Abu Propaganda

The Times is running their 2nd story on the front of their website on the US engaging in the information war in Iraq.

The military acknowledged Friday in a briefing for a ranking Senate Republican that news articles written by American troops had been placed as paid advertisements in the Iraqi news media and not always properly identified.

Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters after receiving a 25-minute briefing from officials at the Pentagon that senior commanders in Iraq were trying to get to the bottom of a program that apparently also paid monthly stipends to friendly Iraqi journalists.

Mr. Warner said there had been no indications yet that the paid propaganda had been false. But he said that disclosures that an American company, under contract to the Pentagon, was making secret payments to plant articles with positive messages about the United States military mission could undermine the Bush administration's goals in Iraq and jeopardize Iraq's developing democratic institutions. "I remain gravely concerned about the situation," he said.

He said he had been told that the articles or advertisements were intended to counter disinformation in the Iraqi news media that was hurting the American military's efforts to stabilize the country.

So what's the problem? What's the next Times headline?

US Admits Military Uses Real Bullets

Detainees File Grievance Over "No Do-Over" Rule

10 Baby Killing Capitalists Dead After Martyr Sacrifices Self

Their media have been killing us for decades. If we fought back like this before we might not ever have had to send soldiers. This is a war. Somebody should tell that to the Times.

(linked to Wizbang! )