June 2
Yon says Rolling Stone committed ‘literary crime’; boycott called for
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 11:20AM 
War correspondent Michael Yon files dispatches from around the globe. Yon is a widely published correspondent who has authored several books about his experiences.War correspondent Michael Yon said Rolling Stone magazine committed a “literary crime” and he’s called for a boycott of advertisers in the publication long associated with the entertainment business.
The magazine also does sporadic investigative journalism about issues like the foreclosure epidemic, a piece that was well-written and documented.
On other occasions the magazine does political hit jobs. Yon’s criticism was sparked by a cover story ‘The Kill Team: How US Soldiers in Afghanistan Murdered Civilians for Sport.’
The story is lengthy and at times the editorializing overpowers fact. For instance, on the RS home page on the Web, the title is juxtaposed with photos—in one, two soldiers sit against a wall, one with a weapon in hand. In another, there’s a photo of a motorcycle and the legs of a man on the ground. The motorcycle photo is slugged ‘Motorcyle Kill.’
The story relates details about soldiers who allegedly killed a civilian in Afghanistan but the motorcycle kill occurred in an area away from the civilian killing.
The Military Justice Gazette has an update. Three soldiers faced various charges including murder. One who pled guilty has been sentenced already. Charges have been referred against another soldier whose court martial date has not been set. The court martial for the soldier identified as the “alleged mastermind” is in progress and resumes April 4. The MJG story refers to the trials as the ‘5th Stryker Brigade Cases.’
In the RS article, there is no use of the term “alleged,” a media term used to distinguish between a crime that has been prosecuted and a case where there has not been a resolution of charges. This provides a means of transmitting to the reader the presumption of innocence until a trial and sentencing are completed.
Coincidentally Yon is very familiar with the 5/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He said he was embedded with the 5/2 SBCT; the brigade gave him “open access.”
Yon wrote at his site where he files dispatches: “I could go anywhere, anytime, so long as I could find a ride, which never was a problem beyond normal combat problems. If they had something to hide, it was limited and I didn’t find it.”
The RS magazine article gives the impression there was a culture of corruption within the brigade. It is likely most readers of the magazine would be unable to define the term ‘brigade.’
Yon said, “A brigade is a big place with thousands of soldiers and in Afghanistan they were spread thinly across several provinces because we decided to wage war with too few troops. Those soldiers accused of being involved in (or who should have been knowledgeable of) the murders could fit into a minivan. You would need ten 747s for the rest of the Brigade who did their duty.”
Yon said during his embed he had a positive impression of the brigade.
Yon also pointed out the ‘Motorcyle Kill’ video documents a legitimate military action, and therein lies a reason he accuses the magazine of a ‘literary crime.’ Yon said, “The Taliban on the motorcycle were killed during an intense operation in the Arghandab near Kandahar City.” The widely published war correspondent said there was “extreme danger” there. Yon also said, “To my knowledge, 5/2 and supporting units were the first ever to take Arghandab, and these two dead Taliban were part of that process.”
Repeating: Taliban who were killed were not in the vicinity where the civilian was killed. Yon provides a complete analysis of the RS article at his website Michael Yon Online.
The magazine article implies a culture of laissez faire for troops when the opposite is true. US troops are among the most rigidly regulated in the world.
Yon wants the public to boycott RS advertisers. In a post on Thursday he crafted an obituary for “Mr. Rolling Stone, 45, San Francisco…”
In the same issue, RS offered a feature about a singer who explained why she likes being submissive in the bedroom and being tied up—the whips and chains experience. Ironically she accused a boyfriend of domestic abuse last year and he was punished for that alleged crime. This feature however is pretty much staple fare for RS except, as I said before, for occasional political hit jobs that swing left.
Yon was direct in his assessment of ‘The Kill Team’ story. He titled his response, “Calling BULLSHIT on Rolling Stone.’
Such responses by Yon have endeared him to thousands of readers around the world and elevated his brand above most who produce reportage from war zones.
Yon told The US Report, “"It does no good to argue with Rolling Stone. Better is to boycott any company who advertises in their pages. Speak with actions and your mind will be satisfied and your heart happy."
To date, The Washington Post said there are 5,885 US troop fatalities from the War on Terror. Newspapers featured troop fatalities prominently during the Bush ’43 administration but media rarely call attention to fatalities now that a Democrat is in the White House and Democrats also control the US Senate.
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(Commentary by Kay B. Day/March 31, 2011)
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A post at what appears to be a hobby blog The Agonist confirms Michael Yon's assessment of the Rolling Stone article. The blogger apparently was unable to discern the difference between a legitimate military operation (the motorcycle video) and the rogue actions by a few shown in still shots. How disgusting can a magazine (and a hobby blogger) get? Apparently there is no concern for the civilians killed by IEDs, the women stoned to death or any of the other outrages committed by terrorists.
Reader Comments (4)
List the advertisers, I'll boycott.
There is no question that Mike Yon is a unique and peerless American treasure. He is honest, beholden to no one, and he speaks great truth to authority.
Thank God that we have him.