REVISED ESSAY

Christian Hernandez

Hernandez 1

Mrs. Bricker
English 10/Period 2
11 March 2013
The Media and the Military
To most modern day Americans, the media is the only source of knowledge of the outside
world. None of us have ever been on the battle fronts in Afghanistan, nor are we even aware of
what sometimes occurs in neighboring towns unless we are informed by the media. Despite the
importance and vitality of the media such as CNN, MSN, the New York Times and other sources
of information, the question has arisen whether it is possible for the media to leak dangerous
information to the public. Many have even begun to question seemingly innocent entertainment,
asking, Are the movies we watch concerning war and the military a little too accurate? The
recent movie Zero Dark Thirty which was based on the book No Easy Day, a firsthand account
of the mission which killed Osama Bin Laden, generated a great deal of controversy due to the
argument posed by countless military members that it was too revealing of what goes on in the
generally secret military missions. If the media was to be accused of being too revealing,
censorship could possibly be instituted as a solution to protect the security of Americans and the
members of the military and even our national security, but this decision could come at a cost:

Hernandez 2
the limiting of our consciousness of the events in the outside world, and our freedom to
knowledge as U.S. Americans of what goes on in our military.
What is censorship? As defined by Mickey Huff in his book Project Censored: Media
Democracy in Action, censorship refers to the intentional non-conclusion of a news story or
piece of a news story based on anything other than a desire to tell the truth (Huff). The
censorship of the media would insure that all the information put out by the media is filtered
through and thoroughly studied so as to guarantee it is safe material, whether it is in books,
movies, or news reports. As we have seen, it is certainly possible for the media to tell too much,
and in return endanger the lives of many people. In an article titled How Media Censorship
Affects the News, evidence of secrets which were freely published due to lack of censorship are
revisited. Decades later, Wiki leaks and its founder Julian Assange are under fire for posting
more than a quarter million secret U.S. documents, many involving National Security (How
Media Censorship Affects the News). Although one of many examples amid leaks from the New
York Times, CNN and others, this particular event is one of the most damaging due to the
tremendous number of documents leaked which, in the wrong hands, could have put our security
as Americans in jeopardy. The fact that these documents were even published in the first place
suggests that the information was not filtered through and therefore freely given to the public. In
a book written by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, a former paratrooper and army ranger,
Lieutenant Dave Grossman wrote about video games that teach children to kill by using the
same warfare tactics used to train the military (Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial
Topics in Mass Media and Society 49). Despite the fact that the media is seen as harmless, much
more so video games for children, even military tactics can be and are found within them. Since

this information is left out in the open for anybody, it is left exposed for all people who want it,
even for those whose intentions are corrupt and directed toward harming others.
On the contrary, it is one of our rights as Americans to knowledge, and the Freedom of
the Press is one of the most important rights in relation to the media. Even despite dangerous
circumstances, the Freedom of the Press remains. In the aforesaid mentioned book Media, it is
asserted that even in the case of military conflicts in which lives are at stake, there are public
rights to information (Media 20). Since the very beginnings of the United States, it was always
argued that the press would be free to report what they wanted, when they wanted to. To control
what goes in and out of the media could interfere with the very Freedom of the Press. Secondly,
many would agree that even information which is leaked is still not dangerous due to the fact that
it is not recognized as such by the normal viewer/reader. Even when people are exposed to
political news, the process a miniscule amount of information and forget the little that registers
within a very short period of time (Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Topics in
Mass Media and Society 169). For this reason, leaked information, though dangerous to those
who are knowledgeable enough of the subjects being reported, pose no threat when given to the
average everyday American. The truth is that most of the information will be forgotten as the
viewer goes along with his/her busy day.
Since the invention of the printing press, the media has been used to inform the people
some might argue a little too much and others argue too little. The controversy arises when the
media becomes a threat to our national security and the safety of many, but to the rest of the
common people is the only source of knowledge of the outside world, being a vital instrument of
information. Should the media be censored? If it was, what would be the possible outcomes?
Media censorship could keep many Americans safe and secure, but many believe it would take

Hernandez 3
away one of our most basic rights to knowledge. If the media was censored, it could prevent
military tactics from leaking to potential threats to our national security, and censorship could
provide privacy to those who desire it; the fundamental question is whether Americans are
willing to sacrifice knowledge for security, or security for the knowledge of what goes on outside
of the protection and freedom we know.

ORIGINAL ESSAY

Christian Hernandez

Hernandez 1

Mrs. Bricker
English 10/Period 2
11 March 2013
The Media and the Military
To most modern day Americans, the media is the only source of knowledge of the outside
world. None of us have ever been on the battle fronts in Afghanistan, nor are we even aware of
what sometimes occurs in neighboring towns unless we are informed by the media. Despite the
importance and vitality of the media such as CNN, MSN, the New York Times and other sources
of information, the question has arose over whether it is possible for the media to leak dangerous
information to the public. Additionally, many people as a leisurely activity enjoy going to

Hernandez 2
the movie theater. Are the movies we watch concerning war and the military a little too
accurate? The recent movie Zero Dark Thirty which was based on the book No Easy Day, a
firsthand account on the mission which killed Osama Bin Laden, generated a great deal of
controversy due to the argument by many military members that it was too revealing of what
goes on in the generally secret military missions. If the media can be found to be too revealing,
censorship could possibly be instituted to protect the security of Americans and the members of
the military and even our national security, but this decision could come at a cost: the limiting of
our consciousness of the events in the outside world, and our freedom to knowledge as U.S.
Americans of what goes on in our military.
What is censorship? As defined by Mickey Huff in his book Project Censored: Media
Democracy in Action, censorship refers to the intentional non-conclusion of a news story or
piece of a news story based on anything other than a desire to tell the truth (Huff). The
censorship of the media would insure that all the information put out by the media is filtered
through and thoroughly studied so as to guarantee it is safe material, whether it is in books,
movies, or news reports. As we have seen, it is certainly possible for the media to tell too much,
and in return endanger the lives of many people. In an article titled How Media Censorship
Affects the News, evidence of secrets which were freely published due to lack of censorship are
revisited. Decades later, Wiki leaks and its founder Julian Assange are under fire for posting
more than a quarter million secret U.S. documents, many involving National Security (How
Media Censorship Affects the News). Although one of many examples amid leaks from the New
York Times, CNN and others, this particular event is one of the most damaging due to the

Hernandez 3
tremendous number of documents leaked which, in the wrong hands, could have put our security
as Americans in jeopardy. The fact that these documents were even published in the first place
suggests that the information was not filtered through and therefore freely given to the public. In
a book written by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, a former paratrooper and army ranger,
Lieutenant Dave Grossman wrote about video games that teach children to kill by using the
same warfare tactics used to train the military (Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial
Topics in Mass Media and Society 49). Despite the fact that the media is seen as harmless, much
more so video games for children, even military tactics can be and are found within them. Since
this information is left out in the open for anybody, it is left exposed for all people who want it,
even for those whose intentions are corrupt and directed toward harming others.
On the contrary, it is one of our rights as Americans to knowledge, and the Freedom of
the Press is one of the most important rights in relation to the media. Even despite dangerous
circumstances, the Freedom of the Press remains. In the aforesaid mentioned book Media, it is
asserted that even in the case of military conflicts in which lives are at stake, there are public
rights to information (Media 20). Since the very beginnings of the United States, it was always
argued that the press would be free to report what they wanted, when they wanted to. To control
what goes in and out of the media could interfere with the very Freedom of the Press. Secondly,
many would agree that even information which is leaked is still not dangerous due to the fact that
it is not recognized as such by the normal viewer/reader. Even when people are exposed to
political news, the process a miniscule amount of information and forget the little that registers
within a very short period of time (Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Topics in
Mass Media and Society 169). For this reason, leaked information, though dangerous to those

Hernandez 4
who are knowledgeable enough of the subjects being reported, pose no threat when given to the
average everyday American. The truth is that most of the information will be forgotten as the
viewer goes along with his/her busy day.
Should the media be censored? If it was, what would be the possible outcomes? Media
censorship could keep many Americans safe and secure, but many believe it would take away on
of our most basic rights to knowledge. If the media was censored, it could prevent military
tactics from leaking to potential threats to our national security, and censorship could provide
privacy to those who desire it; however, it is argued that we as the public do not see nor perceive
such information as a threat, and eventually forget it. Since the invention of the printing press,
the media has been used to inform the people some might argue a little too much and others
argue too little. The controversy arises when the media becomes a threat to our national security
and the safety of many, but to the rest of the common people is the only source of knowledge of
the outside world, being a vital instrument of information.