Military officials in Baghdad for the first time Friday described a Pentagon program that pays to plant stories in the Iraqi media, an effort the top U.S. military commander said was part of an effort to "get the truth out" there.Besides, in america the government pays people to do public relations about how great the government, how wonderful the government programs are, and why they are much more effictive....
The U.S. officials in Iraq said articles had been offered and published in Iraqi newspapers "as a function of buying advertising and opinion/editorial space, as is customary in Iraq."
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"If any part of our process does not have our full confidence, we will examine that activity and take appropriate action," he said in a statement. "If any contractor is failing to perform as we have intended, we will take appropriate action.
He also defended the program as critical to the war effort.
"The information battlespace in Iraq is contested at all times and is filled with misinformation and propaganda by an enemy intent on discrediting the Iraqi government and the coalition, and who are taking every opportunity to instill fear and intimidate the Iraqi people," his statement said.
[ cf yaHooNews ]
So why not allow the Irqai's the chance to get their Propoganda fully vetted by the occupying powers... I mean you don't think that we want to get bogged down with fine print indicating how much of the news is actually paid propoganda from government flunkies....