Pro-war Propaganda in the foreign press (not merely Iraq)?

[zaj]

I thought remember a big flap about the CIA/Pentagon planting fake pro-war news stories in the foreign press (aside from the propaganda in the Iraqi press).

Am I making this up, or has there been actual reporting on this that I couldn't find?

[Atman]

1. Never mind the foreign press...what about our own media?

Lost among the many other evil-doings lost among the recent BushCo scandals, there remain the supposed newspeople/commentators/male escorts found to have been paid moles infiltrating the American media machine. Gannon, Williams et al are just the ones we found out about. Listening to the likes of Kyra Phillips or the instant-bimbos who pop up out of nowhere to become world renowned "journalists" during spring sweeps week...jesus, how about pretty boy Bill Hemmer? Don't tell me he doesn't get the ocassional fruit basket from the Information Office every now and then! Fuck the foreign press. At least some of them will actually investigate and report about what is going on in the United States. No one believes anything good said about us anymore, anyway, so don't sweat it. It's now all assumed to be lies. That was part of BushCo's goal, to evicerate the credibility of the press to the point where even the most sacred journals can no longer be trusted. So far, they've done a masterful job. This is ultimately what "stay the course" is all about...just stick with your plan...sure they've been caught red-handed paying off journalists and planting fake stories, but dammit, it didn't stop 'em! Just keep doing it. It almost makes the subsequent lies more credible, as I'd bet a certain portion of the population believes that Bush couldn't possibly still be planting fake stories, since he's been caught and said he wouldn't do it again. BRILLIANT!

Hell, foreigners already publish some of our biggest papers, and we've learned not to trust them (ahem, are you listening Rupert?). Same thing will happen over there. The people will quickly ferret out the bogus stuff. And eventually they'll just stop reading the newspapers altogether.

BRILLIANT, W!

[zaj]

2. bump... just wondering if I dreamed this up...

... and the only reported story was related to Iraq.

[neweurope]

3. No, you didn't, I remember it, also. Even remember a horridly high sum was

to be spent on it. And I've been wondering for awhile if not some German journalists were being paid by the Bushistas all along.

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Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[sabra]

4. interesting you ask... check out this report that just came out:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N22352695.htm

US halts Arabic magazine meant to boost US image

WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The United States has suspended publishing a lifestyle magazine aimed at improving America's image abroad among young Arabs, in a further sign of troubled U.S. public diplomacy efforts.

The State Department, which sponsors the $4.5 million annual publication and distribution throughout the Arab world of the Arabic-language magazine "Hi," said on Thursday it stopped the presses because it was unclear how widely it was read.

A series of studies in the United States have criticized U.S.-funded Arabic-langauge media, such as Radio Sawa and the satellite TV station Alhurra, for failing to attract a large audience.

U.S. officials made a push to boost America's image among Arabs and Muslims after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. But the efforts have been hampered because many Arabs strenuously object to U.S. foreign policies, particularly over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraq war.