DoD News Aggregation Service "The Early Bird" Dead After 65 Years 25
SanDogWeps writes "Periodically viewed as copyright infringement by the media, the Department of Defense's 'Early Bird' has been delivering applicable headlines to the Armed Forces since 1948. It stopped updating on October 1st, along with a number of other government products, but when the lights turned back on, The Early Bird remained dark. A number of reasons have been floated, including applicability in the internet age, cost, and a lack of interest. Others claim The Early Bird was nothing more than a propaganda machine, by culling articles that painted DoD in a favorable light."
Anyone who believes (Score:5, Informative)
that the Early Bird posted only articles that painted the DOD in a favorable light, has never read the Early Bird. And I say this as one who read the Early Bird for about the last decade and a half.
Re: Anyone who believes (Score:2, Informative)
Think of it as either being a clipping service (if your recollection got that far back) or a customized news feed to show the relevant news for you and your industry. It would save you from having to hunt through the news, and also bring to your attention things you may have missed. A time saver.
3 people did it (Score:5, Informative)
In the paper era, the Early Bird had a little printing plant. By the end, it was down to 3 people and a Cold Fusion template.
It was never for DoD PR. It was more about pulling rather obscure stories, often about DoD procurement or administration, into a brief summary for DoD managers. Something like "Gen. Smith takes command of USARPAC" barely rates notice in the civilian press, but it's a big deal in the Army.