Sailors and Marines to possibly get cash for their stories?

[Daniel]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6537103.stm

What do you think about it?

I personally have no problem with it as they've been through the experience and the papers will make their money regardless of whether these people get paid.

Don't really get why people are so up in arms about it tbh

[BeansBeansBeans]

They've been through hell and they don't have the best paid jobs in the world, so why not?

In an era when criminals can make money from book deals, and women like Rebecca Loos can make a career from celebrity kiss and tell stories, we surely can't begrudge these soldiers taking the chance to make a few quid.

[BDunnell]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6537103.stm

What do you think about it?

I personally have no problem with it as they've been through the experience and the papers will make their money regardless of whether these people get paid.

Don't really get why people are so up in arms about it tbh

Given that this is a perfectly normal occurrence, it neither surprises me nor overly disgusts me. That doesn't stop it looking rather vulgar and cheap, just as anyone who sells their story after an 'ordeal' does, but there you go. It happens.

However, I can understand why some people are criticising this, and I have one particular concern. At the moment, the Ministry of Defence is engaged in a variety of strategies to promote itself to the general public in ways that it feels are more effective (and, to some extent, glamorous and exciting). Personally, some of what I have seen so far in relation to the Royal Air Force is at best misguided and and worst will probably turn out to be a disaster, but that's slightly off topic. I have a feeling that the Government and/or the MoD may have in some way encouraged the selling of these stories to the papers, and maybe the purchase of them by the papers, because it feels it has come across a good opportunity to put a positive spin on its activities in Iraq through the 'daring deeds' of these servicemen. I think this is rather cynical, and am not surprised that one (so far) of those involved has stated that they have no intention of selling their story.

[Drew]

I don't see how you can have a problem with it, really. Unless of course, you are the Iranian government...

[CarlMetro]

I'm quite amazed at the horror reaction we are seeing, nobody critisised Andy McNabb when he made his story into a book or two

[Eki]

I have a feeling that the Government and/or the MoD may have in some way encouraged the selling of these stories to the papers, and maybe the purchase of them by the papers, because it feels it has come across a good opportunity to put a positive spin on its activities in Iraq through the 'daring deeds' of these servicemen. I think this is rather cynical, and am not surprised that one (so far) of those involved has stated that they have no intention of selling their story.

I have that same feeling. I also suspect that their stories will in fact be written by military propagandists like with Jessica Lynch:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Lynch

"It was unclear what injuries Lynch had at the time of her rescue, but it appears she suffered a head laceration, an injury to her spine, and fractures to her right arm, both legs, and her right foot and ankle. Conflicting reports also existed that Lynch had suffered gunshot wounds to her left arm and right leg. Dr. Harith Al-Houssona, a doctor in the Nasirya hospital, described Lynch's injuries as "a broken arm, a broken thigh, and a dislocated ankle." According to Al-Houssona, there was no sign of gunshot or stab wounds, and Lynch's injuries were consistent with those that would be suffered in a car accident. Al-Houssona's claims were later confirmed in a U.S. Army report leaked on July 10, 2003.[2]

In the book I Am A Soldier Too: The Jessica Lynch Story by Rick Bragg, the author alleges that Lynch was raped anally during her captivity, based on medical records and her pattern of injuries. Iraqi doctors who treated her have disputed the claim because Lynch's clothes were on and showed no sign of having been removed at any point and the degree of her injuries did not indicate rape—although they were not looking for signs of rape at the time. Lynch has no memory of being raped nor of being slapped or mistreated during her captivity."

[Daniel]

I don't know if that's going to happen Eki. But I reckon the one woman from the group will probably end up on page 3 of the Sun at some stage

[Hotbikerchic33]

Good Luck to them is what i say why shouldn't they make some money out of it!

[BDunnell]

I'm quite amazed at the horror reaction we are seeing, nobody critisised Andy McNabb when he made his story into a book or two

That was slightly different, because there was no suspicion that his writing was 'engineered' by the MoD.

It has just been announced this morning that the MoD is to 'review' the 'outdated' arrangements relating to servicemen/women selling their stories. They are obviously about to deem it OK for them all to do so. This heightens my suspicions that the MoD and/or the Government are to some extent behind the efforts to get these stories into the papers, and I do find that worrying for the reasons I outlined before.

[inimitablestoo]

It's one of those great non-stories which the papers report with the words "sparked outrage" - which essentially means the reporter in question (who is probably outraged that women have been given the vote, let alone allowed to serve in the armed forces) is outraged, and most normal people couldn't give a stuff.