Today on Uncommon Knowledge, Sebastian Junger on his latest book, War. Objectivity? When reporting on war? Not possible, Junger argues—not even remotely.

I don’t think the American press corp in WWII evaluated the Nazi point of view objectively. And I don’t think they should have. I think it is possible to be objective about political considerations, but when it comes to killing – the killing of people – I think it’s very hard to be objective. If you’re with Iraqi civilians and you’re watching civilians get killed by American firepower, it’s very, very hard to be objective about American foreign policy. Likewise, if you’re with American soldiers and watching them get killed, and nearly getting killed yourself by the Taliban, you’re not going to be objective about the Taliban. The bond that you create with the men you’re with is really the least of your problems when it comes to objectivity.

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