WASHINGTON, 2 December 2005 — Besieged by reports of a secret news campaign in which the US military has been paying Iraqi newspapers and journalists to plant favorable stories about the war and the reconstruction effort in Iraq, the White House said yesterday it was “very concerned.”
“We are seeking more information from the Pentagon,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
McClellan said Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, indicated, “it was news to him, as well.”
The alleged secret “good news” media campaign is part of multi-million dollar covert campaign by the Pentagon, that has been secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American military public affairs officers in an effort to enhance the US mission in Iraq.
The articles were translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of a defense contractor, according to US military officials and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times, which broke the story on Wednesday.
The LA Times quoted unidentified officials as saying that some of the stories in Iraqi newspapers were written by US troops and while basically factual, sometimes gave readers a slanted view of what was happening in Iraq.
Several of the officials expressed fear that use of such stories could hurt the US military’s already shaky image overseas and here at home.
“At issue is the US military’s credibility and the legitimate use of information that is factual and used properly,” a Pentagon official told Arab News on the condition of anonymity. “This is for the consumption of Iraqi readers to make them feel better of what’s going on in their country. But these stories could have ricocheted and become counterproductive if used by foreign news organizations. The stories could ‘blow back’ to the US press, as there is no way to contain this kind of information once it’s out there in the public,” the official said.
Defense Department officials did not deny the story’s allegations, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld representative Bryan Whitman said he was looking into the program.
Many of the articles, presented as unbiased news accounts written and reported by independent journalists, allegedly focused on positive work between US and Iraqi troops, denounced insurgents and praised US-led efforts to rebuild the country.
Other newspapers reported yesterday that the US military’s information operations have been far more extensive.
Defense officials told journalists, on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation, that the effort also allegedly includes US psychological-warfare officers who have been involved in writing news releases and drafting media strategies for top commanders.
On at least one occasion, psychological-warfare specialists have taken a group of foreign journalists on a tour of Iraq’s border with Syria, a route used by terrorists and arms smugglers, one of the officials said. Usually, these duties are the responsibility of military public-affairs officers.
The LA Times said it based its story on interviews with US military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity and with Iraqi newspaper employees, as well as documents it obtained.
A defense contractor, a Washington-based public relations firm called the Lincoln Group, helped translate the stories and used staff or subcontractors posing as freelance journalists or advertising executives to bring them to Iraqi media outlets, the Times reported.
The Times depicted the stories as “basically factual,” but said they omitted information that might not reflect well upon the United States or the US-backed Iraqi government.
The newspaper also reported that the “Information Operations Task Force” in Baghdad has bought an Iraqi newspaper and taken control of a radio station, and was using them to disseminate pro-American views as well.
The news marked the second time this year that Pentagon programs have come under scrutiny for reported payments made to journalists for favorable press.
The Bush Administration was embarrassed early this year when it was disclosed that the Education Department had paid commentator Armstrong Williams $240,000 to tout President George W. Bush’s landmark education plan, “No Child Left Behind
Two other federal agencies were investigated this past year for similar activities, leading Congress’ Government Accountability Office to condemn one, the Education Department, for engaging in illegal covert propaganda.
Members of Congress on Wednesday called for an investigation.
