ACCESS DENIED!

" Journalists have been denied access to American troops in the field in Afghanistan to a greater degree than in any previous war involving military U.S forces. Bush administration policy has kept reporters from combat units units in a fashion unimagined in Vietnam, and one that's more restrictive even than the burdensome constraints on media in the Persian Gulf." - Niel Hickey

The article "Access Denied", by Columbia Journalism Review editor Niel Hickey, is all about the grievances held by the press over their lack of access to information and footage of the war in Afghanistan. According to the writer the bush administration has been all too successful at shutting out the members of the press and providing them with even less information than provided during the pool system of the Gulf war. Much of what the author emphasizes has to do with the fact that the Pentagon and the press are two opposing forces trying to coexist with each other, but not quite seeing eye to eye about the sharing of information during war time. The author recounts many situations in which Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the rest of the Bush administration have completely limited the press access to critical news stories dealing with events in the war, such as air raids, attacks, and other such operations. In my opinion, the Bush administration is doing a smart thing for the war by limiting the press access. The government has learned from the mistakes of the Vietnam War and has taken the steps necessary not to make the same mistakes. Of course, this puts them directly at odds with the press, who's sole purpose during war time is to bring the people information about the events of that war. My message to the U.S government is this.If keeping the press out of the war means winning it , then by all means, keep them out!