{{use MDY dates|date=November 2023}} {{use American English|date=November 2023}} {{Short description|Weblog mostly covering an ongoing war}} {{Globalize|article|date=June 2022|2=US|3=Russia}} A '''milblog''' or '''warblog''' is a blog devoted mostly or wholly to covering news events concerning an ongoing war. Sometimes the use of the term "warblog" implies that the blog concerned has a pro-war slant.<ref name=cavanaugh>{{Cite journal| last = Cavanaugh| first = Tim| title = Let Slip the Blogs of War| journal = USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review| access-date = 2016-08-04| date = 2002-04-02| url = http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017770789.php}}</ref> The term "milblog" implies that the author is a member of, or has some connection to the military; the more specific term "soldierblog" is sometimes used for the former.{{cn|date=October 2022}}
==History== The coinage 'warblog' is attributed to Matt Welch,<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reynolds| first = Glenn| title = On the warpath| work = The Guardian| access-date = 2016-07-30| date = 2003-02-20| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,898665,00.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030306194405/http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,898665,00.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2003-03-06}}</ref><ref name=farewell>{{Cite news| last = Welch| first = Matt| title = Farewell to Warblogging| access-date = 2016-08-10| date = 2006-04-01| url = https://reason.com/archives/2006/04/01/farewell-to-warblogging|work=Reason}}</ref> who started his ''War Blog'' within days of the September 11 attacks.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Welch| first = Matt| title = Welcome to war| work = War Blog| access-date = 2016-07-29| date = 2001-09-17| url = http://mattwelch.com/warblog.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010920002932/http://mattwelch.com/warblog.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2001-09-20}}</ref> In the fall of 2001, the attacks gave rise to a "war-blogging movement,"<ref name=gallagher /> which favoured political punditry over the often personal and technological orientation that had dominated the blog genre up to that point, achieving much greater public and media recognition than earlier blogs.<ref name=gallagher>{{Cite news| last = Gallagher| first = David F.| title = A Rift Among Bloggers| work = New York Times| date = 2002-06-10| url = http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/10/technology/10BLOG.html?pagewanted=all| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160731120851/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/10/technology/10BLOG.html?pagewanted=all| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2016-07-31}}</ref> Most warblogs supported the US-led War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Franklin, Beedle & Associates| isbn = 978-1-59028-040-9| last = O'Brien| first = Barbara| title = Blogging America: Political Discourse in a Digital Nation| location = Wilsonville| date = 2004| page=20}}</ref> from a hawkish perspective.<ref name=levy />
Milblogging was popularized by Glenn Reynolds, whose ''Instapundit'' was one of the most popular political blogs on the web.<ref name=welch>{{Cite journal| issn = 0010-194X| volume = 42| issue = 3| last = Welch| first = Matt| title = Blogworld: The New Amateur Journalists Weigh In| journal = Columbia Journalism Review| access-date = 2016-08-04| date = September 2003| url = https://www.cjr.org/issues/2003/5/blog-welch.asp| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20031206082652/https://www.cjr.org/issues/2003/5/blog-welch.asp| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2003-12-06}}</ref> Some prominent milblogs, such as ''Little Green Footballs'' by Charles Johnson<ref>{{Cite journal| publisher = University of Iowa| last = Munksgaard| first = Daniel| title = Warblog without end: Online anti-Islamic discourses as persuadables| location = Iowa City| date = 2010|url=https://iro.uiowa.edu/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Warblog-without-end-online-anti-Islamic-discourses/9983776936602771|page=38}}</ref> and ''Daily Dish'' by Andrew Sullivan existed before September 11, but made the war on terror their primary focus afterwards.<ref name=sullivan-future>{{Cite news| last = Sullivan| first = Andrew| title = A Blogger Manifesto: Why Online Weblogs Are One Future for Journalism| work = The Sunday Times| location = London| date = 2002-02-24| url = http://andrewsullivan.com/culture.php| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020406032750/http://andrewsullivan.com/culture.php| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2002-04-06}}</ref> Other notable milblogs included ''Dynamist'' by Virginia Postrel, ''KausFiles'' by Mickey Kaus, ''Talking Points Memo'' by Josh Marshall, ''KenLayne.com'' by Ken Layne,<ref name=sullivan-future /> and ''Lileks.com'' by James Lileks.<ref name=cavanaugh />
===Iraq War (2003–2011)=== Military blogs emerged with the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.<ref name=dao>{{Cite news| issn = 0362-4331| last = Dao| first = James| title = Milbloggers Hold Conference| work = The New York Times| access-date = 2016-10-27| date = 2011-05-01| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/us/02bloggers.html}}</ref> Initially named "warblogs" as well,<ref>{{Cite journal| volume = 2003| issue = 7| last = Thompson| first = Garry| title = Weblogs, warblogs, the public sphere, and bubbles| journal = Transformations: Journal of Media & Culture| access-date = 2016-11-03| date = 2003| url = http://www.transformationsjournal.org/issues/07/article_02.shtml}}</ref> they became popular under the name "milblogging" in 2004.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Hewitt| first = Hugh| title = Rise of the Milblogs| work = Weekly Standard| access-date = 2016-10-27| date = 2004-03-11| url = http://www.weeklystandard.com/rise-of-the-milblogs/article/5066}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In October 2005, a U.S. soldier named Jean-Paul Borda launched the blog aggregator Milblogging.com.<ref name=dao /><ref name=spector>{{Cite news| last = Spector| first = Mike| title = Cry Bias, and Let Slip the Blogs of War| work = The Wall Street Journal| access-date = 2016-10-28| date = 2006-07-26| url = http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115388005621517421-FmiVf9I3IoQ4cYnDSnAAHhLyIDo_20070725.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061005035939/http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115388005621517421-FmiVf9I3IoQ4cYnDSnAAHhLyIDo_20070725.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2006-10-05}}</ref> A milblog is primarily focused on the events of the military, written about by those with inside knowledge of the military, whether an active soldier, a veteran of the military, a spouse of a soldier, or a civilian with a special connection to the military.
The pseudonymous Salam Pax, an Iraqi national who was posting first-hand accounts from Baghdad, emerged as a prominent war blogger.<ref>{{Cite magazine| issn = 0040-781X| last = Hamilton| first = Anita| title = Best Of The War Blogs| magazine = Time| access-date = 2016-08-12| date = 2003-03-30| url = http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,438877,00.html}}</ref> Media organisations that started their own reporters' milblog at this point included the BBC, the Christian Science Monitor,<ref name=national-interest>{{Cite journal| issn = 0884-9382| issue = 75| pages = 59–64| last = Reynolds| first = Glenn| title = The Blogs of War: How the Internet is Reshaping Foreign Policy| journal = The National Interest| date = 2004| jstor=42897526}}</ref> and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.<ref name=levy>{{Cite news| last = Levy| first = Steven| title = Bloggers' Delight| work = Newsweek| access-date = 2016-08-13| date = 2003-03-28| url = https://europe.newsweek.com/random-access-online-bloggers-delight-132403}}</ref> In the first half of 2003, CNN, ''The Hartford Courant'', and ''Time'' were among the media organizations that prohibited staff reporters from covering US-led wars first-hand in their personal blogs for fear both of legal repercussions and of competition from such blogs.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = The Media Center at the American Press institute| last1 = Bowman| first1 = Shayne| last2 = Willis| first2 = Chris| title = We Media| location = Reston, VA| access-date = 2016-09-16| date = 2003| url = http://www.hypergene.net/wemedia/download/we_media.pdf}}</ref>
Most blogs that gained popularity as "warblogs" expanded their focus to politics and general news, usually from a right-of-center perspective, yet continued to be commonly known as warblogs.<ref name=gallagher /> While milblogs arose in response to the post-September-11 wars and mostly limited their commentary to them, some moved on to related political, social and cultural issues and continued after the end of the wars.
C.J. Grisham was among the first active duty soldiers to become a milblogger<ref name="xbradtc">{{cite web |url=http://xbradtc.com/2009/12/16/noise-and-light-discipline/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714190506/http://xbradtc.com/2009/12/16/noise-and-light-discipline/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 14, 2015 |title=Noise and Light Discipline |date=December 16, 2009 |website=xbradtc.com |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> when he opened ''A Soldier's Perspective'' in December 2004.<ref name="pat">[http://www.patriotwatch.com/911Howe.htm "Julie Howe & CJ Grisham,"] PatriotWatch.com.</ref> Within five years, ASP was receiving an average of 1,500 visitors per day (nearly 1 million in total) from over 120 countries and was ranked the second most popular site on Milblogging.com.<ref name="MT">{{cite web |url=http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20091208/OFFDUTY02/912080301/The-rise-and-fall-of-a-military-blogger |title=The rise and fall of a military blogger |author=Anderson, Jon R. |date=December 8, 2009 |publisher=Military Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130422071840/http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20091208/OFFDUTY02/912080301/The-rise-and-fall-of-a-military-blogger |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-22|access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref>
In 2005, there were fewer than 200 "milblogs" in existence.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thecomputerwhisperer.us/2010/09/24/find-a-successful-case-study-and/ | title=Find a successful case study and… | work=The Computer Whisperer | date=September 24, 2010 | access-date=September 18, 2016 | author=Curt}}</ref> In July 2011, Milblogging.com listed more than 3,000 military blogs in 46 countries.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.milblogging.com/result.php?mode=simple&searchfor=&orderby=listingDate&dir=desc | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714093321/http://www.milblogging.com/result.php?mode=simple&searchfor=&orderby=listingDate&dir=desc | url-status=dead | archive-date=14 July 2011 | date= 14 July 2011| title=Search Milblogging.com's Database |work=Milblogging.com }}</ref> The top 5 locations were US, Iraq, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and Germany.{{cn|date=October 2022}}
===Invasion of Ukraine (2022–)===
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian milblogs became increasingly popular.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |title=Ukraine war: Who are Russia's war bloggers and why are they popular? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65179954 |access-date=14 June 2023 |work=BBC News |date=4 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="insider">{{Cite web |last=Peck |first=Michael |date=September 15, 2023 |title=Recent arrests suggest Putin is quietly trying to rein in some of his most effective promoters of the war in Ukraine |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-crackdown-suggests-putin-unhappy-with-milblogger-criticism-2023-9 |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>
==Social impact and government response== ===Iraq War=== Iraq War milblogs have been highlighted in scholarship as an important source of public diplomacy and perception management during the early 2000s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schmermund |first1=Elizabeth |title=Iraq War Milblogs: A Social Media History and Call for Preservation |journal=Resources for American Literary Study |date=28 October 2022 |volume=44 |issue=1-2 |pages=212–233 |doi=10.5325/resoamerlitestud.44.1-2.0212}}</ref> Whereas Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was at first believed to be skeptical of military blogs,<ref name=dao /> by 2007 president George W. Bush lauded them as "an important voice for the cause of freedom."<ref name=schwab /> Milblogs often criticized the media coverage of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, seeking to correct what they saw as biased or negative reporting.<ref name=spector /><ref>{{Cite news| last = Bennett| first = Daniel| title = The evolution of military blogging in the mediasphere| work = Frontline Club| access-date = 2016-08-04| date = 2009-05-11| url = https://www.frontlineclub.com/the_evolution_of_military_blogging_in_the_mediasphere/}}</ref> Thus, Matt Burden of Blackfive.net cites as the rationale of his blog the death in combat of a fellow soldier and good friend of his, who died saving the life of a magazine reporter, yet had his death go unreported by the magazine.<ref>{{cite news|first=Matt| last=Burden| work=Blackfive| url= http://www.blackfive.net/main/2004/05/one_year.html| title= Major Mathew Schram's Memorial Day| date=May 26, 2004 }}</ref> One milblogger chose to offer his site "as an educational service to the American People who wish to know the true story of Iraq and Afghanistan."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/about.html| work=War on Terror News| title=About Me|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20080510195518/http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/about.html|archive-date=10 May 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other milblogs cite similar intentions to report the news that they did not feel the mainstream media was reporting.
In contrast, anti-war blogs have been noted in retrospect as a major source of opposition to the Iraq War and criticism of pro-war messaging in news media.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Heer |first1=Jeet |title=Early Bloggers Changed the Public’s Perception About the Iraq War |url=https://talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/early-bloggers-changed-the-publics-perception-about-the-iraq-war |work=TPM – Talking Points Memo |date=3 November 2025}}</ref> The Army did not universally censor antiwar messaging on milblogs, but such blogs were eventually brought to their attention. In 2004, Colby Buzzell was confined to base in Iraq after his milblog ''My War'' was quoted by ''The News Tribune'' to describe a difficult firefight in Mosul which had not been covered in depth by national news media. Buzzell was deeply opposed to the occupation of Iraq, but ''My War'' was not shut down entirely; instead, Buzzell was made to submit all posts for review by his chain of command.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Medley |first1=Kaitlyn |title=Keep It Down Over There! Milblogs: Evidence that Historic Things Happen |journal=Journal of Archival Organization |date=July 2011 |volume=9 |issue=3-4 |pages=141–173 |doi=10.1080/15332748.2011.648558}}</ref>
Official oversight of websites maintained by military personnel deployed to the Middle East began in 2002. The oversight mission consisted of active-duty soldiers and contractors, as well as Guard and Reserve members from Maryland, Texas and Washington state. Its remit was expanded in August 2005.<ref name=felberbaum /> The Army Web Risk Assessment Cell was created to monitor compliance with military regulations.<ref name=hockenberry/> In April 2005, a four-page document of regulations was issued by Multi-National Corps-Iraq,<ref name=felberbaum /> directing all military bloggers in Iraq to register with their units, and commanders to conduct quarterly reviews to make sure bloggers were not disclosing casualty numbers or violating operational security or privacy rules.<ref name=hockenberry>{{Cite magazine| volume = 13| issue = 8| last = Hockenberry| first = John| title = The Blogs of War| magazine = Wired| access-date = 2016-07-23| date = August 2005| url = http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.08/milblogs_pr.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050813011933/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.08/milblogs_pr.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2005-08-13}}</ref> Some milbloggers took down or altered their blogs for fear of violating the regulation that many of them believed to be ambiguous.<ref name=felberbaum>{{Cite news| last = Felberbaum| first = Michael| title = Army Monitors Soldiers' Blogs, Web Sites| newspaper = Washington Post| date = 2006-10-29| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900249_pf.html}}</ref> The regulations were updated in April 2007 but, according to many bloggers in war theatres, failed to resolve their ambiguities.<ref name=schwab>{{Cite news| issn = 0190-8286| last = Schwab| first = Nikki| title = Military Bloggers Wary of New Policy| newspaper = The Washington Post| access-date = 2016-11-01| date = 2007-05-05| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/05/AR2007050500881.html}}</ref>
Although the U.S. Department of Defense was initially concerned about milblogs as a potential OPSEC violation,<ref name=alvarez>{{Cite news| last = Alvarez| first = Steve| title = CENTCOM Team Engages 'Bloggers'| work = United States Department of Defense| access-date = 2016-08-05| date = 2006-03-02| url = http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=15287| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100608222440/http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=15287| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2010-06-08}}</ref> it eventually embraced the concept and attempted to implement official versions of milblogs.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Bennett| first = Daniel| title = Tracing the first official U.S. military blogs| work = Frontline Club| access-date = 2016-08-05| date = 2010-07-07| url = https://www.frontlineclub.com/official_us_military_blogs/}}</ref> Official milblogs did not receive the same reception or popularity of the unofficial milblogs as they were written in the same dull language as other official publications of the Defense Department.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
===Invasion of Ukraine=== In Russia, milbloggers (sometimes called ''voenkory'', "war correspondents"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kottasová |first=Ivana |date=2023-04-04 |title=Putin's digital footsoldiers: How bloggers became a key cog in Russia's war machine |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/04/europe/russia-military-bloggers-war-machine-intl-cmd/index.html |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=CNN}}</ref>) have gained prominence during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, providing a greater level of information about the war than is available from state media. Blogs range from those affiliated with state media, which often provided information more in-line with that of government positions, to independent and Wagner Group-affiliated blogs which are more critical of the Russian military establishment's performance in Ukraine. These blogs are notable for their ultranationalist and pro-war views.<ref name="bbc" /> The Institute for the Study of War attributed their popularity to the Russian government's failure to establish an effective social media presence as well as its failure in preparing the Russian public for a drawn-out war. The Russian government has protected them from calls for censorship and has selectively granted positions to nationalist and pro-war milbloggers due to their importance in the ultranationalist constituency which Vladimir Putin's presidency has become increasingly reliant upon. Putin himself has met with prominent milbloggers aligned with state-media to discuss military matters.<ref>{{cite news |title=Institute for the Study of War |url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-13-2023 |access-date=14 June 2023 }}</ref> However, since September 2023, the Russian government arrested a number of high-profile milbloggers, which some have seen as a crackdown on the community.<ref name="insider" />
==Famous milbloggers== ===Russian=== * Igor Girkin (Strelkov) {{abbr|#|Imprisoned}} * Vladlen Tatarsky {{abbr|†|Assassinated}} * Mikhail Zvinchuk (Rybar) * Semyon Pegov (WarGonzo) * Evgeniy Poddubny * Alexander Kots * Andrey Morozov (Murz) {{abbr|†|Suicided}} * Alexander Sladkov ===Ukrainian=== * Oleksiy Arestovych * Dmitry Gordon * Anatoly Shariy * Anton Gerashchenko * Michail Onufrienko ===Other=== * Larry C. Johnson
==See also== {{Portal|Internet}} * Open-source intelligence * List of blogging terms
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
{{Blog topics}}
Category:Milblogs