Posted on 10/03/2010 12:15:40 PM PDT by RandysRight
The U.S. Army has used local television stations in the U.S. as training posts for some of its psychological-operations personnel, The Upshot has learned. Since at least 2001, both WRAL, a CBS affiliate in Raleigh, N.C., and WTOC, a CBS affiliate in Savannah, Ga., have regularly hosted active-duty soldiers from the Army’s 4th Psychological Operations group as part of the Army’s Training With Industry program. Training With Industry is designed to offer career soldiers a chance to pick up skills through internships and fellowships with private businesses. The PSYOPS soldiers used WRAL and WTOC to learn broadcasting and communications expertise that they could apply in their mission, as the Army describes it, of “influenc[ing] the emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign audiences.”
WRAL and WTOC were on a list of participants in the Army’s Training With Industry program provided to The Upshot in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, and a spokeswoman with the Army’s Human Resources Command confirmed that PSYOPS soldiers worked at the stations.
“Both of those stations are very supportive of the military, and think very highly of the program,” said Lt. Col. Stacy Bathrick. “Our officers are there to learn best practices in terms of programming and production side that they can use when they deploy. To be able to get hands-on interaction with a news station — there’s nothing like that.” Bathrick said the soldiers were never involved in newsgathering.
The relationship between PSYOPS, Training With Industry, and television news operations has stirred controversy in the past. In 2000, after a Dutch newspaper reported that PSYOPS troops had been placed in CNN’s newsroom under the program, CNN discontinued the internships and admitted that they had been a mistake. “It was inappropriate for PSYOPS personnel to be at CNN, they are not here now, and they never again will be at CNN,” a spokesperson said at the time.
WRAL’s news director, Rick Gall, feels differently. “My sense was, this was an educational opportunity to see how the broadcasting industry operates,” said Gall. “They’d spend time in the various departments of the station, including the newsroom. I wasn’t concerned about having someone learn what we do, and there was no influence on newsgathering. It was like shadowing.” WRAL is owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company, which owns a variety of media outlets in North Carolina. Gall said WRAL hasn’t hosted a soldier — which he described as an “embed” — since 2007. According to Bathrick, the Army’s relationship with WTOC in Savannah is ongoing — a PSYOPS officer is currently embedded there. Bill Cathcart, WTOC’s vice president and general manager, did not return phone calls or an e-mail seeking comment. WTOC is owned by Raycom Media, a television chain based in Alabama.
WRAL and WTOC are not alone among media outlets that the U.S. military has sought to learn from through Training With Industry. The Upshot has previously reported that the Marine Corps placed public affairs officers with the Chicago Tribune for several years in order to better understand how to influence and work with the news media, and CNNMoney.com hosted an officer in 2007 and 2008, despite the network’s embarrassment over the program in 2000.
ALL of TV uses psyops on the public. The idiots keep watching. Backed by Saudi money with constant messages of the religion of peace.
Gotta get their civilian broadcast training somewhere.
I understand your crusade against TV, but I am switching between Titans football and Nascar and have yet to know what the hell you are talking about.
Apparently we’re stupid for owning TVs.
I’m switching back and forth between the last Tiger game of the season and the race while surfing FRee Republic.
“…PSYOPS…”
Well over 90% of TV is disinformation and deliberate propaganda directed against American publics; from news to daytime and evening shows to medical,law, police and pop-culture programming. In fact, if one watches European Shows, you will see a multitude of biases aimed against the United States including the number #1 claim of the U.S. being the enemy of the world.
Yea, I forgot that last one. I’m such a spoiled brat!
Hit count suffering today?
Welcome to FR, and where is your YouTube link?
C’mon Bean, hit the ping list. You know it.
LOL.
I don’t feel so bad for wondering what the ALERT was all about.
Most folks don’t take the tv media too seriously unless it is a natural disaster and we happen to be in the middle of it.
TV for entertainment on a down day is enjoyable for many. It is good to rest the mind of stress.
Seems the manic alarmists/end of the world/their coming to get us Freepers tend to ramp up once a month and then simmer back down.
Another manic Monday?
I don’t know....
We are going out in the rare warm sunny fall weather.
Been listening to Fox and fiends all morning and napping.
True.
Some TV news Doctor was saying when we get our flu shot have them give part of the dose and wait 10 minutes to see if you have a reaction.
Then proceed with the rest of the dose/shot.
You know what our community flu shot nurse(nice gal) would do if I insisted on doing that.
She’d tell me to quit being a pain in the ass and either getter done or go.
Sometimes those flu shot lines can be long if you go at the wrong time.
It’s not so much taking what we already know are motly lies as serious truth, it’s the suble effect in your thinking that they want to accomplish-and that is what they have done to us over the last few years. POP CULTURE=CRAP!
Bread and circuses. The slow boiling of the masses. Endless polical correctness on TV and Hollywood - Islam-good, Christians-bad. Every cable/sat Tv monthly bill is divided up $5 per network.
Saudi shareholders or mega deals with all the networks. The same “investors” are funding the victory mosque in NYC and all the mosques built in the west.
The people in the west are easily fool. It is happening here just like it happened in the UK.
Help! I’m getting sucked in to Andy Griffith propaganda!!! I may start wearing dresses to the market and gossiping with the neighbor lady. Or worse, teaching my son life lessons based on small misunderstandings and mistakes. /s
Whatever your majesty. What came first racing or TV, Football or TV, sporting events or TV. I’ll watch my sports, you watch or not, TV. If you have just found out that TV is a medium for sales, good for you. Calling me stupid is kinda stupid.
Here kitty kitty...
Sniff...
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