WASHINGTON — U.S. military officials in Iraq were fully aware that a Pentagon contractor regularly paid Iraqi newspapers to publish positive stories about the war, and made it clear that none of the stories should be traced to the United States, according to several current and former employees of Lincoln Group, the Washington-based contractor.
In contrast to assertions by military officials in Baghdad and Washington, interviews and Lincoln Group documents show that the information campaign waged over the last year was designed to cloak any connection to the U.S. military.
“In clandestine parlance, Lincoln Group was a ‘cutout’ — a third party — that would provide the military with plausible deniability,” said a former Lincoln Group employee who worked on the operation. “To attribute products to [the military] would defeat the entire purpose. Hence, no product by Lincoln Group ever said ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ “
A number of workers who carried out Lincoln Group’s offensive, including a $20-million two-month contract to influence public opinion in Iraq’s restive Al Anbar province, describe a campaign that was unnecessarily costly, poorly run and largely ineffective at improving America’s image in Iraq. The current and former employees spoke on condition of anonymity because of confidentiality restrictions.
“In my own estimation, this stuff has absolutely no effect, and it’s a total waste of money,” said another former employee, echoing the sentiments of several colleagues. “Every Iraqi can read right through it.”
Well, I will say this, it’s good to hear that many Iraqis can clearly see through this stuff. But then again, if they can see through this, which media sources are Iraq’s people turning to for the “truth?”
Seems like a dangerous game we’re playing with information, and it could sway more towards pro-terrorist points of view. I certainly hope this isn’t the case…
Frankly, this is my biggest problem with this information offensive. Because, in the end, where will the Iragi electorate look for a fair and balanced look at the news? Especially if their major publications are accepting bribes so early in the democractic process.
In short, what price objectivity?
So here’s more of what I’m worried about… First and foremost, the military should have known better. Yes…they should have seen that, in this information age, you can’t hide “pay for print” news. Sure, it may be accurate, but you simply can’t try to sway public opinion with dollars and sense.
And in the end, isn’t that the true tragedy?