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Pajamas Media has done a ton of great things since their launch. Sending Joe Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, to Gaza as a “reporter” was not one of them. Yesterday, Joe the Plumber embarrassed himself, and Pajamas when he had this to say from Gaza,

I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think journalists should be anywhere allowed war (sic). I mean, you guys report where our troops are at. You report what’s happening day to day. You make a big deal out of it. I think it’s asinine. You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you’d go to the theater and you’d see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for them. Now everyone’s got an opinion and wants to downer–and down soldiers. You know, American soldiers or Israeli soldiers.

I think media should be abolished from, uh, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell. And if you’re gonna sit there and say, “Well look at this atrocity,” well you don’t know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it.

Bill Roggio is one of the leading milbloggers and citizen journalists covering the war on terror. He has embedded with US troops multiple times in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Here is what he had to say about this travesty at the Weekly Standard blog,

Joe is advocating a 1940’s media strategy for wars that are being fought in the 21st Century. We can’t roll back the mass access to print, television, the Internet, cell phones, etc. and push the news on grainy films at the theater.

The real irony here is that PJTV, a 21st Century, Internet-based news organization is sending a reporter–who doesn’t want reporters to report on war–to report on a war. And apparently Joe would love to return to the days when the news was influenced by the government and seen at the theater.

Another outstanding milblogger and embedded reporter, JD Johannes, had this to say,

PJTV, the first majorly funded new media venture of its kind, hired, as its first star middle east reporter, a man who thinks the U.S. Military and IDF should yield the media battle space to the enemy.

I don’t know what fantasy world Joe lives in, but the media is going to cover a war however they can get access to it. If the U.S. military or IDF doesn’t allow access, you can bet the Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaida, Jaish al Mahdi, etc. will become the primary distributors of information. Heck, they already are.

Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive says this was a “National Enquirer level stunt” for Pajamas Media.

Sometimes, you have to hear hard truths from friends to realize the mistakes you have made. Let’s hope Pajamas Media is listening, and booking Joe the Bummer a flight home, ASAP.