....During lunch Chuck Ziegenfuss talked about how the Valour IT project got started.  It was absolutely hilarious. 

I'm excited about this year's upcoming fund raiser. Last year we raised $235,000. I threw out the number $1,000,000 as a goal for next year. I really believe it's possible if we prepare well enough.

The afternoon began with the rapid-fire session, and a reporter was on the panel. He gave his argument for why he thinks the media isn't biased against the US and/or the military. He spoke about a bias toward sensationalism, a bias toward the negative and a bias toward skepticism toward the government. (More on that later.) But he insisted that the media was not biased against America or the troops and that they are not aiding and abetting Al Qaeda. I'm sure he was sincere.

The main discussion centered around blogging, opsec and the military public affairs system. The online conference attendees were blistering the PAO system over the slow response, according to John of Castle Arghhh, for the failure to offset the Al Qaeda media blitz and the byzantine rules they use for approving press releases.

A DoD official stood up, strode to the mike and said they're trying to learn, they're eager to engage milbloggers and they want the story to get out. Then a PAO officer came up and spoke about the efforts they're making to engage and the difficulties of providing real time reports without violating op-sec and with accuracy.

We'll see.

Regarding the reporter, I got a large round of applause when I confronted him about his bias. I pointed out to him that his claim of skepticism about the government doesn't seem to apply to anonymous leakers and people with an agenda against the government. Afterwards, several people thanked me for what I had said and claimed that they had thought the same thing when he spoke.

The final session is about supporting the troops in real, tangible ways. Appropriately, Chuck Ziegenfuss is moderating and Patty Bader and other Soldiers Angels folks are on the panel. It's amazing how many different groups have arisen on an ad hoc basis to provide support for troops; care packages, mail, email, support for wounded warriors and those with long term disabilities, support for spouses and families of deployed soldiers, support for the bereaved family when a soldier dies in theatre.

All these groups need financial support, but they also need physical support. If you can help, consider finding a way to get involved in your area. Go to America Supports You or any of the other organizations in the right sidebar and find a way to help doing something you enjoy.

Cross posted at Media Lies

Contributed by antimedia on May 5, 2007 at 02:31 PM in Antimedia | Permalink

Comments

Posted by: Bill Faith

I realized two minutes before the end of the conference that it was being webcast live. I hope someone will be YouTubing the good parts.

Posted by: Bill Faith | May 5, 2007 3:13:48 PM