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Bush-style demoocracy in action...
U.S. military paying Iraqi editors to publish propaganda
By Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi, Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times. Mark Mazzetti reported from Washington and Borzou Daragahi from Baghdad
Published November 30, 2005
WASHINGTON -- As part of an information offensive inside Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspaper editors to publish stories written by U.S. troops in an effort to burnish the image of the American mission within Iraq.
Working with a private defense contractor, military officials in Iraq are having articles written by "information operations" troops translated into Arabic and then placed in newspapers around Baghdad, according to U.S. military officials and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
Many of the articles are presented as legitimate news accounts in the Iraqi press. The newspapers are paid for publishing the stories, which trumpet the successes of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce insurgents and tout U.S.-led efforts to rebuild the country.
The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military. The military has a contract with a small Washington-based firm called Lincoln Group, which is involved in the translation and placement of the stories. The Iraqi staff of the defense contractor or its subcontractors sometimes pose as freelance reporters or advertising executives.
The campaign has sparked a backlash among senior military officers both in Iraq and at the Pentagon who argue that attempts to subvert the news media could destroy the U.S. military's credibility.
"Here we are trying to create the principles of democracy in Iraq. Every speech we give in that country is about democracy. And we're breaking all the first principles of democracy when we're doing it," said a senior Pentagon official who opposes elements of the campaign.
According to military officials familiar with the effort, much of it is directed by the "Information Operations Task Force" in Baghdad, part of the multinational corps headquarters commanded by Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are critical of the effort and are not authorized to speak publicly about it.
A spokesman for Vines declined to comment for this article. A Lincoln Group spokesman also declined to comment, saying that it is company policy not to comment on details of its military contracts.
U.S. military paying Iraqi editors to publish propaganda
By Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi, Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times. Mark Mazzetti reported from Washington and Borzou Daragahi from Baghdad
Published November 30, 2005
WASHINGTON -- As part of an information offensive inside Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspaper editors to publish stories written by U.S. troops in an effort to burnish the image of the American mission within Iraq.
Working with a private defense contractor, military officials in Iraq are having articles written by "information operations" troops translated into Arabic and then placed in newspapers around Baghdad, according to U.S. military officials and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
Many of the articles are presented as legitimate news accounts in the Iraqi press. The newspapers are paid for publishing the stories, which trumpet the successes of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce insurgents and tout U.S.-led efforts to rebuild the country.
The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military. The military has a contract with a small Washington-based firm called Lincoln Group, which is involved in the translation and placement of the stories. The Iraqi staff of the defense contractor or its subcontractors sometimes pose as freelance reporters or advertising executives.
The campaign has sparked a backlash among senior military officers both in Iraq and at the Pentagon who argue that attempts to subvert the news media could destroy the U.S. military's credibility.
"Here we are trying to create the principles of democracy in Iraq. Every speech we give in that country is about democracy. And we're breaking all the first principles of democracy when we're doing it," said a senior Pentagon official who opposes elements of the campaign.
According to military officials familiar with the effort, much of it is directed by the "Information Operations Task Force" in Baghdad, part of the multinational corps headquarters commanded by Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are critical of the effort and are not authorized to speak publicly about it.
A spokesman for Vines declined to comment for this article. A Lincoln Group spokesman also declined to comment, saying that it is company policy not to comment on details of its military contracts.
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