Reports like this make my toes curl.
Do they not realize that actions like these simply create an atmosphere where it’s easier to compare us to Saddam? Couple stuff like this with our torture policy, and you have a recipe for credibility damage.
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.
And listen, the Iraq media is a willing participant, and I blame them too, but you can’t stop the truth from coming out, and operations like these don’t do us any good in the long run.
Just project out with me for a second. Once this story hits Iraq, people will probably start turning to “alternative” media sources. Who might put out these new stories? Oh, maybe terrorists sympathizers…
My only hope is that this activity isn’t as far reaching as this article makes it seem.
Because if it is, we will lose the information war in Iraq.