“Almost three-quarters of Americans think it was wrong for the Pentagon to pay Iraqi newspapers to publish news about U.S. efforts in Iraq, a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows.
“USA TODAY reported earlier this month that the Pentagon plans to expand beyond Iraq an anti-terrorism public relations campaign that has included secret payments to Iraqi journalists and publications who printed stories favourable to the USA. In some cases, the stories will be prepared by U.S. military personnel, as they have been in Iraq.
“The military will not always reveal it was behind the stories, said Mike Furlong, deputy director of the Joint Psychological Operations Support Element. The global program will be part of a five-year public relations campaign costing up to $300 million.”
The US has long been engaged in propaganda around the globe and Iraq is no different. I encourage the acts to continue, as it will only increase people’s cynicism of the American empire.