Lies and Damned Lies of World Net Daily

I am starting a new category today.  This is the “Lies and Damned Lies of World Net Daily.”  I am only going to focus on comments by that website regarding military matters.  I have noticed over the years that they tend to sensationalize and distort military reporting in regard to their particular political bent.  They and other allegedly “conservative” websites like to bash the “left-wing bias” of the traditional or “mainstream” media but are not unbiased in their own reporting.

The editor of the site, Joseph Farah and one of his chief correspondents Bob Unruh are particularly good at this.  I first noticed their extreme bias when covering the case of a former Navy Chaplain a few years back.  Knowing the case I was appalled at their coverage and actually contacted the reporter concerning the case.  They were both unapologetic and unresponsive.  When I realized that they were not interested in the truth and only in using this unfortunate man’s case to showcase themselves I knew that the supposed “new conservative” media was even more corrupt than the mainline press.   The mainstream press has been no paragon of virtue in reporting about the military based upon my point of view as a career military man and military dependant, but this reprehensible.  This realization about the new media and “conservative media” came hard for me because up until that point I had classified myself as a conservative.  These people have hijacked conservatism and hijacked Evangelical Christianity.

What got me today was a article by the aforementioned Bob Unruh entitled “Military Demands Details on Private Guns: Fort Campbell Command reversed under pressure.”  To read the headline one would think that the Commanding General of the base had implemented a policy.  Playing upon the unfamiliarity of the majority of its readership with the actual organization of the military as well as military policy or military law this writer publishes articles designed to incite and deliberately misinform readers in order to promote their political and social goals.  The actual article was about a single company commander, probably a 25 or 26 year old Army Captain in charge of a 120 soldier infantry company who got in way above his head and demanded information from his soldiers that was not in compliance with DOD or Department of the Army regulations.  The story was not even newsworthy as this young man was likely slammed hard for this dumb decision.  I have been a company commander and at the age of 24 or 25 you can make some dumb decisions.  They however do not become Army policy and yes my dear reader they will destroy the young company commander.  I had my ass handed to me on more than one occasion by my Group CO or XO for getting in above my pay grade.   Mr Unruh has taken this non-story and blown it incredibly out of proportion attempting to link it with legislation in the Washington State Legislature on gun control and President Obama’s inauguration in their words “the most anti-firearm President in history.”  Such is not the case, it is bad reporting and worse ethics to try to link the stupid decision of an Army Captain, or maybe even First Lieutenant with actions of a state legislature or possible yet un-enacted policies of the President.  World Net Daily has no shame in its reporting and unfortunately many of its conservative sister sites are no better.   From now on if I see examples of this crap I will report it here. People who are not interested in the truth need to be exposed especially when they present themselves as champions of truth and integrity.