L.A. Times: Pentagon Wages Information Warfare

[Newsjock]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-warinfo1dec01,0,321180.story?coll=la-home-headlines

By Mark Mazzetti, Times Staff Writer

... The Pentagon in 2002 was forced to shutter its controversial Office of Strategic Influence (OSI), which was opened shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, after reports that the office intended to plant false news stories in the international media. But officials say that much of OSI's mission -- using information as a tool of war -- has been assumed by other offices throughout the U.S. government.

Although most of the work remains classified, officials say that some of the ongoing efforts include having U.S. military spokesmen play a greater role in psychological operations in Iraq, as well as planting information with sources used by Arabic TV channels such as Al-Jazeera to help influence the portrayal of the United States.

Other specific examples were not known, although U.S. national security officials said an emphasis had been on influencing how foreign media depict the United States.

These efforts have set off a fight inside the Pentagon over the proper use of information in wartime. Several top officials see a danger of blurring what are supposed to be well-defined lines between the stated mission of military public affairs -- disseminating truthful, accurate information to the media and the American public -- and psychological and information operations, the use of often misleading information and propaganda to influence the outcome of a campaign or battle.

Several of those officials who oppose the use of misleading information spoke out against the practice on the condition of anonymity.

lots more

[MO_Dem]

1. Oooh! This phrase gives me chills

the use of often misleading information and propaganda to influence the outcome of a campaign

Why do I suddenly start wondering what kind of propoganda was pumped into the fundie churches this fall?

[RBHam]

2. America's Ministry of Propaganda Exposed

http://www.worldnewsstand.net/news/AMOP1.htm

[NYC Liberal]

3. I miss Fat Osama!

Whatever happened to him?

[LynnTheDem]

4. bushCartel admit lying, but their bushbots stay stupid & think otherwise

bush & Cartel admit the truth, such as no WMD in Iraq since 1991, no ties to al Qaeda, no ties to the 911 attacks, but still the rightwingnuts stay stupid & think otherwise.

Rightwingnuts are just plain stupid.

At least the Soviet citizens knew they were being lied to by their government & media.

From the article:

"For the first year of the war, we did virtually nothing to tell the Iraqis why we invaded their country and ejected their government. It's about time we got our act together."

Yes, we;d all like to know why bush INVADED THEIR country and EJECTED THEIR government, too. We & the Iraqis were told the WMD IMMINENT THREAT AL QAEDA 911 MUSHROOM CLOUDS bullshit.

[MatrixEscape]

5. Haven't they been doing that

since forever already? Isn't that what the "Art of War" is about?

The difference being that we can find out about it and discuss it on the Intracyberwebthing now ... or for the time being?

[Trillo]

6. Don'cha just hate when government is forced to "shutter" some project

due to public demand, but that "project" just keeps reincarnating?