Pentagon boosts 'media war' unit

[Rose Siding]

The US defence department has set up a new unit to better promote its message across 24-hour rolling news outlets, and particularly on the internet....

The Bush administration does not believe the true picture of events in Iraq has been made public, the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says.
...
A Pentagon memo seen by the Associated Press news agency said the new unit would "develop messages" for the 24-hour news cycle and aim to "correct the record".

The unit would reportedly monitor media such as weblogs and would also employ "surrogates", or top politicians or lobbyists who could be interviewed on TV and radio shows.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6100906.stm

[zbdent]

1. Told you the Office of Strategic Information never shut down

I mean, you have an entire setup with the express purpose of "telling the enemy" lies saying that "Oh, yes. We shut down. We're not lying to you now."

:eyes:

[bobthedrummer]

2. It sure didn't-and one of it's most enthusiastic promoters Simon P. Worden

now has the use of NASA's most powerful supercomputer and access to most of those "military" and dual use space based platforms as head of the Ames Research facility.

That reliance on high-tech isn't going to help much against the truth just as it didn't help much in the past-it was overvalued as was the use of fear, intimidation and other tactics based on everything to conceal, suppress and distract from the truth and those that speak it.

[KharmaTrain]

3. Haven't We Been Down This Road Before???

Employing surrogates you say...like an Armstrong Williams. But didn't we already pay for several PR and "hearts and mind" efforts.

So now they need to pay for trolls? We may actually see a 101st Flying Keyboard Division afterall.

Let's get rid of this trash next Tuesday.

[AlCzervik]

4. um yeah, good luck with that.

[bobthedrummer]

5. Here's a valuable background thread "Reality vs. perception management"

it's a treat to counter the tricks played on US, this new media unit is actually just a further acknowledgement of reality of the corruption that BFEE has utilized, in this case information warfare being called the "free press"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x71919

[Breeze54]

6. "surrogates" equals more trolls on the weblogs and messageboards!!

At least, that's my take on it.

Flush 'em 'til it :hurts: !!

[bobthedrummer]

7. What do you think a "rapid response team" of liars can accomplish

today? The use of OUR military in this is criminal, and most of them are not going to follow illegal "orders" anymore.

[shah269]

8. "This is Walter Cronkite. Good night."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6103056.stm

This is how he ended his TV broadcast:

"To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion.

"On the off-chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy's intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations.

"But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors but as an honourable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.

"This is Walter Cronkite. Good night."

[Jeffersons Ghost]

9. a kick because this got buried before people could see it

[Jeffersons Ghost]

10. this OP now has 4 votes, 5 counting mine. ha ha ha trolls!!!

BTW, rose :yourock:

[bobthedrummer]

11. kick