[Newsbot]

Title: DND restricts interviews during election campaign
Category: Military
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2008-09-19 19:18:34
Canadian

[Reverend Blair]

Another Harper gag order, no doubt.

[ridenrain]

The media restricts interviews anyways.
Why give material to biased hacks who'll twist it around anyways. The CBC can always find some left wing professor anyways.

[roger-roger]

No, its more like the officers and commanders have more important things to worry about then what they should and shouldnt say to the press. The same is done when ever a soldier is thrust infront of the camera. The CDS is one of the very few who should be talking to the press.

[DerbyX]

Reverend Blair Reverend Blair:

Another Harper gag order, no doubt.

I don't think so. The DND should be doing exactly this during an election. The military represents Canada, not a political party and they don't want a few voiced opinions speaking for the entire CF.

Personally I thinks its not only prudent but a smart move because they don't know who will win.

They all get a vote as Canadian citizens (my first ever cast vote was on a base) but as an organization uniformed officers shouldn't be giving political voiced interviews.

[roger-roger]

This is also why military personnel are not allowed to join a political party.

[Reverend Blair]

Look around this board, Derby. The military represents the Conservative Party. Maybe they didn't used to, maybe they shouldn't, but the bias has been clear for quite some time.

The interviews aren't about partisan political views though, they are about Afghanistan and how the war is going. If that war isn't going well, then we deserve to know that, election or not.

[DerbyX]

Reverend Blair Reverend Blair:

Look around this board, Derby. The military represents the Conservative Party. Maybe they didn't used to, maybe they shouldn't, but the bias has been clear for quite some time.

The interviews aren't about partisan political views though, they are about Afghanistan and how the war is going. If that war isn't going well, then we deserve to know that, election or not.

Not Bootlegga or Scape but your point is well taken.

Still my opinion is about uniformed members making a political endorsement. Giving interviews concerning their opinion of the war may violate uniformed regs.

Would you want those interviews though? If they are all fluff support pieces then people will cry foul.

Yes finding soldiers willingly to tell "our side" of the story is important but unless they are out of uniform how can you be sure they aren't being ordered to give slanted interviews?

[EyeBrock]

I don't think you'll find too many Police Officers airing their political views during the election either, even though most of them are traditionally Tories.

The military and police have always attracted people who are more conservative in their political views than say teachers or nurses.

It's horses for courses really.
Do the job and keep personal political views out of it, that goes for cops and soldiers and that's the way it should be.
Now get us on a forum and we will tell you what we think!

[DerbyX]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

I don't think you'll find too many Police Officers airing their political views during the election either, even though most of them are traditionally Tories.

The military and police have always attracted people who are more conservative in their political views than say teachers or nurses.

It's horses for courses really.
Do the job and keep personal political views out of it, that goes for cops and soldiers and that's the way it should be.
Now get us on a forum and we will tell you what we think!

Even when we could care less. j/k

[roger-roger]

[DerbyX]

Eisensapper Eisensapper:

:roll:

Did you understand what j/k means?

[roger-roger]

I can till roll my eyes at a lame joke

[DerbyX]

Eisensapper Eisensapper:

I can till roll my eyes at a lame joke

ahhhh.

[Reverend Blair]

$1:

Still my opinion is about uniformed members making a political endorsement. Giving interviews concerning their opinion of the war may violate uniformed regs.

Would you want those interviews though? If they are all fluff support pieces then people will cry foul.

Yes finding soldiers willingly to tell "our side" of the story is important but unless they are out of uniform how can you be sure they aren't being ordered to give slanted interviews?

Oh, the fluff pieces will keep on coming.

Uniformed staff know damned well they aren't allowed to make political statements, although they seem to feel free to break that rule when they have the anonymity of the internet to protect them.

The military also doesn't let their people speak to the press about anything without clearance. The interviews are already slanted.

What this gag order does is allow the senior staff to dodge questions asked by the press regarding things that have been revealed through access to information requests and so on. Now they can just say they aren't allowed to answer because there's an election on.