Pentagon investigates 'planted' Iraqi news stories
What happened to the good old days when our government conducted their dirty business in secret and without getting caught? During the 60's and 70's man, the government was like James Bond, moving in shadow and never getting caught red-handed.
Now it's like a five-year old standing in a room with a broken window. "Wasn't me."
The Pentagon is investigating allegations that the US military in Iraq inappropriately planted positive news stories in the Iraqi media and paid Iraqi journalists to write articles favourable to the US-led coalition.
A US military spokesman in Iraq yesterday confirmed that US forces had paid for advertising and "opinion/editorial space" in Iraqi newspapers. But he said the military was investigating reports that "the process may be functioning in a manner different than is intended or appropriate".
So they're trying to get some positive stories out there so that the Iraqi people don't sit around and think to themselves how fun it would be to blow up a humvee. Nothing wrong with that.
It's not much different than papers paying photgraphers to invade privacy and get a good picture of a celebrity doign something either illegal, sexual, or insane. At least these are positive stories.
Sure it goes against the freedom of press in a democracy which is what we're trying to build in Iraq but right now, it's a war and one weapon during war is a weapon of information. Al-Qaeda in Iraq gets airtime in Iraq and spins information to recruit Iraqis to the insurgency. Why can't our soldiers attempt to combat that?
Now it's like a five-year old standing in a room with a broken window. "Wasn't me."
The Pentagon is investigating allegations that the US military in Iraq inappropriately planted positive news stories in the Iraqi media and paid Iraqi journalists to write articles favourable to the US-led coalition.
A US military spokesman in Iraq yesterday confirmed that US forces had paid for advertising and "opinion/editorial space" in Iraqi newspapers. But he said the military was investigating reports that "the process may be functioning in a manner different than is intended or appropriate".
So they're trying to get some positive stories out there so that the Iraqi people don't sit around and think to themselves how fun it would be to blow up a humvee. Nothing wrong with that.
It's not much different than papers paying photgraphers to invade privacy and get a good picture of a celebrity doign something either illegal, sexual, or insane. At least these are positive stories.
Sure it goes against the freedom of press in a democracy which is what we're trying to build in Iraq but right now, it's a war and one weapon during war is a weapon of information. Al-Qaeda in Iraq gets airtime in Iraq and spins information to recruit Iraqis to the insurgency. Why can't our soldiers attempt to combat that?
posted by A Mad Man at 7:55 AM
1 Comments:
I'm so glad you don't see anything wrong
with that practice. when you're in a war, it's also a war of words, and eveybody is trying to get the advantage.
we pay for stories and the other side cuts your head off
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