Army Squeezes Soldier Blogs, Maybe to Death

Since the invasion of Iraq, the US is managing the first war in which cell phones, laptops, e-mail connections and digital cameras are plentiful, allowing troops to send instant messages and images. With the war in its fifth year, the US Army has ordered troops to clear all blog and e-mail content with supervisors before sending. Failure to obtain supervision can result in court marital or disciplinary or criminal action, and the regulations could discourage some soldiers from offering candid reports, reports Noah Shachtman for “Wired.” Opponents point out how the regulations quiet a powerful voice that explains the need for the war; indeed, the Department of Defense has featured some media events with bloggers. Supporters of the regulations suggest that blogs, e-mails and photos – any monitoring of defense activities – pose a security risk. The US Army could be on a hopeless mission, trying to stop the electronic flow pouring out of Iraq. The story of the war, including the point of view of US troops, will emerge: Some supervisors will be more flexible than others, and soldiers adept at computers or code will hide their tracks. – YaleGlobal