Adam's Apple
Senior Member
- Apr 25, 2004
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I Am Shocked - Shocked!
By Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
December 12, 2005
What's this? The Pentagon is planting pro-American, anti-terrorist stories in the Iraqi press? It's even paying Iraqi papers to print them either as advertisements or editorials, and sometimes without revealing the source. There are even reports that foreign journalists might be on the American payroll!
Shocking. To quote John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee: "A free and independent press is critical to the functioning of a democracy, and I am concerned abut any actions which may erode the independence of the Iraqi media."
On the other hand, Sen. Warner recognizes the need to get our side of the story to the Iraqi people. "The disinformation that's going on in that country," says the senator, "is really affecting the effectiveness of what we're achieving, and we have no recourse but to try and do some rebuttal information."
And on the third hand . . . . Well, we all have a pretty good idea how this story is going to pan out, don't we? Indeed, by the time this column hits print, this little sandstorm may have passed and a consensus will have emerged: Yes, the forces of freedom, justice and the American Way need to plant stories in the Iraqi press but more subtly. And with more respect for journalistic norms. And above all, not get caught.
Unaccustomed as Americans are to remembering history, it might help restore perspective to recall another worldwide struggle against a dynamic ideology that was going to bury us:
for full article: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/greenberg121205.asp
By Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
December 12, 2005
What's this? The Pentagon is planting pro-American, anti-terrorist stories in the Iraqi press? It's even paying Iraqi papers to print them either as advertisements or editorials, and sometimes without revealing the source. There are even reports that foreign journalists might be on the American payroll!
Shocking. To quote John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee: "A free and independent press is critical to the functioning of a democracy, and I am concerned abut any actions which may erode the independence of the Iraqi media."
On the other hand, Sen. Warner recognizes the need to get our side of the story to the Iraqi people. "The disinformation that's going on in that country," says the senator, "is really affecting the effectiveness of what we're achieving, and we have no recourse but to try and do some rebuttal information."
And on the third hand . . . . Well, we all have a pretty good idea how this story is going to pan out, don't we? Indeed, by the time this column hits print, this little sandstorm may have passed and a consensus will have emerged: Yes, the forces of freedom, justice and the American Way need to plant stories in the Iraqi press but more subtly. And with more respect for journalistic norms. And above all, not get caught.
Unaccustomed as Americans are to remembering history, it might help restore perspective to recall another worldwide struggle against a dynamic ideology that was going to bury us:
for full article: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/greenberg121205.asp
