Because the media tend to confuse empathy for victims with the moral legitimacy of wars, the military - in particular the Americans - have had to contend with a less than sympathetic coverage of their deeds by journalists. In an age of mass media, the cult of ‘victimisation’ (such an awful word!) can have dire tactical and even strategic consequences. The indomitable need of moral infallibility that it demands has shaped our vision of war in an ideologically biased way. It is also the sign of a systematic defiance towards all forms of authority, even more so one that wears a uniform, and often against common sense. Information is then likely to become the core stake in a battle that takes over from a purely armed struggle.