Article

2005-12-02 Iraq

US military defends planting news in Iraqi media

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Steve White 2005-12-02 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11132 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 "And the facts I have, I'm not sharing with you!"

"And if I tell you I have to kill you."

Posted by Creart Thart5123 2005-12-02 00:17|| 2005-12-02 00:17|| Front Page Top

#2 The Lefties are going gaga today over this issue as they see yet one more thing in liberal/ libertarian = Socialist, anti-Marxist Marxist anti-Commie Commie Clintonian Americana than sorely and grievously lacks any = insufficient US Federal-level, and only US Federal-level, oversight and secular Govt-centric regulatory control.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2005-12-02 00:31|| 2005-12-02 00:31|| Front Page Top

#3 On November 28th, the LA Times ran a story that uncritically accepted the white phosphorous == chemical weapons bullshit. They even repeated the lie that the US itself referred to WP as a "chemical weapon" -- the source of that quote was actually a transcript of a phone call between two Kurds.

Yesterday the AP -- and many radio and TV stations -- treated us to a planted story about Ramadi being taken over by the jihadis. The story was crap; apparently none of the supposedly professional reporters bothered to ask anyone who would know for sure before they ran with the story.

The LA Times and other press agencies routinely run false propaganda from our enemies. They expect us to be outraged over true propaganda from our government?

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-12-02 08:03|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-12-02 08:03|| Front Page Top

#4 N.B. Its ok if it is to help white Europeans as with Radio Free Europe or Voice of America, but to practice propaganda during wartime to help the little brown man is insufferable for the left and MSM.

MSM would rather pay a murderous dictator to carry his good news propaganda than to even give their own government support by actually reporting good news. Heck, they paid bribes to be the lackey scribes of Saddam.

Posted by Whease Glaitch2820 2005-12-02 08:31|| 2005-12-02 08:31|| Front Page Top

#5 Pity the US military doesn't have a small fraction the press access Saddam's Mukhabarat still has with the press corps. The same Mukhabarat agents who were the western press's minders, gofers, news sources, photographers, drivers, security are still at their jobs, only now the western press pays them and eagerly publishes their propaganda (e.g. yesterday's "massive offensive" in Ramadi).

The best solution is acknowledge the reality that the press are participants in this war and shoot the unfriendlies on sight.

Posted by ed 2005-12-02 08:45|| 2005-12-02 08:45|| Front Page Top

#6 And this take shows that a hundred years makes no difference -

Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman was a good hater, and he hated few things more than newspapermen. His encounter with the correspondent Floras B. Plympton of the Cincinnati Commercial in September 1861, five months into the Civil War, was typical. Plympton approached the general on a railroad platform in Kentucky and asked him for an interview. He handed over letters of introduction, including one from Shermanâs brother-in-law. Shermanâs response was a fierce glare and the demand that Plympton take the next train back to Louisville and out of the war zone. âBe sure you take it; donât let me see you around here after itâs gone!â

âBut, General!â Plympton protested. âThe people are anxious. Iâm only after the truth.â

âWe donât want the truth told about things hereâthatâs what we donât want! Truth, eh? No, sir! We donât want the enemy any better informed than he is. Make no mistake about that train!â

As the war progressed, Sherman warmed to his theme that the press was a âset of dirty newspaper scribblers who have the impudence of Satanââdefamers of the army and publishers of military secrets for which they deserved punishment as spies...

Posted by Thrumble Grereng2202 2005-12-02 09:59|| 2005-12-02 09:59|| Front Page Top

#7 What was it Sherman said? If we killed all the reporters, we'd be getting dispatches from Hell before breakfast?

Posted by Bobby 2005-12-02 12:26|| 2005-12-02 12:26|| Front Page Top

#8 If we killed all the reporters, we'd be getting dispatches from Hell before breakfast? That's a keeper!

Posted by 2b 2005-12-02 21:59|| 2005-12-02 21:59|| Front Page Top

23:34 CrazyFool
23:16 Old Patriot
23:00 Black Powa!
22:49 DMFD
22:44 AzCat
22:43 Frank G
22:13 jules 2
21:59 2b
21:50 2b
21:35 JosephMendiola
21:32 2b
21:29 Seafarious
21:26 JosephMendiola
21:23 JosephMendiola
21:19 JosephMendiola
21:16 JerseyMike
21:13 3dc
21:07 Frank G
21:03 lotp
21:02 Red Dog
20:54 49 pan
20:44 BangkokBilly
20:20 49 pan
20:18 mjslack