Verified Document

Retired Military Media Analysts Gates Essay

Although former soldiers might assert that they are being objective because they are using their past experiences to support their assessments, viewers have the right to know what might influence former soldiers' perception of military evidence. This is particularly important in dealing with military speakers, because often a military title and a uniform, even of a retired officer, can cause a viewer to stand a little taller, and feel unpatriotic discounting the officer's testimony. A casual television viewer might assume the officer is reporting directly about what he or she has seen of troops in the field -- not balance sheets in a contractor's office. While Gates, as Secretary of Defense, clearly respects the men and women who have served the nation, he notes: "when they [former officers] 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" in a five-minute segment on television.

The Pentagon protested Gates' comments, stating that despite the fact that these men and women were retired military officers, the retirees were still entitled to special briefings and talking points to which ordinary civilians were not privy, giving...

Moreover, the Pentagon bristled at questions regarding these contractors' objectivity, stressing that the public was intelligent enough to ferret out any biases. But given that even ABC must identify that it is affiliated with the Disney Company when it reports on that corporation, and other experts are often clearly labeled, regarding whom they represent in a running television feed, there seems little justification to exempt former officers from similar treatment. Even if the officer's advice may be sound, and their contractor status does not invalidate the information they are giving entirely, the public has the right to know that the opinion they are hearing is not the same perspective as that of a currently enlisted individual. To refuse to identify retired members of the armed forces working as contractors is an injustice to the men and women currently serving in the military, who might disagree with the retirees' interpretations.
Reference

Gates urges greater clarity by military media analysts. (2008, April 21). Space Daily.

Retrieved January 31, 2010 at http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Gates_urges_greater_clarity_by_military_media_analysts_999.html

Sources used in this document:
Reference

Gates urges greater clarity by military media analysts. (2008, April 21). Space Daily.

Retrieved January 31, 2010 at http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Gates_urges_greater_clarity_by_military_media_analysts_999.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Systems Analyst Is Unique in
Words: 2585 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

Finally, the SDLC Model also leads to greater alignment of software application features with customer requirements, which is also measurable. As the role of the systems analyst becomes more closely aligned with customer strategies over and above that of being merely the implementers of technology to business strategists, the role of the SDLC becomes a necessary framework for initiating and delivering lasting process change to an organization. Systems' Analysts Most

Hire a Systems Analyst the
Words: 3073 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Even more, the lack of loyalty can also be considered a disadvantage. Furthermore, there are numerous strong advantages regarding the option of selecting a person for the position of system analyst from the already existing employees of the company. The first advantage concerns the ability to have complete control over the action. It is not just the pressure of the control that will make the system analyst try to do his

Business Systems Analyst Profession As the World
Words: 1211 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Business Systems Analyst Profession As the world of computing to advance, all aspects of Information technology has continued to rapidly change with each efforts aimed at enhancing the functions related to Information Technology and producing better results at the same time (Armbrust et al., 2010). One of the areas of modification with respect thisfield include the practice of system analysis which can now be practically accomplished in a virtual environment. Better

Project Manager and the Systems Analyst
Words: 374 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

Project Manager and Systems Analyst: Contrast and Compare In any organization, whether technically oriented or not, a project manager traditionally is responsible for the planning, coordinating, implementation and support of a specific project for organization. He or she delegates authority to other workers, and determines how the internal and external materials and finances allocated for the project will be deployed over the course of a project. Also, a manager of a

Role in It As a Systems Analyst
Words: 528 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Role in IT as a Systems Analyst I am currently working toward the role of being a Systems Analyst in an enterprise IT department. Having expertise in a wide variety of information systems technologies and processes, in addition to understanding how systems integrate with one another to create useful information is essential for my role. The most critical aspect of my role as a Systems Analyst is to concentrate on understanding

Why I Want to Be a Systems Analyst
Words: 956 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Information Systems Analyzing Professions Related to Information Systems Information systems are any use of the modern technology to utilize current information to exercise business operations. It also involves the use of technological advancements to make the working of a manager successful. There are three main fields in the workplace that draws the use of this body of knowledge. The jobs are performed by Business Analysts, Systems Analysts, and Functional Analysts. In this

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now