Pentagon to offer direct news service

[JoFerret]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3798912,00.html

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AP) - The U.S. military will launch its own news service in Iraq and Afghanistan to send military video, text and photos directly to the Internet or news outlets.

The $6.3 million project, expected to begin operating in April, is one of the largest military public affairs projects in recent memory, and is intended to allow small media outlets in the United States and elsewhere to bypass what the Pentagon views as an increasingly combative press corps.

U.S. officials have complained that Iraq-based media focuses on catastrophic events such as car bombs and soldiers' deaths, while giving short shrift to U.S. rebuilding efforts.
....
The project, called Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System or DVIDS, will also give the Pentagon more control of the coverage when calamities do happen.

Army camera teams will be able to use their access to battle zones or military bases to film the aftermath of rebel attacks on U.S. troops - or U.S. raids on insurgent targets - and then offer free pictures to news outlets within two hours.

At times civilian media are kept away from such events.

<<more>>

[DuctapeFatwa]

1. At last the poor deluded Arabs will be able to see the truth instead of

being deceived by their lying eyes and the anti-American propaganda of the missiles crashing through their roofs, shredding their children.

[Dover]

2. Is this the kind of crap that our trillions in defense spending are going

into? About as bogus as that live embedded soldier program they were going to air that had a shelf life of one program because it stunk of propaganda. Instead they got network news anchors to play those roles.

Of course with all our hard earned money to play with, what do they care? They're not ultimately accountable to us.

[gmoney]

3. Police-State Run Media

Freedom is Slavery.
Ignorance is Strength.
Pigs is Chickens.

[wuushew]

4. What a joke

Those caskets coming home won't be from a school rebuilding accident.

[MO_Dem]

5. Oh, goody, goody!

I bet we finally get to see pictures of Iraqis greeting US soldiers with flowers! (she wrote sarcastically)

[JoFerret]

6. All the news Rummy and Ashcroft...Pentagon already at it

see fit to print and air.

Looks like they are already at it: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1055674.htm

Bin Laden arrest claims false - Pentagon