Media access to the military: Resignation of Gen. McCrystal

I'm sure you have heard of the Rolling Stone article about General McCrystal, the military leader in charge of the U.S. operations of the Afghanistan war, that involved criticisms of President Obama's ideas and handling of the war. The article reports about McCrystal thinking Obama wasn't really focused, possibly even intimidated during their first meeting together. It went on to have McCrystal's aides describe vice president Biden as "Bite Me" and other colorful insights that seemed to undermine the commander in chief's authority and the executive branch's credibility.

Of course, Gen. McCrystal resigned as the commander in Afghanistan and soon announced his retirement from the Army. Retiring in disgrace after a long, distinguished military career seems like unfortunate way to exit for McCrystal.

As a recovering journalist, current public relations professional and graduate student of public policy, I applaud freelance writer Michael Hastings for writing an honest account of what he saw and heard amid generals and other top U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan. Reading his piece puts you beside the general's aides, drinking a scotch and soda with them, hearing their military honesty. Hastings has mentioned during interviews, he didn't misquote anyone associated with the article. He was doing his job.

However, Gen. McCrystal's public relations' staff clearly didn't know what the hell they were doing. The person responsible for granting Hastings access to McCrystal and his aides for such long periods of time should have been the person fired. I've only covered one four-star general in my time as a journalist, but it seems McCrystal's handlers would have known not to provide nearly unlimited access to a journalist with little interaction with him prior to the interview. A basic Google search on Hastings shows he's not the reporter you want sitting in on sensitive conversations.

So where does this leave us with the military and the press? If military brass have learned anything from this experience, they'll take former Mississippi First Lady Pat Fordice's advice when she excused herself from an interview a few years ago. "I'm sorry but I have to go," she told me. "I've always been told if I stay longer than 30 minutes with a reporter then my brain will be overtaken by aliens and I'm liable to say anything."

Hastings wasn't even a beat reporter. He was a freelancer for Rolling Stone sent to write a one-time piece on the war. The military should have known better. In the months, years, we'll see if the United States military has remembered that its vulnerable in other places besides the battlefield.