PR Meets Psy-Ops in War on Terror

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON — On the evening of Oct. 14, a young Marine spokesman near Fallouja appeared on CNN and made a dramatic announcement.


"Troops crossed the line of departure," 1st Lt. Lyle Gilbert declared, using a common military expression signaling the start of a major campaign. "It's going to be a long night." CNN, which had been alerted to expect a major news development, reported that the long-awaited offensive to retake the Iraqi city of Fallouja had begun.

~snip~

Officials at the Pentagon and other U.S. national security agencies said the CNN incident was not an isolated feint — the type used throughout history by armies to deceive their enemies — but part of a broad effort underway within the Bush administration to use information to its advantage in the war on terrorism.


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 (news - web sites), 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.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&ncid=716&e=27&u=/latimests/20041201/ts_latimes/prmeetspsyopsinwaronterror

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. That's how they do the Terror Scares

It's all self generated bullshit.

[KingChicken]

2. Holy crap this is offical, they actally admit they lie to the people...

[htuttle]

3. Yes, and the cable networks are active participants

The cable networks are probably best thought of as 'state-run news organizations', aka Pravda in the 70's.

cf. 'Operation Mockingbird'. The CIA has operatives at most of the major media outlets. This has been going on for decades.

...and no, there's no need for tinfoil. This stuff is on record.

[el_gato]

4. not just cable but all major media outlets

[rodeodance]

12. ts current average rating is 4.61 with 27 vote(s).

You have given the news article PR Meets Psy-Ops in War on Terror a rating of 5.
Its current average rating is 4.61 with 27 vote(s).

[VegasWolf]

20. Exactly, throw CBS, NBC, abd ABC into the mix.

[psychopomp]

6. That is the reason that I started to read this in the 80's

Real news has been successfully covered up for at least twenty-five years。

[htuttle]

7. I used to read that

Before the internet, CAIB, In These Times, and The Progressive were about the only real news you could find.

[psychopomp]

8. Help me out, what was the name of the founder

the ex-spook for whom we are indebted for starting the CAIQ , prompting the very law that made outing Plame a federal offense?

[psychopomp]

9. I remember

Phil Agee. I saw both him and John Stockwell speak in the late 80's in California.

[chelaque liberal]

5. Rumsfeld admitted (bragged?) about it in 2002

I felt compelled to save this:

Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and activism

MEDIA ADVISORY:
The Office of Strategic Influence Is Gone, But Are Its Programs In Place?

November 27, 2002The Federation of American Scientists has pointed to a startling revelation by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that mainstream media have missed: In remarks during a recent press briefing, Rumsfeld suggested that though the controversial Office of Strategic Influence (OSI) no longer exists in name, its programs are still being carried out (FAS Secrecy News, 11/27/02,
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/2002/11/112702.html.

.......


At the time, Rumsfeld claimed that he had “never even seen the charter for the office,” but Thomas Timmes, the OSI’s assistant for operations, said that Rumsfeld had been briefed on its goals “at least twice” and had “given his general support” (New York Times, 2/25/02).

Now, in remarks made at a November 18 media briefing, Rumsfeld has
suggested that though the exposure of OSI's plans forced the Pentagon to close the office, they certainly haven't given up on its work. According to a transcript on the Department of Defense website, Rumsfeld told reporters:

"And then there was the Office of Strategic Influence. You may recall
that. And 'oh my goodness gracious isn't that terrible, Henny Penny the sky is going to fall.' I went down that next day and said fine, if you want to savage this thing fine I'll give you the corpse. There's the name. You can have the name, but I'm gonna keep doing every single thing that needs to be done and I have."

[Just Me]

32. I thought there were strict prohibitions on psy-ops/propaganda,...

,...and have been seriously pissed off that the neocons' psy-op policies have been actively pursued without any consequence.

Such a policy is utterly anti-democracy and supposed to be illegal.

It just makes my head explode.

EVERY American should damned well be as outraged by these policies as they are outraged that mental health screening will now be mandatory. Talk about scary,...those screens could be abused as a form of profiling and, what blows my mind is that they could be used to sort out those who are more vulnerable to psy-ops from those who are more resistent.

Now, that may seem an unrealistic fear to many,...but, given the times,...I cannot flush my concern.

[ewagner]

10. There should be

a LOT of soul-searching going on over at CNN.

Here we have a story where the military admits using them for propaganda and strategic purposes. They were manipulated. So now they have to ask themselves a couple of questions. Is their first mission reporting truth? Or is their first duty to patriotically support our troops. Where do you draw the line?

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the policy/editorial meetings.

[maddezmom]

11. it's obviously "ratings"

:shrug: and it's disgusting

[Cocoa]

14. I've written to Aaron Brown about this

asked him to do what this LA Times article did, in particular relating to the atrocities regularly visited on CNN viewers by Jane Arraf.

[ewagner]

15. Thanks Cocoa

I'm thinking of writing him too but in more of a policy/journalistic integrity tone.....ask for his take, etc.,

[Just Me]

33. Aaron Brown did report on this,...

,...your time was not wasted!!!

[VegasWolf]

21. CNN has lost so much market share to Fox over the last couple

of years, that CNN will whore anything bushco says.

[Cocoa]

13. what a hoot of a passage

Pentagon officials say Myers is worried that U.S. efforts in Iraq and in the broader campaign against terrorism could suffer if world audiences begin to question the honesty of statements from U.S. commanders and spokespeople.

Myers of all people worried that people might start to question the honesty of the military. hahahahahahahaha!

[Blue_Tires]

16. sickening.....CNN has been at

rock bottom for so long, less and less people remember when they actually used to be good

[George_S]

17. That explains the bin Laden tape before the election. n/t

[Supersedeas]

18. and the US Media become will cogs in the disinformation machine

Building trust are they?

[Judi Lynn]

19. So they're saying, "Screw the public." It's official.

We don't have the right to know the truth. Not now, not ever. So that's it, is it?

"We've got the power, and you don't! So sue us!" Inspiring!

Last line of the article:

According to several Pentagon officials, the strategic communications programs at the Defense Department are being coordinated by the office of the undersecretary of Defense for policy, Douglas J. Feith.

Goodgawdalmighty, it's Feith, Mr. Integrity.

[Straight Shooter]

36. Isn't Feith the one whom Armitage referred to as

"the most stupid fuckin' person on the face of the earth"?

Speaking of faces, is that the best they could do to make Feith even resemble a human being? It makes you wonder what vengeful, spiteful petty problems from childhood are still spilling over into policies which affect the world.

What is that thing with his mouth, a Bruce-Willis-wannabe smirk?

[Judi Lynn]

37. If Armitage thinks he's stupid, you can be sure we've got BIG problems,

as if we didn't know.....



I haven't seen a photo of Feith yet in which he didn't look like a total psychopath. Of course, that goes for all of _Bush's people. The smirk seems standard with him. Creepy.

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. will soon go into

"Pretty soon, we're going to have the 5 o'clock follies all over again, and it will take us another 30 years to restore our credibility," said a second senior Defense official, referring to the much-ridiculed daily media briefings in Saigon during the Vietnam War.

Free clue we are already in the five O Clock follies, from day one

[saigon68]

25. AAAH YES THE 5 O'CLOCK FOLLIES

All bullshit and tripe.

RIDICULE------ You better believe it.


IT WAS MORE FUN WHEN CRIMINAL KIMMITT USED TO COME OUT AND PLAY Darth Vader's younger brother.

[THUNDER HANDS]

23. big deal, PsyOps people have been at CNN for a long time

At least 7 or 8 years. Predating Bush. The army has its hands in everything.

[Judi Lynn]

26. It's all you can do to keep from screaming or yelling listening to CNN

Anyone with rudimentary intelligence recognizes the HEAVY propaganda behind ALL their references to _Bush and his bloodfeasts.

They use absurdly dramatic, simplistic, and utterly bogus terms and expressions relating _Bush's ADVENTURES in the World as the Designated Republican Universal Emperor.

[maddezmom]

28. start screaming...Wolf just had a guy on saying OBL was in Iran

sounds like the newest march to war is on. Surprised he isn't in N. Korea...oh yeah, they already have nukes. (Missed who is was, but i'll try to pull the transcript later.) :eyes:

[maddezmom]

42. RICHARD MINITER, AUTHOR, "SHADOW WAR", here's tthe transcript

RICHARD MINITER, AUTHOR, "SHADOW WAR": Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: What makes you think -- what hard evidence is there in your mind that he may be in Iran right now?

MINITER: Well, the hard evidence is my two sources who are Iranian intelligence agents, who say that they saw bin Laden eyeball to eyeball inside Iran in a place called Najmabad on October 23, 2003.

These sources have proved reliable in the past to American and to British intelligence. The other things they've said have checked out. And so I think it's suggestive. It's at least opening the door. I make the case in chapter one of "Shadow War." But it's a case with a lot of caveats, as a lot of intelligence cases are.

BLITZER: Besides these two sources that you have, are there any others who would tend to believe that he might be in Iran right now that you've come upon or is it just these two sources?

MINITER: Well, for me, it's these two sources.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0412/01/wbr.01.html

[Judi Lynn]

43. Thanks for the warning. Looks like the writing's on the wall, then.

CNN is shameless. Not one trace of conscience. In a sane world, no one would even speak to people like Wolf Blitzer, and NO ONE would give him a job pretending to inform the world.



Which one is Wolf?

[Ima]

38. I remember

a big stink about CNN, and having PsyOps employees. Couple years ago I think.

[Ima]

39. here we go....

By Geoff Metcalf
CNN employed active duty U.S. Army psychological operations personnel last year, WorldNetDaily has confirmed through several sources at Fort Bragg and elsewhere.

Maj. Thomas Collins, U.S. Information Service has confirmed that "psyops" (psychological operations) personnel, soldiers and officers, have worked in the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. The lend/lease exercise was part of an Army program called "Training With Industry." According to Collins, the soldiers and officers, "... worked as regular employees of CNN. Conceivably, they would have worked on stories during the Kosovo war. They helped in the production of news."

When asked if the introduction of military personnel into a civilian news organization was standard operating procedure, one source said, "That question is above my pay grade ... but I hope so. It's what we do."

The CNN military personnel were members of the Airmobile Fourth Psychological Operations Group, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. One of the main tasks of this group of almost 1200 soldiers and officers is to spread 'selected information.' Critics say that means dissemination of propaganda.

Cable News Network suffered a major embarrassment in the wake of the 'Tailwind' story it aired, alleging the U.S. government used lethal sarin gas to kill suspected defectors during the Vietnam war. After WorldNetDaily was the first news organization to expose the fraudulent news production, two CNN producers were fired and, eventually, CNN veteran reporter Peter Arnett also was ousted. In that case, Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Perry Smith quit his long-time job as a military adviser to CNN

http://216.239.63.104/search?q=cache:E2CPAhws1NsJ:www.geoffmetcalf.com/qa/17437.html+PsyOps+%2BCNN&hl=en

[Earth_First]

24. "Safety. We lie to you to make Amerika safer, you see"

eom

[clem_c_rock]

27. Now That we are on this topic - Who benefits from these beheadings

I would love to have someone tell me how arabs, defending their own country, would benefit from those beheadings?

Now - everytime you see a report of a beheading it's at the most convenient time for the US.

-The Abu-Garaib scandel breaks out - Nicholas Berg's head flies just in time to remind the American public that "we are dealing w/ psychotic monsterous radicals".

-Reports start rolling in about how the war is really going - there's a beheading just in time to remind the public that "we are dealing w/ psychotic monsterous radicals".

-Falluja Offensive starts - Accounts of Geneva Convention violations start rolling in - Margaret Hussen is shot just in time to remind the American public that "we are dealing w/ psychotic monsterous radicals".

Given America's collective punishment policy, how would anybody but the Americans benefit from the smokescreens of the beheadings and hostage killings?

As always - the thing the government fears the most is Public Opinion.
Read a copy of Operation Northwoods to see just how far they will go.

[Rose Siding]

29. We used to have the power to shut them down

We could at least drive them under, but now they don't even have to hide from us. Nothing will stop them.

[maddezmom]

30. CNN just did a teaser on 360..."were we lied to by the Pentagon??''

going to do a piece. Can't wait to hear how they aren't complicit in this ruse. :eyes:

[Supersedeas]

40. more like "Meet New Heros in Terror War-Used Car Salemen Go International

[suegeo]

31. Professor Krohn needs to have his ass kicked

In the article, one Charles A. Krohn, a professor at the University of Michigan and former deputy chief of public affairs for the Army says:

"What harm is done, compared to what is gained? 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."

I can tell Professor Chuck the harm done: The American people will pick up on the reasons we will now give to the Iraqi people about why America invaded their country.

And I bet the farm the reasons given to the Iraqi people won't be the same reason that was given to the American people: Weapons of Mass Destruction that could be used against America. (amoung others)

It will become more obvious that they lied to us, and American credibilty will be further eroded.

Also, professor Chuck, wow many f-ing reasons are you gonna put out for a reason for this aggression? The more excused put out, the less credibility they have (not that they had much with me to begin with.)

[Just Me]

34. The greatest harm is intentionally IMPOSING via psy-ops,...

,...policies which normal Americans would otherwise totally reject.

Doing so is ANTI-freedom, ANTI-democracy and merely a more clever form of dictatorship (and, in the case of the neocons, a form of imperialistic fascism).

It's damned disgusting and a total outrage!!!

[ally_sc]

35. nomorefakenews...(nfm)

[ElectroPrincess]

41. Oh no! Not Rumsfeld's Pentagon?

I've been told that the Pentagon is now chock full of military and civilians of high integrity. It's a damn shame that good ole' Texan boy General Tommy Franks retired ... being that he's one of 'em.

/sarcasm OFF