The U.S. military offered a mixed message Wednesday about whether it embraced one of its programs that reportedly paid a consulting firm and Iraqi newspapers to plant favorable stories about the war and the rebuilding effort.
Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a military spokesman in Iraq, said the program is "an important part of countering misinformation in the news by insurgents." A spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, however, called a report detailing the program troubling if true and said he was looking into the matter.
"This is a military program initiated with the Multi-National Force to help get factual information about ongoing operations into Iraqi news," Johnson said in an e-mail.
Details about the program were first reported Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times. It was the second time this year that Pentagon programs have come under scrutiny for reported payments made to journalists for favorable press.
Two other federal agencies have been investigated in the past year for similar activities, leading Congress' Government Accountability Office to condemn one -- the Education Department -- for engaging in illegal covert propaganda.
Military officials who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity said the Information Operations Task Force, based in Baghdad, bought an Iraqi newspaper and took over a radio station to put out pro-U.S. messages. Neither outlet was named out of fear that they would be targeted by insurgents, the newspaper said.
The stories in Iraqi newspapers often praise the efforts of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce terrorism and promote Iraq reconstruction efforts.
The Times quoted unnamed officials as saying some of the stories in Iraqi newspapers were written by U.S. troops and though basically factual, they sometimes give readers a slanted view of what is happening.
Defense Department officials didn't deny the report.
Rumsfeld spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "so this article raises some question as to whether or not some of the practices that are described in there are consistent with the principles of this department."
The Pentagon hired the Lincoln Group, a Washington-based firm that translates the stories into Arabic and places them in Baghdad newspapers, the newspaper said. Lincoln's staff or subcontractors in Iraq occasionally pose as freelance reporters or advertising executives when they hand stories to Iraqi news outlets, it said.
Laurie Adler, a spokeswoman for the Lincoln Group, said Wednesday she couldn't comment on the contract because it is with the U.S. government.
Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a military spokesman in Iraq, said the program is "an important part of countering misinformation in the news by insurgents." A spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, however, called a report detailing the program troubling if true and said he was looking into the matter.
"This is a military program initiated with the Multi-National Force to help get factual information about ongoing operations into Iraqi news," Johnson said in an e-mail.
Details about the program were first reported Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times. It was the second time this year that Pentagon programs have come under scrutiny for reported payments made to journalists for favorable press.
Two other federal agencies have been investigated in the past year for similar activities, leading Congress' Government Accountability Office to condemn one -- the Education Department -- for engaging in illegal covert propaganda.
Military officials who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity said the Information Operations Task Force, based in Baghdad, bought an Iraqi newspaper and took over a radio station to put out pro-U.S. messages. Neither outlet was named out of fear that they would be targeted by insurgents, the newspaper said.
The stories in Iraqi newspapers often praise the efforts of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce terrorism and promote Iraq reconstruction efforts.
The Times quoted unnamed officials as saying some of the stories in Iraqi newspapers were written by U.S. troops and though basically factual, they sometimes give readers a slanted view of what is happening.
Defense Department officials didn't deny the report.
Rumsfeld spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "so this article raises some question as to whether or not some of the practices that are described in there are consistent with the principles of this department."
The Pentagon hired the Lincoln Group, a Washington-based firm that translates the stories into Arabic and places them in Baghdad newspapers, the newspaper said. Lincoln's staff or subcontractors in Iraq occasionally pose as freelance reporters or advertising executives when they hand stories to Iraqi news outlets, it said.
Laurie Adler, a spokeswoman for the Lincoln Group, said Wednesday she couldn't comment on the contract because it is with the U.S. government.
anastia:
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