Military Will Keep Planting Articles in Iraq
The ranking U.S. general there says a Pentagon review found the program does not violate policy. It could be replicated elsewhere.
By Mark Mazzetti Times Staff Writer
March 4, 2006
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military plans to continue paying Iraqi newspapers to publish articles favorable to the United States after an inquiry found no fault with the controversial practice, the top U.S. general in Iraq said Friday.
Army Gen. George W. Casey said the internal review had concluded that the U.S. military was not violating U.S. law or Pentagon guidelines with the information operations campaign, in which U.S. troops and a private contractor write pro-American articles and pay to have them planted without attribution in Iraqi media.
"By and large, it found that we were operating within our authorities and responsibilities," Casey said, adding that he had no intention of shutting the program down.
more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-infowar4mar04,1,5394982.story -- Jim Devine / Bust Big Brother Bush! "America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between." -- Oscar Wilde.