Lawrence Martin’s review of journalist Murray Brewster’s “behind-the-spin” look at the war in Afghanistan makes his book sound like an important contribution to our understanding of the war.

That may be true; however, as I read Mr. Brewster’s war stories I can’t forget the fact that in 2010 he accepted an award from a military advocacy group funded by the Department of National Defence.

To be fair, he’s not the first journalist to accept the annual military reporting award, and Mr. Brewster says he gave the $2,500 prize to a charity.

But the perception of influence remains, no matter how good his writing, and his acceptance of an award from a military-funded advocacy group may leave readers wondering, “Who’s spinning whom?”