Since the US Department of Defense issued a website alert in August about screening information before publication, several blogging soldiers and other military personnel (milbloggers) have shut down their blogs, Wired News reported a few days ago. Security concerns are growing, but:

…it also signals a growing culture clash between military traditions of censorship and the expectations of young soldiers weaned on open digital culture, according to current and former military personnel.

While doing research a few months ago – in preparation for being interviewed in a video presentation about blogging and other media topics for Norwegian soldiers – I was surprised at the open US policy. You would think that the military would be the most closed institution of all, the very last one to let its “employees” develop their own public voice. One reason to allow milblogs was that they often were very sympathetic to the military in general and to the US project in Iraq, I learned. Also they could bring perspectives that were missing in the media.

On my wishlist has been Norwegian milblogs from our troops in Afghanistan. I haven’t detected any so far, though there are some official-looking “diaries”. Better than nothing, but not with the essential personal touch of a blogger.

Although the Norwegian media coverage of Afghanistan is increasing, I think that the importance and graveness of that mission and the perception of it in the general public are separated by a big divide. Milblogs could help narrow that.