http://mathaba.net/0_index.shtml?x=529301

Military Will Keep Planting Articles In Iraq

Posted: 2006/03/04
From: LA Times

The ranking U.S. general there says a Pentagon review found the
program does not violate policy.

It could be replicated elsewhere.

The U.S. military plans to continue paying Iraqi newspapers to publish
articles favorable to the United States after an inquiry found no
fault with the controversial practice, the top U.S. general in Iraq
said Friday.

Army Gen. George W. Casey said the internal review had concluded that
the U.S. military was not violating U.S. law or Pentagon guidelines
with the information operations campaign, in which U.S. troops and a
private contractor write pro-American articles and pay to have them
planted without attribution in Iraqi media.

"By and large, it found that we were operating within our authorities
and responsibilities," Casey said, adding that he had no intention of
shutting the program down.

The program has been criticized both inside and outside the military
as detrimental to U.S. credibility and contrary to the principles of a
free press in a nascent, embattled democracy.

Though the final report by Navy Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk is not
complete, Casey's comments are a clear sign that the U.S. military
sees the propaganda effort as a critical tool for winning hearts and
minds in Iraq.

Van Buskirk's report could pave the way for the Pentagon to replicate
the practice -- which would be illegal in the United States -- in
other parts of the world.

Casey's comments, made during a video teleconference with Pentagon
reporters, also highlighted the split in attitude on the program
between military commanders in Baghdad and some senior officials in
Washington.

After the program's existence was revealed in an article in The Times
three months ago, White House officials said they were "very
concerned" about the practice of paying Iraqi newspapers to publish
unattributed articles written by members of the American military.

At the same time, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld recently
defended the program during a speech at the Council on Foreign
Relations in New York, saying it was an innovative tool for countering
a "campaign of disinformation" by Iraqi insurgents.

Rumsfeld also criticized media coverage of the program, saying the
reporting had created a "chilling effect" on efforts to improve the
way the U.S. communicates with foreign audiences.

Since early last year, the program has planted hundreds of articles in
Iraqi newspapers highlighting progress made by Iraqi troops, efforts
to rebuild Iraq and U.S.-led offensives against insurgents.

American troops write the articles, called storyboards, which are
given to the Iraqi staff of Lincoln Group, the contractor, to
translate into Arabic.

The contractor's Iraqi staff pays newspaper editors in Baghdad to
publish the articles without revealing their origin.

Revelations about the program brought fierce criticism from lawmakers
on Capitol Hill and from many within the Pentagon who argue that the
U.S. should not pay for favorable press coverage in Iraq even as it
tries to promote democracy there.

Van Buskirk's report, some fear, could lead to a proliferation of
similar operations around the world.

No other reviews are pending in the Pentagon or Congress.

"Other commanders could do exactly the same thing and assume it is
appropriate," said one Defense Department official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly
about the internal debate underway at the Pentagon.

But the official said it was his understanding that Van Buskirk would
also recommend that the Pentagon examine its regulations and
procedures to determine whether it is appropriate to replicate the
program.

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It doesn't matter what stupidity those guys spend our money on. The
money's there for them to play with. Easy come, easy go.

Harry