http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-infowar30nov30,0,5638790.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Quote :

"U.S. Military Covertly Pays to Run Stories in Iraqi Press Troops write articles presented as news reports. Some officers object to the practice. November 30, 2005 By Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi, Times Staff Writers WASHINGTON — As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq. The articles, written by U.S. military "information operations" troops, are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of a defense contractor, according to U.S. military officials and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Many of the articles are presented in the Iraqi press as unbiased news accounts written and reported by independent journalists. The stories trumpet the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce insurgents and tout U.S.-led efforts to rebuild the country. Though the articles are basically factual, they present only one side of events and omit information that might reflect poorly on the U.S. or Iraqi governments, officials said. Records and interviews indicate that the U.S. has paid Iraqi newspapers to run dozens of such articles, with headlines such as "Iraqis Insist on Living Despite Terrorism," since the effort began this year. The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military. The Pentagon has a contract with a small Washington-based firm called Lincoln Group, which helps translate and place the stories. The Lincoln Group's Iraqi staff, or its subcontractors, sometimes pose as freelance reporters or advertising executives when they deliver the stories to Baghdad media outlets. The military's effort to disseminate propaganda in the Iraqi media is taking place even as U.S. officials are pledging to promote democratic principles, political transparency and freedom of speech in a country emerging from decades of dictatorship and corruption."

FLASHBACK:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1830500.stm

Quote :

"Pentagon plans propaganda war Wednesday, 20 February, 2002 By Tom Carver Washington correspondent The Pentagon is toying with the idea of black propaganda. As part of George Bush's war on terrorism, the military is thinking of planting propaganda and misleading stories in the international media. A new department has been set up inside the Pentagon with the Orwellian title of the Office of Strategic Influence. It is well funded, is being run by a general and its aim is to influence public opinion abroad."

You know, the U.S. government would NEVER, and I mean NEVER, do this kind of stuff in the American media. It's not like the White House has been caught paying people to run favourable stories. Well, they have. So what? Our press and media is free to report what they want. Really.

11/30/2005 4:47:49 PM

um

if this is happening/has happened

they didn't have to take the money now did they?

OH HOW WE LOVE PRISONPLANET!!!1

11/30/2005 4:49:51 PM

NEVER

LIES

!!1

11/30/2005 4:49:58 PM

OH HOW WE LOVE PRISONPLANET!!!1

12/1/2005 4:15:47 PM

It's Herb's fault we lost the game!!!!!!11111

you post in the wrong section, I shit on your thread

what kind of ignorant fucker starts a new thread in the wrong forum...that's shit chat level

12/1/2005 6:23:44 PM

Crazy enough, during WWII and, well, every war until Vietnam, the American media was assisting the U.S. with the propaganda effort.

12/2/2005 10:40:44 PM

OMF, you don't say!!1 Could it be that some wars are unquestionably righteous and so everybody's behind you. But if you kill brown people in a country that did nothing bad to you, then you'll have to pay to see nice stories published, and even then it'll be apparent you're in deep shit.

12/2/2005 10:57:39 PM

The Spanish American war had about the worst justification of any war weve fought and the press started that bitch.

12/2/2005 11:31:05 PM

hey now, we don't take kindly to folks who spell "favorable" with a "u" around here

12/3/2005 12:48:48 AM

Look, we are not talking about the United States here. We are talking about Iraq where there is an insurgency doing their best to make the US look bad at every turn. A little bit of light propaganda is necessary. This is not the case of a stable democracy where it is vital to have a free and objective media (that’s impossible of course); it is the case of an ongoing campaign to convince an oppressed people that we will stand behind them as long as necessary.

12/3/2005 7:51:42 AM

that's capitalism for you

12/3/2005 1:18:35 PM

^^
sounds like the delusional babblings of Ann Coulter.

12/3/2005 3:44:30 PM

free press is only ok after you tell people what they want

12/3/2005 4:18:35 PM

I'm sorry, did you say "light" propaganda?

We spent $300 million dollars making up this "light" propaganda while our soldiers were sent into battle without adequate body armor.

12/4/2005 2:10:42 PM

good point

i'm wondering how much body armor 300 million would buy

did congress vote on this?

12/4/2005 2:20:22 PM

Not as a line item.

12/4/2005 2:21:40 PM

whats funny is the white house paid tv stations to run propaganda on social secuirity and economic issues....if they are willing to run propaganda regarding non-war stuff, i can only imagine what they are doing in Iraq

12/4/2005 6:35:59 PM

we dont have to follow the consitution if its in the name of FREEDOM!

AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12/4/2005 7:20:21 PM

Neocons don't think so.

12/4/2005 7:21:10 PM

neo cons give me headaches

[Edited on December 4, 2005 at 7:24 PM. Reason : !]

12/4/2005 7:24:07 PM

Quote :

"sounds like the delusional babblings of Ann Coulter."

Really? That's what I sound like, 'cause I really hate her. So depressed...

12/5/2005 6:46:49 AM