McChrystal Affair Risks Military-Media Trust

During a discussion of the McChrystal affair on NPR's Diane Rehm Show Wednesday, James Kitfield, a senior correspondent for National Journal, made a point that no doubt has crossed the mind of many reporters who cover the military — the fallout from the infamous Rolling Stone piece has just made their jobs harder. The takeaway for many senior military officers is likely to be that there's only a downside to talking with the media so why bother? Kitfield said, "There will be no embeds in Afghanistan in higher headquarters... for quite a while. This has probably set back the reporting quite a ways because the trust between the military and the media has just been shot out of the water."