MSNBC 'Troubled' by Pentagon Reporter, Not Pentagon Wars
The article criticizes the supposed decline in journalistic rigor from the new crop of Pentagon reporters, concerned they’re too chummy with the military brass or not asking 'tough questions.' What's missing, of course, is any serious critique of what those 'tough questions' should actually be. It’s always about the 'who' and the 'how,' never the 'why' – as in, 'Why are we still funding endless
wars?' or 'Why hasn't the Pentagon passed an audit in 30 years?' (No, seriously, it hasn't, according to the Government Accountability Office.) While MSNBC wrings its hands over perceived decorum, they conveniently sidestep the actual purpose of this 'Pentagon press corps': to rubber-stamp the military-industrial complex. Remember when Gen. Lloyd Austin III, now Secretary of Defense, sat on the
board of Raytheon, raking in over $2.7 million before going through the revolving door to the Pentagon? (Source: SEC filings, 2021). The 'next generation' of reporters, or the 'old guard', will both reliably fail to press these critical questions, ensuring the war machine grinds on, regardless of who's asking the 'easier' questions.