Wow.

Stephen Green at Vodka Pundit introduces us to the work of an MSM reporter from a Fairbanks paper. Margaret Friedenauer is embedded with the 172nd Stryker Brigade in Iraq and is blogging about her experiences as well. I think you'll want the whole thing, but I'm just sharing a small excerpt from Margaret's blog as quoted by Stephen:
Think about everything you’ve heard about the conditions in Iraq, the role of U.S. forces, the multi-layered complexities of the war.
Then think again.

I’m a journalist. I read the news everyday, from several sources. I have the luxury of reading stuff newspapers don’t always have room to print. I read every tidbit I could on Iraq and the war before coming.

Everything I thought I knew was wrong....

Friedenauer shares her mind boggling realization:

...If I am truly unbiased, then I need to get used to this one simple fact; that the untold story, might in fact, be a positive one..."

I went and looked at that post on her blog. She also says this:

"I liken it to this; It was real struggle for me to choose to see the Harry Potter movies. I had read the books and loved the pictures I had in my mind of the details I read. I didn’t need to see a movie; I had a movie playing in my head of exactly how I perceived the stories.

I had similar notions about Iraq, Mosul, the war and what exactly soldiers do. And it was handily shattered like glass today by a group of soldiers, half of them younger than myself."

I'm glad she's so honest. I hope it continues.

I'm not in favor of conscripted troops. The all volunteer force we have is magnificent, and the draft would only dilute that. But maybe it's about time we started conscripting editors from the MSM and shipping them off to Iraq. Some of them need to be embedded with reality.