Covering the Military

Christopher Lawrence on the scene

At first, CNN military correspondent Christopher Lawrence thought the scene was funny. But, on further reflection, he came to realize that the absurd situation captures the difficult job the U.S. military  has in Afghanistan.

Lawrence was embedded with a group of soldiers in Afghanistan. Inside a remote village, the official military translator was talking to a village leader. The translator began laughing. Asked what was so funny, he replied that the elder, observing the American military men, had told him "I didn't know the Soviets were still here."

Lawrence said the simple vignette captures the difference between operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "In Iraq, change can have a cascading effect," Lawrence said. "But in Afghanistan, a mile down the road, the people there have no idea what is happening."

Lawrence, current CNN news Pentagon correspondent, appeared at a special Veterans Day Inside Media presentation at the Newseum today to discuss modern news coverage of the military and the Pentagon.

He said the biggest fallacy about the military is that there is such a thing as a military position on any given issue. Like the non-military world, there are always several agendas in play at any given time.

"This idea that everyone thinks as one mind isn't true. You can't even get consensus in the Pentagon , much less all the military all over the world," Lawrence contended. "When I go on a program like Wolf's (Blitzer) there are generals saying I'm not going on if he (another military leader) is going to be on. They say things  like "I don't even want to be in the same room with him." 

Lawrence says he believes the military is getting better at releasing information. For example, during the Vietnam War, all access was strictly controlled and news was often delayed.  "We don't live in that world anymore," Lawrence said referencing the modern 24-hour news cycle. "While you do lose a little bit of perspective, they (the military) are realizing getting the story out early is better than waiting. The Taliban has PR (public relations) people ready to give their side immediately"

Another positive note is the relatively recent decision to allow reporters to travel with engaged troops, a process called embedding. "The walls start to come down," Lawrence said. "You can't help but sympathize. It helps humanize the war and the warriors."

But news gathering problems still exist, problems often centered around the disconnect between commanders and those they command. To prove that point, Lawrence cited the reaction to a story he did on the impact of a proposed military shutdown. "I got a phone call from an admiral who said it was the worst piece of journalism he had ever seen. When asked what was wrong, the admiral said that I had talked to an E3 (a low military rank). I thought - what makes her opinion as an E3 any less than that of an admiral."

Tales, Tidbits, and Traveling Tips
Lawrence was asked what was the most surprising thing he had found in covering The Pentagon.  He said that given the military's long-standing, necessary preoccupation with fitness, it was the food choices offered at the massive Arlington complex. "There's McDonald's.  There's Taco Bell. There's every kind of fast food imaginable. There's really not a lot of healthy eating options," Lawrence said.