Writings

Good News from Iraq

In response to "U.S. media should consider military's 'pay for play' Iraq stories" (Dec. 14): There is a word for articles that an author pays to have printed in a newspaper: advertisement.

In today's age of media consolidation, political spin and corporate propaganda, it shows the barest journalistic integrity to at least mention when an advertisement is in fact an advertisement. Matt Beevers goes beyond merely attempting to justify the military's efforts to undermine this distinction in Iraq, he encourages the American media to do so here as well. Incredible.

It has been said that the first casualty of war is the truth. I say the military has no business running a press.

TONY BRASUNAS
San Francisco