Lincoln Group Bombards Iraq with Fake News

"Remixed War Propaganda" by Micah Ian WrightFake news is being used in the Iraq propaganda war, reports the Los Angeles Times. "[T]he 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. ... The stories trumpet the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce insurgents and tout U.S.-led efforts to rebuild the country. ... 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. The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military. The Pentagon has a contract with ... Lincoln Group which helps translate and place the stories. The Lincoln Group's Iraqi staff, or its subcontractors, sometimes pose as freelance reporters or advertising executives when they deliver the stories to Baghdad media outlets."

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Abductions, torture, usage of WMDs, and now plain propaganda... The Iraqi certainly feel the difference...

Another article, by the NYT : "U.S. Is Said to Pay to Plant Articles in Iraq Papers"

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Stephane MOT -
http://e-blogules.blogspot.com

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PS : I like the "you write what you're told" picture... but isn't it a French flag behind the young lady ?

That's called 'plausible deniability'.
You can always blame the French.

One of tthe remarkable things about these 'star-spangled war stories' (not to be confused with the comic bbook of the same name) was the apparent lack of follow-up. There were, by and large, one-shot wonders designed more for US consumption, for Iraqis apparently know BS when they meet it. Among the more notable were: the 'peace leader' incinerated outside his mosque after Friday prayers; the use of retarded girls as bomb carriers; the mned soccer field designed to kill kids; the killing of ''olympic athletes', the babies as back seat cover for a car bomb, etc.

Pathetic.Until it morphed into internet and telkkephonic surveillance.

The Lincoln Group is due for a closer look now that Lara Logan's husband is peripherally in the news thanks to her put up job on Behghazi. He was variously self and independently described as a covert agent for them, as well as just being an "errand boy."