not throwing out the baby with the bathwater. It's a shame there isn't a conservative candidate who is running who's not an extreme rightist (libertarian...)- DigDugDigger, on 07/15/2008, -3/+5There are differing levels within the Libertarian party. It's easy to pick out the extremes of any party, while ignoring the moderates.
- sugarazor, on 07/15/2008, -3/+5You mean like the Digg Libertarians do with Democrats and Republicans? Anyone who doesn't follow their ideology is a "fascist bootlicker"
- tufftugg, on 07/15/2008, -4/+12Now, now, no problem supporting the troops, just don't want to honor them! What a very nice sterile war you have America.
- poprocksandsoda, on 07/15/2008, -11/+6Why the hell would you make private funerals a media circus? Is it not enough that our soldiers make the ultimate sacrifice, but then you want to tote cameras around their grieving family at their funeral?
- AxeSwinger, on 07/15/2008, -1/+7Because the service member's family requested it. The family should be allowed to grieve as they see fit and if that includes inviting the media, so be it. Why would you not allow the family of someone who payed the ultimate sacrifice honor that person's memory?
- poprocksandsoda, on 07/15/2008, -5/+2We all know this was about politicals pure and simple.
- AxeSwinger, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6No, I don't know that pure and simply; neither do you unless you can see into the hearts of the family members. Maybe the family was proud of their son's service and think it's a just war and wanted the community to share in their hero's sad return.
Now, my belief is there might be some sort of political statement being made. But going to your original comment, after paying that ultimate sacrifice I think the family has "earned" the right to make any statement about this war they want.
Just because you don't like the families message don't try to rationalize their actions away as being anything other than honorable.
- PhilLesh69, on 07/15/2008, -2/+6Because the family members wanted their local news to air the fallen soldier's funeral so that people back home could properly acknowledge and honor his or her sacrifice.
Don't be so narrow. Broaden your thinking. Stop being a neocon shill.
- AxeSwinger, on 07/15/2008, -1/+7Because the service member's family requested it. The family should be allowed to grieve as they see fit and if that includes inviting the media, so be it. Why would you not allow the family of someone who payed the ultimate sacrifice honor that person's memory?
- earnjam, on 07/15/2008, -5/+5If you are doing PR for your company and you are speaking to the media about how your higher ups are breaking company policy....you're probably going to get fired.
Having said that, we don't know she was fired for this specific instance. For all we know she could have been fired for poor performance or something else altogether.
It would be best not to jump to conclusions...I think there's a mat you can buy for that.- sclifford, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3Government != Corporation
Folks seem to forget that the government is not a corporation.- PhilLesh69, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2Well... it's not supposed to be.
- earnjam, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Ummm, I'm not sure where you work, but it doesn't matter whether it's government or not. If you have poor job performance, you get fired.
- sclifford, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3Government != Corporation
- drape, on 07/15/2008, -5/+0I thought only socialist countries do that.
- PhilLesh69, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6Do what? Restrict information and try to manipulate public opinion by managing the information through propoganda techniques?
- iridesce, on 07/15/2008, -1/+10Let's focus here ...
In a time of governmental decision making based on looking good at any cost, I am inspired by Ms. Gray and her advocacy of the needs and wishes of the families.
That she would be disciplined for not taking the party line, we've seen lots of example of that lately. That the press is kept from the reality of a mounting death toll and that the pain of each family member is discounted should not surprise
That she would knowingly take that on in the performance of her public duty is priceless
Know that we know Gina Gray and your actions will be remembered
Which do you know? The five Simpsons or the first five Amendments to the Constitution ?- custal, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1My bet would be on "Most people know neither."
- ogbar, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1You Do know that it's not Only Republicans in the military right? "taking the party line"????!! How would you feel if you had cameras in your face at your loved ones funeral? The only one thats taking party lines here is you. and its as sad as it is tiring to me to hear the same old reactionary response. to take the humanity out of a subject and try to make it political.
- custal, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1My bet would be on "Most people know neither."
- Galaxylander, on 07/15/2008, -4/+2Freedom fries.
- ShatterWulf, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2the first rule of project mayhem is that you do not ask questions
- HappyScrappy, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Didn't she learn from what happened to Josh Rushing?
http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2004/06/04/ ...
The military (or companies in general) don't hire PR flacks to speak the truth. - Netik09, on 07/15/2008, -1/+5Shoulda been a team player huh?
- PhilLesh69, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6Yay team.
(spoken with a dull, mindless, almost reflexive tone.)
- PhilLesh69, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6Yay team.
- sapphire9488, on 07/15/2008, -2/+5This really doesn't come as a surprise to me.
After taking a step back and assessing that statement and all that goes into it, that's the really shocking part of it all, isn't it? - markdall, on 07/15/2008, -7/+2If you work for PR then you should expect to be fired if you do something that is bad for PR.___DUH___.
- BohicaTwentyTwo, on 07/15/2008, -2/+6I suspect there's some shenanigans going on here. Family members should have the right to allow, limit or deny media access to funerals, but you can't get fired after three months of working on the job unless you have done something significantly wrong. There's more to this story.
- TheSavant, on 07/15/2008, -3/+1You haven't been employed by the military if you believe that.
- BohicaTwentyTwo, on 07/15/2008, -1/+4You've never had to deal with the Federal Employee's Union.
- shauncorleone, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Is the military anything like other government organizations? If so, then there's likely a probationary period involved, in which you don't have to do too much to get canned.
- TheSavant, on 07/15/2008, -3/+1You haven't been employed by the military if you believe that.
- Anonchrist, on 07/15/2008, -3/+1The military doesn't need a public relations official, they have an army and an undisclosed list of enemies.
- Arcueid01, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1Our Country is so incredibly ***** up that it is disgusting. Talk about lessons not learned. We are in the midst of more of them. Yeah keep electing the same ***** people and we will continue to have this same ***** going on. Me personally, I'm just done voting for the major parties. Anything that the media promotes that means it is bad. Great general rule.
- weebit, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2They don't want the media there because that creates a record of the funeral. I wonder just how many are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan? What are the REAL numbers? Could they be hiding this? Possibly they could be telling us one thing, and shout some numbers at us, and in the background it is a entirely different number. I would not put it past them.
- h0ser, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3It's about time we made our our newspapers. Get the truth out there.
- EddieofNewYork, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Why are half the comments to stories like these of the "I'm not surprised" variety? Congratulations, you can see patterns. It happens to be an important story and you have the need to add your own powers of boredom to it? ***** off.
- jaymzdean, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Shhhhh...
American goyim sacrificed for the benefit of the superior chosen race must be ignored.
Those who fail to think for themselves are meat on the table. - KDX200rider, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1No one ever thinks they were fired for performance, they always blame it something or someone else.
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