Does anyone else feel that this age of instant information is not always positive, especially for those in the military and law enforcement?

2016-06-12T12:47:31-04:00

Response by SSG Roger Ayscue made Jun 12 at 2016 1:18 PM

2016-06-12T13:18:03-04:00

Absolutely! Military Operations do not need to be front page news. As it is, the media broadcast troop movements and tell the bad guys we are coming or leaving.. and they can pull back till the strategy is not effective and then show back up. Yes, instantaneous transfer of information can be a bad bad thing.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jun 12 at 2016 1:21 PM

2016-06-12T13:21:44-04:00

Probably a Nightmare for Law Enforcement when Electronic Gossip and Hearsay replace Facts.

Response by Capt Tom Brown made Jun 12 at 2016 1:57 PM

2016-06-12T13:57:38-04:00

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member In this day and age of NSA electronic surveillance, satellites, computer hacking, etc I don't see any secrecy in military movements, resources or other assets, with perhaps the exception of submarines. Gone are the days, I believe, of secret deployments of carriers, airplanes, troops etc, notwithstanding any operational security imposed on SMs or local news black-outs. Our enemies, starting with our allies, and anyone else with modern technology probably knows the whereabouts of every Naval ship, AF bomber, or other military asset from ballistic missiles on down and keep track of them on a daily basis.

Response by CPT Joseph K Murdock made Jun 12 at 2016 6:50 PM

2016-06-12T18:50:45-04:00

We cant help but to cause more information to grow over time.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Jun 13 at 2016 12:52 PM

2016-06-13T12:52:22-04:00

Definitely not. Everyone jumps to see who can get the first story out, so it doesn't even matter if there is any factual accuracy. Most articles I read fail to even fulfill the basic requirements of WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and sometimes HOW. These days, it's all about the soundbyte, going viral etc.

In regards to military and law enforcement, a negative light tends to shine more on them because the general public doesn't see what they deal with on a daily basis. The public doesn't see the same cop called to the same neighborhood every other day because a battered spouse returns to the batterer after a few "I'm sorrys". They don't see the cop looking for the passenger in a vehicular accident who was ejected because they weren't wearing a seat belt.

The military and law enforcement sees and deals with a lot of things on a daily basis. The public only ever sees a 30 second clip of some irate civilian who might have been trying to push their buttons to send them over the edge. I understand there are bad apples wearing the badge or in uniform, but I'm more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt as a whole because I understand the things they have to deal with on a regular basis.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 13 at 2016 6:02 PM

2016-06-13T18:02:02-04:00

You are entirely correct. Essentially at this point the media shapes how people think. Look at the recent incident with President Obama bowing in Japan during his visit, this would not have been an issue if media didn't make it an issue thusly leading to seemingly millions of Americans being outraged against this. Instant information isn't necessarily the problem here, it is the fact that the media responsible for putting this information out shapes that information before people even have a chance to formulate their own unique opinions on it.

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Jun 14 at 2016 11:38 AM

2016-06-14T11:38:33-04:00

It is not so much the instant access to information, but the 24/7 news cycle. In the effort to get the story out first and/or draw the most viewers, news agencies sometimes don't do a complete job of getting the facts straight....which can have less than stellar results.

Response by SGT James Hammons made Jun 16 at 2016 9:13 AM

2016-06-16T09:13:01-04:00

Sometimes I love the fact that I can research as fast as I can, but then there are times that I think social media will tear this country apart. Good networking tool.

Response by SGM Nathan Thomas made Jun 16 at 2016 10:44 AM

2016-06-16T10:44:12-04:00

I do as CNN was reporting and televising where the SCUDs were hitting in Israel and Saddam was getting intel from this. Is the one example that I remember.

Response by SrA Bruce Kersman made Jun 16 at 2016 6:41 PM

2016-06-16T18:41:03-04:00

Absolutely!! The ability to be compromised is greater now than ever before; Protection is not in place and if it is, it is antiquated..

Response by PV2 Glen Lewis made Jun 16 at 2016 6:52 PM

2016-06-16T18:52:40-04:00

It can be very difficult to sift through all the sensationalism that is used to get our attention and find the bare bones of issues presented by the media. I wouldn't want to be in the Middle East right now since it seems our movements are announced before they are ever even put into motion. You don't hear about the positive actions of the police forces just the negative and they are beat to death once they are brought to our attention. It seems cops are looked at about like the modern version of the Gestapo.

Response by CPO Amb. Terry Earthwind Nichols made Jun 16 at 2016 9:20 PM

2016-06-16T21:20:45-04:00

Along with instant information comes unverified information. Very dangerous...

Response by PO1 Tharin Young made Jun 16 at 2016 9:24 PM

2016-06-16T21:24:20-04:00

While having most information definitely has it's advantages, I do think it has created an entire generation of people who are not equipped to do research, find clues, and think through issues.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Jun 16 at 2016 9:55 PM

2016-06-16T21:55:44-04:00

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member Period, instant news feeds passions. 'They' are now saying the Orlando shooter was checking for 'coverage'!

Response by CPL Deanna Green (Parkinson) made Jun 17 at 2016 1:12 AM

2016-06-17T01:12:42-04:00

There is always a big difference in the information that gets out, and what gets reported correctly (which is rarely anything). People feed on the negative. It is up to us to tell the stories correctly.

Response by SGT J.R. Harris Sr. made Jun 17 at 2016 3:19 AM

2016-06-17T03:19:44-04:00

Oh most definitely everyone focuses on the negative and not the positive

Response by PO2 Joshua Reid made Jun 17 at 2016 5:10 AM

2016-06-17T05:10:58-04:00

It has been a total game-changer from the beginning. I think we're starting to witness the fallout from all this technologically advanced info-systems and shit. That's how I feel . Good question, sir.

Response by MCPO Nick Baggett made Jun 17 at 2016 11:28 PM

2016-06-17T23:28:22-04:00

Heidi,
This is a good question and valid in many situations. Terrorist in many countries use instant messaging or twitter to call others into action or to give the location of military or Law Enforcement. Some will say that it is an infringement of their freedom of speech and other rights if the government interferes, however some other countries shut down all cell towers during an emergency such as a bombing. It is wise for a government to shut down all communications in the event of an emergency, except for protected official communication channels, This will be a heated debate in the future if not already. one way of looking at it is: Guns do not kill, but someone pulls the trigger and words do not kill but someone speaks or types them. If the end result is someone getting killed or hurt, then as a government you have to be prepared to eliminate the threat immediately before further damage is done.

Response by SPC Robert Bobo made Nov 1 at 2019 1:01 PM

2019-11-01T13:01:22-04:00

For the most part we are receiving agenda driven opinion news and fake news, colleges are pumping out reporters that are more concerned about being first rather than fact