posted November 30, 2005 12:16 PM            

US military "information operations" troops have written the articles, which are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of the Lincoln Group, a Washington-based defense contractor, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Many articles are presented to Iraqi newspapers as unbiased news accounts written and reported by independent journalists, the daily said, citing documents it obtained and unnamed US military officials.

The stories denounce insurgents and tout the work of US and Iraqi troops and the US-led effort to rebuild Iraq.

The United States has paid Iraqi newspapers to publish dozens of articles, the LA Times said.

"The operation is designed to mask any connection with the US military," it said.

The Lincoln Group helps translate and place the stories. The contractor's Iraqi staff, or its subcontractors, sometimes pose as freelance journalists or advertising executives to hand the stories to Iraqi papers.

Some senior US military officers in Iraq and at the Pentagon have criticized the operation, saying it could ruin the US military's credibility in other countries and with the US public.

"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," a senior Pentagon official who opposes the planting of stories was quoted as saying.

Much of the effort was being directed by the "Information Operations Task Force" in Baghdad, part of the multinational corps headquarters commanded by Army Lieutenant General John Vines, the newspaper said.

The task force has even bought an Iraqi newspaper and taken control of a radio station, a military official said, refusing to name the outlets to protect their staff from insurgent attacks.

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Don't know whether to praise this or condemn it.

On the one hand, they are trying the 'be transparently good' tactic I espoused incorporating winning over Iraqis hearts and minds as part of the overall plan for winning in Iraq.

posted November 30, 2005 12:21 PM              

For example Osama Bin Ladens's tape where he admits to 9/11. My friend said that the person who transalated it changed everything completely around. She says he says the American deserve this that or whatever. But he never admitted to 9/11. I think after they started accussing him he started going along with it to earn lots of recognition from the other retards that follow him.

posted November 30, 2005 12:59 PM            

The Pentagon said it is looking into a newspaper report that said the US military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to run stories written by US troops to burnish the US image in Iraq.

"If all of the elements in that story were accurate, there are some things in there that I find troubling, and that's why I've asked for the facts," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.

"It was news to me," he said.

The Los Angeles Times said the articles were written by US military "information operations" troops, translated into Arabic and placed in Iraqi newspapers with the help of a defense contractor called Lincoln Group.

It said many of the articles were presented as unbiased news accounts trumpeting the work of US and Iraqi troops, denouncing the insurgents, and touting US efforts to rebuild the country.

The report, citing records and interviews, said the US military had paid Iraqi newspapers to publish dozens of the stories since the effort began this year.

Iraqi staff of the Washington-based Lincoln Group sometimes pose as freelance reporters or advertising executives in their approaches to Iraqi media outlets, masking their connection to the US military, according to the report.

Whitman said the report was troubling because the practices it described appeared to be in conflict with the Pentagon's overarching information policy. But he would not be more specific.

"That's what we want to look at: what they're doing and under what authority they believe they are executing some of these things," he said.

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posted November 30, 2005 05:35 PM            

Could it be acoustic...that the story appearing in Agence France-Presse lacks an essential element of the story? An element without which the US is presented in a more unfavorable light? Could that be the reason acoustic?

"Though the articles are basically factual..."

The LA Times goes on to talk about the so called planted articles as not being balanced...apparently believing the so called planted articles should be offset by the terrorist viewpoint. But, The LA Times must consider they have fulfilled their own obligation of balance by inserting.."Though the articles are basically factual..."

November 30, 2005 latimes.com : World News
THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ
U.S. Military Covertly Pays to Run Stories in Iraqi Press
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-infowar30nov30,0, 5638790.story?coll=la-home-headlines

"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.}

posted November 30, 2005 06:02 PM            

You know it's kind of funny that you quote in bold a statement that is very nearly in the first AFP article I put up:

quote:

---

Many articles are presented to Iraqi newspapers as unbiased news accounts written and reported by independent journalists, the daily said, citing documents it obtained and unnamed US military officials.

---

So much for that zinger, huh?

As far as unbiased and independent journalists go, well we already know which side most of those reside on, and it's not mine, Mr. NewsMax WoldNutDaily. (LA Times took two Pulitzers this year incidentally.)

posted November 30, 2005 06:14 PM            

If so acoustic, then you must be equally impressed when Hollywood pats itself on the back with their numerous awards through the year.

No thanks acoustic, you may be impressed by self servicing awards, I'm not. Fewer and fewer people are...declining circulation and declining box office revenues are the order of the day.

posted November 30, 2005 06:28 PM            

Did you know the World Net Daily's founder's resume includes two defunct newspapers? Impressive, huh?

posted November 30, 2005 07:14 PM              

It's PsyOps, pure and simple.

posted December 01, 2005 12:42 PM            

The White House expressed concern on Thursday at reports that the U.S. military has secretly paid Iraqi newspapers to run dozens of pro-American articles written by a special military task force.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday the program began this year and the articles were written in English, translated into Arabic and then given to Baghdad newspapers to print in return for money.

"We're very concerned about the reports. We are seeking more information from the Pentagon," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

He said Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had indicated that Pentagon officials are looking into the reports.

"We need to know what the facts are. Gen. Pace indicated it was news to him as well," McClellan said.

Sen. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat who was defeated by Bush in the presidential election, said paying for stories undermined U.S. credibility.

"What we need are Iraqis who really believe what they're saying and say it for themselves," he said to reporters at the White House.

The Los Angeles Times said it based its story on interviews with U.S. military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity and with Iraqi newspaper employees, as well as documents it obtained.

A defense contractor, a Washington-based public relations firm called Lincoln Group, helped translate the stories and used staff or subcontractors posing as freelance journalists or advertising executives to bring them to Iraqi media outlets, the Times reported.

The Times depicted the stories as "basically factual," but said they omitted information that might not reflect well upon the United States or the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.

The newspaper also reported that the "Information Operations Task Force" in Baghdad has bought an Iraqi newspaper and taken control of a radio station, and was using them to disseminate pro-American views as well.

posted December 01, 2005 01:07 PM              

yeh, the military is brainwashed
there saying exactly what they were
told to say
following orders!

posted December 01, 2005 01:34 PM            

Impressive only to leftists.

Yeah, give Joseph Farah credit. He knows when to abandon a corrupt enterprise

posted December 01, 2005 02:07 PM            

quote:

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The awards are the culmination of a year-long process that begins early in the year with the appointment of 102 distinguished judges who serve on 20 separate juries and are asked to make three nominations in each of the 21 categories. By February 1, the Administrator's office in the Columbia School of Journalism has received the journalism entries -in 2004, typically 1,423. Entries for journalism awards may be submitted by any individual from material appearing in a United States newspaper published daily, Sunday, or at least once a week during the calendar year. In early March, 77 editors, publishers, writers, and educators gather in the School of Journalism to judge the entries in the 14 journalism categories. From 1964-1999 each journalism jury consisted of five members. Due to the growing number of entries in the public service, investigative reporting, beat reporting, feature writing and commentary categories, these juries were enlarged to seven members beginning in 1999. http://www.pulitzer.org/

---

Joseph Farah

quote:

---

Farah worked for a number of daily newspapers prior to the creation of WorldNetDaily. In 1990, he became editor of the now-defunct Sacramento (Calif.) Union, owned for several years by Richard Mellon Scaife, though he did not start work there after Scaife sold the paper to two Sacramento real estate developers, Daniel Benvenuti Jr. and David Kassis. They along with Farah were accused of taking the paper in an even more conservative direction than it had been under Scaife and skewing stories to reflect conservative ideas. Farah resigned as editor 15 months later; under his editorship, the paper's circulation declined approximately 30 percent. (The Sacramento Union closed in 1994; it was revived in 2004 as a web site and a monthly magazine.) Farah has also served as executive news editor of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner (now defunct) and served as editor-in-chief of a group of California dailies and weeklies.

Farah is the co-author, with U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo, of "This Land is Our Land," and in 1994 he collaborated with Rush Limbaugh on his book "See, I Told You So." In 2003, he wrote the book "Taking America Back."

Farah co-founded the Western Journalism Center with James H. Smith, former publisher of the Sacramento Union (and former CEO and publisher of the revived Sacramento Union operation). The center provided Christopher Ruddy with "additional expense money, funding for Freedom of Information Act requests, legal support and publicity" during his investigation of the death of Vince Foster while working as a reporter for the New York Post and the Scaife-owned Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. This included buying full-page ads in major newspapers reproducing Ruddy's work and co-producing a video about the Foster investigation with Ruddy. The center accepted $330,000 in donations from Scaife-connected foundations in 1994-95. The center has been involved in an ongoing lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over a tax audit it alleges was politically motivated. Farah is, like Bozell, also a member of the secretive Council for National Policy.

WorldNetDaily started in May 1997 as a project of the Western Journalism Center. WorldNetDaily describes itself as "a fiercely independent newssite committed to hard-hitting investigative reporting of government waste, fraud and abuse." WorldNetDaily.com, Inc., headquartered in Cave Junction, Ore., but incorporated in Delaware, was spun off in 1999 as a for-profit subsidiary of the non-profit Western Journalism Center with the backing of $4.5 million from investors. Farah and the Western Journalism Center own a majority of WND, according to Farah; the rest of the stock is owned by about 75 private investors. As of late 2001, WorldNetDaily employed 25 people. Farah says that about 80 percent of WND's revenue comes from the sale of books and videos through the site; In 2002, WND created a book publishing division in partnership with Thomas Nelson Publishers, a prominent Christian publisher; authors include Katherine Harris and Michael Savage. That partnership ended in late 2004, and WND's new book partner is Cumberland House Publishing. The company claimed in 2001 that it expected to turn a profit in 2002. WND has approximately 20 employees. http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/primer.html

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posted December 01, 2005 02:57 PM            

quote:

---

This is an issue here Proxi because acoustic choose to post another accusation against the United States...and leave out the essential element...that the "news" stories the US is alleged to have planted were factual

---

I missed this little post.

Actually, I didn't make an accusation. The article did/does.

posted December 01, 2005 03:44 PM            

It's just like I told you...The Pulitzer..the leftist press preening and patting itself on the back

posted December 01, 2005 03:51 PM            

Perhaps it would be wise for you to check out the school before leveling baseless accusations. http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/

posted December 01, 2005 03:53 PM            

I didn't know there was a connection between Farah, Limbaugh and Ruddy...my kind of guys, conservatives.:thubmsup:

You seem much less interested in the truth acoustic and a lot more interested in where it comes from. Truth is truth...even if someone screws up and some truth gets printed in the NY Times.