Who In the MSM Will Stand Up For Michael Yon?

Posted by Ron Futrell May 25th 2010 at 3:52 pm in Mainstream Media, Military | 70878Comments(23)

The best war journalist of our time has been kicked out of Afghanistan and the media could not care less.

Let the administration boot Helen Thomas out of her seat in the front of a White House press conference and there would be outrage. Remove Jonathan Karl from the Capitol and media would revolt. Kick Andrea Kremer off Sunday Night Football and there would be pandemonium.

And yet nobody in the media seems to have much of a problem with Michael Yon being removed from the front lines by Obama/General McChrystal. Yon has openly stated the problems in Afghanistan right now and how we could lose this war, unless changes are made. He has been critical of the current rules of engagement that have put our troops in danger and could actually make this war like the Vietnam that the leftist media claimed it was early and often when Bush was president (it’s strange you don’t hear those comparisons from them anymore).

Yon’s reward? He’s lost his embed status, banished to Bangkok. Yon could return but his access might be limited and you can’t just pop in and out of that theater like it’s the neighborhood movie palace. Mess with Yon enough and his resources wear thin, but his patience will not. You will not stop this Marine. He is the ultimate warrior for those who fight and die for this country. His reports are honest, chilling, gripping and are as reflective of the battles they represent as anything I have ever read. But this administration is making it as difficult for him to do his job. You can’t believe this is by accident. The most critical battle in Afghanistan is about to take place, the battle for Kandahar, and the voice of the American soldier is not allowed in.

I’ve seen reporters stand shoulder to shoulder with other reporters in situations that seem downright silly when compared to what we’re talking about here. At a boxing news conference years ago one of the fighters didn’t like a certain reporter and didn’t want him there—so he kicked him out. Those of us in the media departed together in a show of support. I’ve been kicked out of an NBA locker room, and watched the rest of the media join me in exodus. The media even stood by Fox News when the Obama Administration went after them last year. The media usually stand together on these issues, but not in this case.

They should exhibit one-tenth of the courage that Michael Yon has by standing up and demanding some answers as to why this administration is essentially shutting out a badly needed voice of reason and honesty in Afghanistan. If there is any time that the American public needs someone in country to give us an honest assessment of what is happening there it’s right now — and that man is Michael Yon. Are honest assessments something that makes this administration uncomfortable?

Stand up in a show of force and find out exactly why Yon is not where he wants to be and where he should be right now. Yon has always offered his spot-on reporting and remarkable photographs free of charge to other media. They have taken advantage of that, rightly so. He survives on donations and is a truly independent voice in the war zone.

As we near this Memorial Day and we think of the ultimate sacrifice that has been given by those who serve, my challenge to the media who can’t wait to get to the Indy 500, the picnics at the parks, and the parades, is to man up and demand to know of this administration why the voice of the soldiers has been silenced in Afghanistan.