Bill Roggio
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Bill Roggio is an American commentator on military affairs, and the managing editor of ''
The Long War Journal ''FDD's Long War Journal'' (LWJ) is an American news websites, news website, also described as a blog, which reports on the War on terror. The site is operated by Public Multimedia Incorporated (PMI), a non-profit media organization establis ...
''. Prior to leading a team of online commentators, Roggio published the online weblog ''The Fourth Rail''. Roggio was an active duty soldier in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
in the 1990s.


''Long War Journal''

Roggio and the ''Long War Journal's'' staff use reports from media organizations, including publications in countries where terrorists or Islamic insurgencies are active, such as in Afghanistan and Pakistan, then amplify and add historical context to what they find with information from their own network of US intelligence sources. In some cases, PMI has funded trips by its own media-credentialed journalists to report on war zones such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Philippines. Roggio served in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
and the New Jersey National Guard as a signalman and
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
man. He uses his military experience to add strategic, operational, and tactical level context to the journal's reports. According to the ''Columbia Journalism Review'', "Roggio's greatest service, then, may be the way he picks up where the mainstream press leaves off, giving readers a simultaneously more specific and holistic understanding of the battlefield."Mcleary, Paul,
Blogging the long war: Bill Roggio wants to be your source for conflict coverage
, ''
Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its original purpose was "to assess the performance ...
'', 46.6 (March–April 2008): 36+, (3621 words).
The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' reports that the ''Long War Journal'' for the most part avoids political bias in its stories. The ''Review'', however, noted that Roggio has at times aligned himself with conservative bloggers on issues such as the " Easongate" controversy. The journal states that it is a publication of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which describes itself as non-partisan but has been called " neoconservative" by various resources.Goldberg, Michelle,
The 'Hero' of the War on Terror
, ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'', 10 February 2011; retrieved 30 April 2012.
The ''Long War Journal'' has been used as a source by media organizations or quoted in press publications including ''
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'' (two of which were on the newspaper's front page), ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'', '' Sunday Times'', ''
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'', '' Cable News Network'', the ''
Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'', ''
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'', '' CTC Sentinel'', ''
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'', ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'', '' Washington Times'', and ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
''. Marc Thiessen used the journal as a source in a 15 March 2011 opinion piece for ''
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''.
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning reporter Thomas E. Ricks cited ''Long War Journal'' reporter Nathan Webster in Ricks' Iraq-related book, ''The Gamble''.


Disputed claims

In 2006, before the establishment of the ''Journal'',
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commentator Stephen Kaus criticized Roggio after Roggio complained about ''The Washington Post's'' negative coverage of his 2005 trip to Iraq as an embedded reporter with the
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. Kaus criticized Roggio as a sensationalist who likes to get people to read his articles by distorting the news. After Baitullah Mehsud was killed in August 2009, Roggio claimed on August 6, 2009, that a US intelligence official told him US officials thought Mehsud was still alive. This claim about Mehsud's fate was not accurate, as Pentagon spokesman Jeff Morrell and National Security Advisor James Jones claimed that US officials were 90% certain he was killed and they had yet to see any evidence to assume otherwise, which was later confirmed by the Pakistan Taliban. In April 2009, Roggio claimed Rashid Rauf, an Al Qaeda operative who was reported to have been killed in a US drone strike which took place in North Waziristan on November 22, 2008, was still alive. This claim about Rauf's fate was never proven to be true and in July 2010, a U.S. counterterrorism official told the New York Daily News that Rauf was killed in the drone strike. In October 2012, Rauf's family confirmed he was killed in the drone strike. After Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011, Roggio claimed that his son Sa'ad, who was believed to have killed in a drone strike in 2009, was one of his possible successors. At this time, Roggio gave no mention to the earlier report about Sa'ad's death and stated that Sa'ad "is considered a senior leader and an operational commander in al Qaeda" and that "he is known to shelter in Iran and to move back and forth across the Iranian border with Pakistan." A letter captured from the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where Osama was killed also discussed Sa'ad's death. In September 2012, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri confirmed in a video message that Saad was killed in the drone strike. In March 2012, Roggio echoed claims by the Daily Times that Ilyas Kashmiri was still alive and was spotted in a meeting with Pakistan Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in North Waziristan. However, the accuracy of this report was disputed because journalists were unable to access the region where Kashmiri was allegedly spotted. A few days later, the report of Kashmiri's survival was further contradicted when an Al Qaeda spokesman eulogized him along with other Pakistani militants who had been killed in various drone strikes.


References


External links

*
Articles published
at '' The Weekly Standard''
Articles published at Counterterrorism Blog
* (archived August 2007, before it redirected to ''Long War Journal'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Roggio, Bill Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male journalists New Jersey National Guard personnel United States Army soldiers