In his recent article “Blogs of War,” Christopher Garland interviews notable U. S. military bloggers Colby Buzzell and Matthew Burden. Although their perspectives are very different, both are staunch advocates for uncensored blogging from the battlefield. Buzzell, a specialist in a Stryker Brigade Combat Team, attracted international attention with his raw experiences of Iraq in “My War,” which became a lightning rod in the debate over military censorship. Burden, a former military intelligence officer, created “Blackfive” after becoming frustrated by the the gap between traditional news media and the lived experiences of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. As Garland writes, military bloggers might enjoy greater freedom thanks to some prominent endorsements:
[General David Petraeus] also recognised the new means in which information is delivered from the battlefield to the civilian world. “Milbloggers (military bloggers) have become increasingly important, of course, given the enormous growth in individuals who get their news online in the virtual world instead of through newspapers and television.” Petraeus added his appreciation to bloggers “for (blogging) in ways that do not violate legitimate operational security guidelines”. Despite pushing for the freedom of speech, the sharing of sensitive material continues to be the US Army’s primary concern.
Across the political divide, noted Iraq War critic Senator Ted Kennedy has also voiced opposition to the screening of soldier blogs by Army officials. After the military’s screening regulations on email communication, Senator Kennedy sent a letter to the acting secretary of the US Army, Peter Geren, asking him to reconsider the army’s position on military blogs. Kennedy worries that restrictions on blogging will cause even further disconnection between the American public and the troops serving abroad. “Soldiers, their families, and the public who read blogs and use other public forums will lose valuable insights into the lives of our soldiers if the policy continues to be enforced,” he wrote. “This loss is particularly troubling, since it comes at a time when there is a deep need for Americans to connect with their soldiers.”
As Buzzell and Burden argue, military blogging goes a long way to overcome the perceived distance between the home front and the front lines. Not only does the war become more “real” for the general public but also soldiers’ experiences are less likely to be hijacked by various agendas. However, it will be interesting to see how the political and military machines co-opt the “Web 2.0″ phenomenon for their own purposes. Senator Kennedy and General Petraeus’s endorsement of blogging shows us that this phenomenon is already underway.
