|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
by Bill Sorem, W A M M
|
|
In 2002, Victoria Clarke and her crew of PR geniuses in the Pentagon recruited 75 retired military officers to execute “the main focus of the public relations push to construct a case for war.” According to the media watchers at the website SourceWatch.org, “internal Pentagon documents repeatedly refer to the military analysts as ‘message force multipliers’ or ‘surrogates’ who could be counted on to deliver administration ‘themes and messages’ to millions of Americans ‘in the form of their own opinions.’”
“Media Matters for America” has documented more than 4,500 media appearances by the Pentagon pundits on ABC, ABC News Now, CBS, CBS Radio Network, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, CNN Headline News, Fox News, and NPR. “In the face of such damning evidence, the silence of those in the media who hosted or quoted these military analysts more than 4,500 times reeks of irresponsible journalism,” said Karl Frisch, a spokesman for Media Matters. “Because the media have failed to follow up on this story with the tough questions one would expect, members of Congress have been forced to act. It’s time for the media to step up and do their job.” (Media Matters for America, 5/13/08)
The program proved successful and was expanded to issues besides the Iraq War. SourceWatch.org reports that “other branches of the administration also began to make use of the analysts. Mr. Gonzales, then the attorney general, met with them soon after news leaked that the government was wiretapping terrorism suspects in the United States without warrants, Pentagon records show. When David H. Petraeus was appointed the commanding general in Iraq in January 2007, one of his early acts was to meet with the analysts.”
On April 25, 2008, Pentagon spokesperson Robert Hastings said “the briefings and all other interactions with the military analysts had been suspended indefinitely pending an internal review.” Hastings “could not say . . . how long this review might take. ‘We’ll take the time to do it right,’” he told Stars and Stripes. Hastings, who became the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs in March 2008, also said he is “unaware of the Defense Department’s . . . activities with retired military analysts” before that time. The following week, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told Reuters the suspension is “temporary” and he “does not think the program violated any laws.” (SourceWatch.org)
Co-opting bloggers is a third aspect to the propaganda campaign. A study written for U.S. Special Operations Command suggested “clandestinely recruiting or hiring prominent bloggers.” This 2006 report for the Joint Special Operations University, “Blogs and Military Information Strategy,” proposed co-opting bloggers or even putting them on the payroll. “Hiring a block of bloggers to verbally attack a specific person or promote a specific message may be worth considering,” write the report’s co-authors, James Kinniburgh and Dorothy Denning. (Wired.com 3/31/08)
But having said all of that, is it really so surprising officials would consider a proposal to put bloggers on the Pentagon’s payroll? Sure, it’s offensive on a certain level to imagine the Defense Department using our tax dollars to co-opt bloggers for propaganda purposes. But given the Bush administration’s track record, I’d almost be surprised if officials hadn’t considered the proposal.
Bill Sorem is a WAMM member who lives in Minnetonka. He spent one lifetime in the advertising agency business and has been a self-employed computer programmer since 1989. Bill grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota, is a graduate of the U of M, and served as an Air Force officer. Bill says that a passion for peace drives his life. He has been a member of the Third District Peace Campaign since it first began the occupation of Jim Ramstad’s office last year. Bill says, “I have written a few pieces on the current deplorable situation, I want to give my eleven (soon to be twelve) grandkids a better, safer life than we now have.”. |
|
|
|
© 2008 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
|
 |
|
Complete June 2008 Index - click here
|
|
 |
|
|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
|
|
|
|
|
