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Willie Apiata - Source: ONE News -
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The Chief of Defence force Jerry Mataparae has called for
greater co-operation between the media and the defence force in the
wake of the publicity surrounding SAS soldier Willie Apiata's
presence in Afghanistan.
Now, Mataparae is a man of integrity and I think his call was made
with the best of intentions. He accepts there is a public interest
in the actions of the SAS but his paramount responsibility is to do
what he can from these shores to protect their safety. No one would
want to compromise that. The SAS has a job to do. But so does the
media - and there is a natural conflict between those two roles
that can not, and should not, be compromised by complete
co-operation.
There's an old saying that where the papers are full of good news,
the jails are full of good men. The same applies to countries where
the media reports what the military and the government want them
to.
Was a photograph of Victoria Cross winner Willie Apiata walking
down a public street in Kabul, decked out in full battle gear,
newsworthy? Of course it was. Should the photograph have displayed
in the media? Absolutely.
If the SAS and the government was so worried about Willie Apiata
being identified in Afghanistan then they have had plenty of time
to consider what to do about it. Remember that back in 2007 it was
Prime Minister Helen Clark and Defence Minister Phil Goff who
publicised the battlefield deeds which won Corporal Apiata the
Victoria Cross. The military was all too ready to oblige back then,
wheeling out their hero for press conferences and documentaries. In
fact, the defence force spent $35,000 on media training for
Apiata.
To then
cry foul when Apiata is photographed decked out
in full military kit walking down a public street where the
international media is covering the world's biggest war, seems to
me naive.
I'm sure General Mateparae would prefer it if the media had
"co-operated" with the defence force: that is, publicised his award
of the Victoria Cross and war zone heroics and kept the public in
the dark about the SAS's role in Afghanistan. But then that's not
how the media works in a democracy and nor should it.
I know that majority of public opinion will probably be against me
here. Willie Apiata is seen as a hero, doing a courageous job for
his country. The media occupies the opposite space in terms of
public esteem and are at best seen as messengers of gloom. Both of
those things might be true.
But if the media signs up to a "co-operation" deal with the
defence force are we also signing up to the purpose of the war and
the way that war is conducted? It is a war that has now dragged on
for nearly a decade - nearly as long as World War I and II
combined - with no end in sight.
New Zealand combat troops are again fighting in that war and are
not doing so in a covert operation. The SAS may often be a
clandestine force but right now they are fighting in New Zealand's
name in the capital of Afghanistan.
I applaud the government for opening the door - if even just a
little - on what the SAS is doing in Afghanistan. But reporting on
this should not be on the government's terms alone.
The news media should continue to find out what it can about New
Zealand's involvement in the war, even if what it comes up with is
outside the comfort zone of the military or their political
masters.
Read more of
Guyon Espiner's blogs.
