USA hires 3 firms to produce false news..

The U.S. Special Operations Command has hired three firms to produce newspaper stories, television broadcasts and Web sites to spread American propaganda overseas.

As if they didn`t doo it from before...

www.timesdispatch.com.../MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783204555

Nothing new during war times.

All countries have been accused of this during war times if not actually being involved in it.

How long has IRAQ been doing this with how many media stations during this whole conflict ? As a matter of fact they were using the airwaves for some time to spread fear throughout their very own people ! Before we were even there to occupy.

What is Times Dispatch ? Is this just another propaganda smear of a media station ? This like ren is unconfirmed sources etc....... yawn- boring-You get the idea.

Don't fall victim !

Truth

Well, the matter is not of any smear campaign.

So far, said defense analyst William Arkin, American propaganda efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan have "produced nothing positive and nothing negative." He suggested the $100 million might be better spent on guns and bullets.

Its just part of a psychological war, why not spread false stories to the people we are fighting in hopes that it may discourage others from fighting or maybe give the enemy lower moral. Or even may cause some one to screw up and be caught.

As stated. this is not really a new concept. Propaganda is basically part of war by today's standards. I don't exactly agree with the comment that Arkin said that it can be used for "guns and bullets" but it could've been used better without a doubt.

The problem is, you can't lie only to target country x.

The propaganda will inevitably blow back here, and spreading false information is inherently dangerous to a democracy: without accurate information, people can't make informed decisions.

Not that they're not lying to us already

Just a question.. isn't propganda supposed to be the fight for the hearts and minds of the people?

But if this is for freedom and democracy - which you are spreading because people want it, then why the need for propaganda ?

Reminded of a scene in Air AMerica where Gibson, after hearing the armies new audio tapes designed by the US government, says "I wish you wouldn't use the words "American" and "Intelligence" to describe what you do" ...

or another in the same scene "You have no idea who you're dealing with here"

And America is always at war . Explains maybe why most everything you hear from there is always BS propaganda . It's been ingrained into their national mindset from being written into the history books , journals, media and everything else their agents of deciept and lies can get their hands on to propagate their fictitous drivel for decades.

In between plotting and enacting their own wars and wars for others all these years, theres been no time really they could desist with the disinfo, so these days it could be just the natural way of things . Probably get these false news agencies employed just for the hell of it because thats the way it is , even if by some miracle US wasn't even involved in a war .


[edit on 6-5-2009 by Drexl]

Passer By

if this is for freedom and democracy - which you are spreading because people want it, then why the need for propaganda ?

But this is propaganda!!! The Iraqi government wants us there because the people would sooner hang them by the nearest lamp post without our “support” (mostly air support in fact!!!).

But since 2006 (at the latest) most Iraqi civilians have wanted to leave immediatly…
www.washingtonpost.com...

And about a quarter will (openly) admit life being better of under Saddam
www.opinion.co.uk...

This may be because: In terms of water, and electricity supply it clearly was (and food security was better for the poor)
The threat to individuals human rights was a perhaps thousand times more predictable, and many less violations were committed (the difference being (that in those days) human rights violations were largely the monopoly of the state; whilst today it’s small armed groups, as well as the state when it tries (often ineffectively) to fight these small groups).

xmotex

The propaganda will inevitably blow back here, and spreading false information is inherently dangerous to a democracy: without accurate information, people can't make informed decisions.

I don’t think that’s ever been a concern of any administration (even if you back 100 years).
Their only concern has been whether the system operates within the constitution (and when it doesn’t, it concerns them, but doesn’t necessarily stop them e.g. Water Gate)! Water Gate is all fine as ancient history; but the saying that “when you’ve seen one rate, you’ve seen a hundred” often holds true with things besides rats.