I can't say I sympathise too much.
As for the "journalistic license" comments ... surely no journo worth anyone's salt would go into print without a transcript of the comments for fear of being sued?
I suspect that the journo in question has a full record of the interview and that the words, however unintentionally, probably were used as quoted.
I recall 3 similar incidents ...
1. The closure of 23 F3 Sqn local TV feature in which one pilot describe his job as 'getting paid to waz around the sky'.
2. A certain pilot's wife once described all aircrew as childish on national TV, in ref to drinking games and the like after the sqn was filmed on exercise in Canada.
3. A FJ nav once went home to his parents' house for Christmas in the late 90's and spent all week whinging about how sort the F3 fleet was of spares, the fact that the sqn rarely had more than 20% serviceable etc etc. Imagine his surprise when his journo sister sold the whole story to The SUN the next week ...?
There are more, I'm sure. I don't know this pilot, but I am sure she's been naive at best, at worst , stupid. I'm sure she's just voiced what many of us have uttered time and again about shared accommodation, disturbed sleep patterns etc with the standard aircrew, "no-one's as good as me" slant on the issue. Unfortunately, when some others in Iraq are dying due to the nature of their tasks, her attributed comments are pretty insensitive. Shame on the PRO for letting this get to press in it's current form.
Never, ever, ever, ever, trust a journalist.