May 21, 2007: For the last 80 years, the U.S. Army has had guidelines for dealing with media. The current version contains some interesting advice. Things like;

Maintain a professional attitude

Make a good impression

Everything is ON THE RECORD

Tell the truth even if it hurts. Do not try to cover embarrassing events with a security classification. Never lie to the media.

Commanders, down to the battalion level, have some troops selected and trained to deal with the media. The training includes role playing. There's no shortage of able volunteers to play the journalist. Years of watching TV news have made "acting like a TV reporter" second nature. However, in the last few years, commanders have been encountering more and more new troops who have rarely watched television news, or read newspapers. They get all their news off the Internet. This is a growing trend among adolescents.