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A lot of the coverage on the demise of "At War" has focused on the importance of documenting the human costs of war, and rightly so.
But I can't stop thinking about what this means for coverage of the defense industry. https://twitter.com/halbritz/status/1318186018798002176
But I can't stop thinking about what this means for coverage of the defense industry. https://twitter.com/halbritz/status/1318186018798002176
Most major newspapers no longer have beat reporters who cover the defense industry exclusively, despite companies raking in hundreds of billions of dollars in public funds on an annual basis.
Meaning its up to trade publications to provide investigative journalism in this space
Meaning its up to trade publications to provide investigative journalism in this space
This is something that I think trade publications like @defense_news and my colleagues at organizations at @BreakingDefense and @insidedefense .
But it's no replacement for mainstream news coverage.
But it's no replacement for mainstream news coverage.
Last year, I published two major projects about the F-35.
The first was an exhaustive series of articles about F-35 technical deficiencies.
The second was a longform feature for @NYTimesAtWar about the F-35's history and future.
The first was an exhaustive series of articles about F-35 technical deficiencies.
The second was a longform feature for @NYTimesAtWar about the F-35's history and future.
A couple weeks ago, when Hillary Clinton published an op-ed that argued for the F-35 program of record to be decreased, she paraphrased my At War story. That story was also hyperlinked as support for her argument.
Most people are never going to find their way to Defense News to read the stories that my colleagues and I break on a daily basis. And that's sad.
But what's also sad is that most national newspapers don't seem to care about those stories. And they should.
But what's also sad is that most national newspapers don't seem to care about those stories. And they should.
When those stories are told, people listen. Influential people like Hillary Clinton, but also people wholly unconnected to the world of national security.
And in the end, the defense industry's money is OUR TAX MONEY and the media should keep those companies accountable.
And in the end, the defense industry's money is OUR TAX MONEY and the media should keep those companies accountable.
I loved that @Lkatzenberg recognized the importance of the paper of record reporting on F-35 program, and I hoped more investigative reports on defense acquisition would follow.
But with "At War" gone, who at NYTimes even cares about those stories?
But with "At War" gone, who at NYTimes even cares about those stories?
