Apparently the US government is paying journalists to write positively about Iraq:
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/30/iraq.media.ap/index.html
Yep, people are dancing on the streets and running through the fields picking flowers over there…
So no-one else is at all disturbed by this?
Doesn’t bother me at all.
Deansumo: it bothers me somewhat, but looking at the larger picture, this peice of news shouldn’t concern me at all.
Check out my thread " What comes next for Iraq " when/if it gets going. The whole premise behind america staying in iraq is so we can make a bad situation a little better, and avoid a civil war, or iraq being controlled as a puppet state by iran or other middle east countries which would blow royally.
The last thing on your mind should be the " morals " behind everything concerning this conflict. GWB just wanted to fight a belligerant saddam, in
a big-dick contest. Sadly, even though sadaam was a horrible leader the lack of control has made the country much much worse.
I don’t want Iraq to have a civil war! I want them to be as happy as possible, after we went in there and screwed the situation up royally. If the milatary can get away with this and manipulate the iraqis into being more passive or what have you , fine. So, this is a really a shady , but justified means to that end IMHO.
What a startling revelation. Of course, with the media in the US already providing an unbiased and objective analysis of the Iraq situation, the soliciting of favorable but factually accurate news stories hardly seems necessary, right?
Take a look at the history textbooks disseminated in Japan largely overlooking the wartime atrocities in Nanjing and other places in the 30s and 40s. How about that for government approved disinformation.
Careful. Since that time, the Chinese have been doing their deadlifts and taking their Grow. Hiding under your Pokemon ain’t going to help, unless it’s ten feet thick and made of lead.
Pokemon has a magic pocket…you shouldn`t underestimate it. I believe a history teacher was just fired last week for telling the truth to her students.
sorry to add sensless bullshit
e
[quote]deanosumo wrote:
So no-one else is at all disturbed by this?[/quote]
I’m not surprised by it. From the way many conservatives go on and on, I was under the impression that there was so much peace, love and unity flowing through the place that this wouldn’t be needed. Who knew?
Yeah, saw that online somewhere. Not the greatest thing in the world to see, but I wouldn’t say I’m exactly disturbed by it.
[quote]deanosumo wrote:
So no-one else is at all disturbed by this?[/quote]
Not especially. I mean, given this quote from the Lieutenant Colonel involved:
“This is a military program initiated with the multinational force to help get factual information about ongoing operations into Iraqi news. I want to emphasize that all information used for marketing these stories is completely factual.”
So where’s the real issue if they are not making up stories or something like that? They are basically seeking to emphasize the more positive. Given the fact that the purpose of the overall mission in Iraq is to quell the insurgency and win a war, this seems fairly minor in the grand scope of things.
Now, once Iraq was up and running and more stable? Then it would be greater cause for concern.
Good piece on this:
http://www.proteinwisdom.com/index.php/weblog/entry/19436/
Ahahahaha. Look, I have no idea what is going on over there, but expecting them not to have a good rational cover story is pretty simplistic. The problem, if there were to be one, is that you have no ability to tell what the truth is.
Sure, the above statement sounds good, but is it what is really occurring? How the hell will you ever know? Are you going to just believe everything your government tells you?
Hell, you government doesn’t even feel the need to tell the truth here at home to its own citizens, what makes you think it is going to tell the truth to foreign citizens or tell you the truth about what they are trying to do.
Anyway, I’ve said in the past that I’m for information warfare over there… and as far as I’m concerned this is just a teeny tiny tip of a huge freaking iceberg that will be floating around for decades.
Just don’t expect anything you hear to actually be truthful anymore.
[quote]vroom wrote:
“This is a military program initiated with the multinational force to help get factual information about ongoing operations into Iraqi news. I want to emphasize that all information used for marketing these stories is completely factual.”
Ahahahaha. Look, I have no idea what is going on over there, but expecting them not to have a good rational cover story is pretty simplistic. The problem, if there were to be one, is that you have no ability to tell what the truth is.
Sure, the above statement sounds good, but is it what is really occurring? How the hell will you ever know? Are you going to just believe everything your government tells you?
Hell, you government doesn’t even feel the need to tell the truth here at home to its own citizens, what makes you think it is going to tell the truth to foreign citizens or tell you the truth about what they are trying to do.
Anyway, I’ve said in the past that I’m for information warfare over there… and as far as I’m concerned this is just a teeny tiny tip of a huge freaking iceberg that will be floating around for decades.
Just don’t expect anything you hear to actually be truthful anymore.[/quote]
I don’t know if that would entirely be the case because you know a lot of American media outlets will now be scouring through the Iraqi newspapers to review stories in the event that bald-faced lies are being “sold”. Just a thought.
Plus, why don’t we just ask Sean Penn what’s [i]really[/i] going on over there? I’m sure his visit to Iraq gave him the truth. 
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/12/15/iraq.penn/
And the spin and counterspin factories here at home would never muddy an issue.
Anyhow, how would our media ever tell the difference between bald faced lies that had been planted by us, bald faced lies being told by someone else and the bald faced lies being spread by terrorist sympathizers?
Your view of the world seems pretty trusting…
Disturbed by this…Yes. Surprised by this…No.
[quote]vroom wrote:
I don’t know if that would entirely be the case because you know a lot of American media outlets will now be scouring through the Iraqi newspapers to review stories in the event that bald-faced lies are being “sold”. Just a thought.
And the spin and counterspin factories here at home would never muddy an issue.
Anyhow, how would our media ever tell the difference between bald faced lies that had been planted by us, bald faced lies being told by someone else and the bald faced lies being spread by terrorist sympathizers?
Your view of the world seems pretty trusting…[/quote]
Less a question of trust and more the notion that the stories will be scrutinized and reviewed. I’m not saying that everyone will be able to immediately tell what is truth and what is fiction, but at least it will be open for debate in the public forum.
I’m going to call the Pentagon and ask them to save their money.
I’m much more comfortable with 150 front page stories in the New York times covering abu gharib and the second election success being placed on page fourteen of one issue.
I think it’s important to only report the negative aspects of the situation. If enough people receive only negative news, it’s more likely that they will be more susceptible to the pollsters’ questioning.
The goal is to remove the Republicans from power.
Please get with the program.
Thanks,
JeffR
I think it’s important to only report the positive aspects of the situation. If enough people receive only positive news, it’s more likely that they will be more susceptible to the administration’s plans.
The government never lies!
Get with the program.
Bad bye.
I think it’s important for us to remember that everything, I mean everything we read and hear goes through a filter first. No matter what. Either from the person telling us, the paper we’re reading, the news story we’re watching…It’s all skewed by the source and how they want to present the information to you. So yes, it’s wrong but it happens every single day in every single story.
[quote]lostinthought wrote:
I think it’s important for us to remember that everything, I mean everything we read and hear goes through a filter first. No matter what. Either from the person telling us, the paper we’re reading, the news story we’re watching…It’s all skewed by the source and how they want to present the information to you. So yes, it’s wrong but it happens every single day in every single story. [/quote]
Wait, are you saying that we may not be getting the exact truth from the current administration or anyone else? Blasphemy!!! How dare you question their authority!? Damn it, next you will want privacy and for the government to have legal restraints and boundaries!