Identifying Misinformation, page 1

From the 2003 Information Operations Roadmap, p.5:

"We Must Fight the Net. DoD is building an information-centric force. Networks are increasingly the operational center of gravity, and the Department must be prepared to 'fight the net'. [Redacted] but be fully prepared to ensure critical warfighting network functionality and to [redacted]...."

"We Must Improve PSYOP. Military forces must be better prepared to use PSYOP in support of military operations and the themes and messages employed in a PSYOP campaign must be consistent with the broader national security objectives..."

From page 8:

"The concept includes three integrated IO operations of overriding importance:

...protect our plans and misdirect theirs, thereby allowing our forces to mass their effects to maximum advantage while the adversary expends his resources to little effect."

And:

"Similarly, considerable effort should be made to characterize potential adversary audiences, and particularly senior decision-makers and decision-making process and priorities. If such human factors analysis is not conducted well in advance of the conflict, it will not be possible to craft PSYOP themes and messages that will be effective in modifying adversary behavior."

There's lots more. Page 10:

"Public affairs and civil military operations remain related activities... these capabilities are related in the sense that the effects they achieve may be similar to some aspects of IO, particularly PSYOP.

"One result of public affairs and civil military operations is greater support for military endeavors and thus, conversely these activities can help discourage and dissuade enemies, which PSYOP does directly with its own tactics, techniques and procedures."

I would suggest that characterizing potential adversary audiences is what is at stake both on the "misinformation" (propaganda) website and to some extent on this very bulletin board. The document quoted above was produced in 2003 and is already declassified. Its recommendations include building up a career force in Information Operations.

Or, to put it more simply, you know your government lies to you: and now they're just getting sneakier than ever in how they do it.

Oh, one of the things that made me smile about the misinfo page is that at one point they label the Rense site as being a conspiracy site, and on another page (the plane hitting the Pentagon one) they actually LINK to it to show that it really was a passenger aircraft. And that link shows a wheel in the wreckage and a 757 wheel for comparison: but the wheels appear to have different numbers of holes in them, which is a bit weird.

And for the record, I don't believe that a passenger plane can make a 16-foot hole in the pentagon after a 500 mph impact. Engines weigh several tons. Where did they go?