MoD’s ban on ITN points to deeper problem

‘To be clear: we are not seeking to stop you reporting on Iraq or Afghanistan, speaking to our spokespeople here or in theatre(s) or reporting the news’
– Ministry of Defence to ITN

The Ministry of Defence decision to ban ITN from war zones cannot fail to create a perception that there is something to hide and that military public relations is not to be trusted. No wonder it’s been argued that a spin doctor must have come off their axis.

Yet it may be that the ban is not itself a public relations disaster, but a symptom of greater failure. An incandescent military – ‘You should be under no illusions about the level of anger that exists as a result of items you carried on your programmes’ – clearly feels it cannot trust the UK’s largest commercial news broadcaster and is happy to lose positive stories like ITV’s Remembrance Day trip to Afghanistan.

An organisation’s relationship with the media is a two-way street. Just as public relations officers should be prepared to do much more than feed the media soft copy via press release, the media owe it to those upon they report to be fair and accurate. It’s unfortunate that the MoD has been vague on its specific objections to ITV News coverage. That makes it hard for ITN to respond appropriately. But it appears that ITN has hit a nerve by portraying the treatment of the wounded in terms the MoD finds unacceptable. Essentially the plight of identifiable soldiers arriving into Birmingham was not set in the context of the care they were to receive at the MoD’s rehabilitation centre, despite ITN have been given extensive access to the latter.

The Ministry of Defence clearly feels it has wasted much effort on ITN – ‘Why on Earth would we spend time, resources and valuable places wanted by Sky, the BBC and others to facilitate journalism like this?’ – for no gain and was right to expect the story to be balanced. British broadcasters are obliged to be impartial.

Where a media outlet has a clear agenda, it is reasonable to offer minimal cooperation with them. Military public relations officers need to clarify and specify their complaint and should not be afraid to complain to the regulator. But ITN also needs to show a willingness to acknowledge the effort made on its behalf.
Contact Stephen Newton

Bookmarks: