I apologize in advance if I piss anyone off with these comments, as they are
aimed at local reporters and newscasters and not anyone on this list.
The local news station crossed over the line into "irresponsible journalism"
yesterday.
I work on a military base in a Department of Defense facility as a
contractor in Columbus. Yesterday, the local news did a story on the base
and it's function. In this story they outlined our horribly insufficient
increased security procedures, in detail, showed live images of the entrance
complete with the street address, disclosed that we are a "critical supply
and maintenance depot" and then go on to specify EXACTLY what we supply.
We were watching the news report on TV literally with our mouths hanging
open and wondering what the hell the TV station is thinking by broadcasting
and disclosing this information. Are they trying to help terrorist pick
their next target?
Certainly every bit of the information that they broadcast is available
publicly, with a little research. But why draw unnecessary attention to the
base when we are (potentially) in a war situation?
The base is literally next to the Columbus International Airport, and any
aircraft that chose to divert at the last second would literally be 5
seconds from impact on our very visible, high profile buildings. It would be
impossible for any fighter aircraft to even get in the air from Newark
(Ohio) or Dayton once someone realized what was happening.
And if public broadcast of this information was not enough, they published
it on the internet on their website:
http://www.10tv.com/news/archive/091801local911.php?story=091801local911
The article indicates that there are 2500 employees at the DSCC facility.
That is not accurate. There are 2500 people in the DSCC BUILDING, but there
are 6000+ people on the base, and at least 2800 of those people (including
me) are in an identical and indistinguishable building 100 feet from the
DSCC building.
I am still trying to figure out what public service the TV station performed
by broadcasting that information or even how that falls under the category
of "The Peoples Right To Know".
The bottom line is, even if our base was identified and considered as a
target before the news story was broadcast, the ONLY thing the story
accomplished was to add to the stress and fear of 6000+ people that have to
work on that base every day.
By the way, in the same newscast, they disclosed that the FBI is currently
investigating in Columbus because one of the terrorist used a fake Columbus
address for a rental car (or maybe it was a van) and they have also
discovered that three of the terrorist stayed in a Dublin (a Columbus burb)
hotel in the last year. That "Columbus connection" has made people on the
base more nervous after the above mentioned broadcast.
Back to my original rant, I think that there should be a federal moratorium
on the press disclosing any specific information about any military base,
location or movements - including videotaping. I realize that the free
speech advocates would scream about that, but under the circumstances, lives
DO hand in the balance.
_____________________________________________
Gary L. Nunn
Delaware Ohio
Sacred cows make the best hamburger.
- Mark Twain
