The Matt Mabe story (IV): from the Army to the newsroom and back

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - 5:44 PM Share

Capt. Matt Mabe, a friend of the blog who is now on an involuntary tour of duty in Afghanistan (after two tours in Iraq) has a terrific piece in Columbia Journalism Review about going from the Army to Ivy League graduate school. It doesn't make me think much of Columbia Journalism School -- but to its credit, their magazine did print it.

EXPLORE:CENTRAL ASIA, MEDIA, MILITARY, U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

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WALKING WOUNDED

8:45 PM ET

July 29, 2009

Worth the read,

thx for the link.

God speed, and bless them all. I'm mindful of some of the talk here about where public affairs officers come from. In the corporate world, they were often ex newsmen.

One similarity between the military and journalism is that there is an odd omerta and observance of mythos that seems to come over participants. In theory, the mission of the respective industries should enforce a brutal honesty. Yet somehow we got years of lethal goat-roping, with officers and press knowing the voters were being fed happy talk before the line of departure was even crossed. 'Shuck and awe, attack into the threat, heroes all, who'd a thunk the baddies would haul mines in cars.'

I'll believe that US war coverage is STARTING to turn the corner when enemy order of battle, questions of human terrain (whose neighborhood the battle/action is in) are routinely raised in WaPo and NYT reportage (and in a 15-6). When friendly fire, collatoral killing, mistreatment of prisoners are anticipated as a normal cost of war. Not a freak occurrence, not handwaved away by 'amazing technology', and the assumption of 'moral superiority' referenced by the captain.

Jazeera is far from perfect, but they were talking to an audience that has a better idea of the civilian end of war than officers and press corps raised on the antiseptic heroism of Audie Murphy, the righteous retribution of 'Col Bragg.'

J-school apprentice writers interpreting the world for me is a bit like young engineers designing tools for work they've never done or understood. If having their prose savaged is what's making the writer angry, getting more column inches the geraldo ethic, then we are getting what we pay for, coming and going.

BILL KELLER

1:04 AM ET

July 30, 2009

Once in the AOR....

believe the tolerance for cocktail discussions on the war goes very low whether heard from the J student or congressional staff member.

This was a very good article. Enlistments can end but commissions can be forever.

BILL KELLER

12:50 PM ET

July 30, 2009

Blending well

Notice how the ACU now worn blends so well with the terrain. It is very hard to distinguish from the background.

TINTIN

7:56 PM ET

August 3, 2009

Columbia

Following in the footsteps of C.J. Chivers (except for the involuntary recall part)! I know a 4th ID captain who is starting at Columbia J School this month...hope he has a better experience.

TINTIN

8:01 PM ET

August 3, 2009

ACUs

Exactly right, Bill. I heard a British soldier in Helmand point out that maybe the Americans would blend in okay if they were fighting in Welsh castles.

I've heard the Ranger battalions are going to start deploying in MultiCam soon, which lots of SF guys already wear. (The IDF is trying out MultiCam too, though...that would be awkward to have U.S. and Israeli units wear the same camouflage....)