Tom Hyland, the Sunday Age’s international editor has a good piece, Stifling Soliders of Spin, on the almost total control that the Australian Defence Force has over war reporting about conflicts Australia is involved in.

‘If we’re honest’, he writes, ‘maybe it’s time for Australian journalists to do two things when we’re reporting official versions of defence issues. We should disclose at the start of articles and bulletins: “This news comes to you from the ADF.”

And we should end with a disclaimer: “These claims could not be independently verified.”‘

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/stifling-soldiers-of-spin-20080719-3hvn.html?page=-1