The chief spokesman for the U.S. Air Force has acknowledged his office’s failure to properly inform the media last month about the mishandling of soldiers’ remains and said he has directed the public affairs office to review its procedures.
In response to a letter from the board of Military Reporters & Editors Association, Brig. Gen. Les A. Kodlick said Air Force Public Affairs did not sufficiently alert the media prior to a Nov. 9 press conference to reveal serious lapses at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center. The unit, located at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, is where casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan are prepared for return to their families and burial.
Nor did the Air Force make available its own investigative findings on the matter in a timely fashion, Kodlick said.
“We are committed to a forthright, transparent and cooperative relationship with the media,” Kodlick told MRE. “We take this commitment seriously and work hard at it every day. In hindsight, we could and should have done better with this press conference.”
Multiple Pentagon reporters, military journalists, and news outlets were not alerted to the Nov. 9 press conference, nor were copies of the Inspector General’s report on the matter made available in time to file accurate news stories or produce television broadcasts with the necessary context, MRE concluded before deciding to raise the issue.
“I have directed my staff to review and correct, as necessary, our processes and procedures for execution of such events,” Kodlick added. “This includes, but is not limited to processes for timely and accurate information, ensuring contact lists are accurate and complete, allowing media time to set up at the selected venue, and having press-kit information immediately available.”
Established in 2002, Military Reporters and Editors is an association of reporters, editors, photographers, television news people, educators, retired journalists, college students and others who cover or are interested in national security and veterans issues. The association exists to advance public understanding of the military, national security and homeland defense; to educate and share information with its members and the public on best practices, tools and techniques for such coverage; to represent the interests of working journalists to the government and military; and to assure that
journalists have access to places where the U.S. military and its allies operate.
Below is MRE’s letter to the Air Force Public Affairs and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.
November 29, 2011
Douglas B. Wilson
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
Brigadier General Les A. Kodlick, USAF
Director of Public Affairs,
Office of the Secretary of the Air Force
Dear Secretary Wilson and General Kodlick,
We are writing on behalf of the more than 350 current and former
members of Military Reporters and Editors, the professional
association of military journalists.
Established in 2002, the mission of MRE is to disseminate best
practices on how the news media can better inform the public about the
mission of the armed forces. When necessary, we endeavor to assist
reporters and news outlets in their efforts to gain timely access to
unclassified materials, military installations, embed opportunities,
and interviews with informed government officials — without which they cannot fully perform their duties.
It is with this in mind that we urge you to reassess the approach that
Air Force Public Affairs took in revealing the results of the
investigation into the mishandling of service members’ remains at
Dover Air Force Base earlier this month. News outlets were not
formally alerted about the hastily called Pentagon press conference,
nor were pertinent documents such as the Inspector General’s report
made available in time to produce factual and contextual news articles
and broadcasts.
When it comes to issues of national importance — in this case how we
honor the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice — we
strongly believe that the military leadership has a duty to provide
the news media the greatest opportunity feasible to gather the facts,
have them explained by knowledgeable and responsible officials, and
sufficient opportunity to ask questions. We do not believe that the
transcript from a last-minute and sparsely attended news conference is
a replacement for the give-and-take from the podium that a story of
this magnitude demands.
We appreciate what you and your staff do every day to help journalists
tell the military story and our organization is anxious to work with
you in any way we can in the future. We may not always agree, but MRE
feels strongly that a partnership based on mutual cooperation and
trust will ultimately benefit the military, the media, and the public
at large.
Respectfully,
Bryan Bender, Boston Globe, MRE President
Don North, documentary film maker and journalist, MRE Vice President
Otto Kreisher, Seapower Magazine, MRE Treasurer
Amy McCullough, Air Force Magazine, MRE Board Member
Kelly Kennedy, USA Today, MRE Board Member
Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, MRE Board Member
Isaac Cubillos, E.W. Scripps Newspapers, MRE Board Member
Here is the Air Force’s response:
