The Rathergate MSM is telling us about ethics now?
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Posted on 12/01/2005 7:40:56 PM PST by Former Military Chick
Just what sort of democratic principles are we exporting to Iraq? The Los Angeles Times reported this week that U.S. military officials are paying Iraqi newspapers to run canned, favorable "stories" that praise the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, laud the rebuilding efforts and denounce the insurgents.
While the White House was busy distancing itself from the controversy -- "We are seeking more information from the Pentagon," said spokesman Scott McClellan -- a senior military spokesman in Baghdad struck a bit closer to the mark.
Major Gen. Rick Lynch reminded reporters that terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had been told by an al-Qaida superior, "Remember, half the battle is the battlefield of the media."
Who's supposed to be teaching Iraqis journalistic ethics -- us or al-Zarqawi?
U.S. Sen. Hiram Johnson had it right in 1917: "The first casualty when war comes is truth."
Even the White House deferral to military commanders in Iraq seems disingenuous because the Times reports that the translation and placement of the stories is handled by a small Washington, D.C., firm called the Lincoln Group.
Richard Edelman, CEO of the Edelman public relations firm, rips the practice as "utterly unacceptable behavior" and told the Poynter Institute that it is "a perversion of our business, an intentional blurring of a clear demarcation between paid and earned media."
Here's a journalism lesson: If they're buying fake news, the real news must be really bad.
The DNC needs to pay!
>>>The Los Angeles Times reported this week that U.S. military officials are paying Iraqi newspapers to run canned, favorable "stories" that praise the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops<<<
However, it is okay to pay for stories that are unfavorable to the U.S. and Iraqi troops. Our media and newspapers do that all the time.
"U.S. military officials are paying Iraqi newspapers to run canned, favorable "stories" that praise the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, laud the rebuilding efforts and denounce the insurgents."
Bull, there is nothing fake about the news stories, but there is plenty that is fake about this editorial. If the culture over there is that one has to grease a few palms in order to get the truth out, so be it. When in Rome, do as the Romans.
As the premier experts for faking the news, the LMSM weighs in.
If it's the truth, there's nothing wrong. We shouldn't pay them to lie. But if the state of the media in Iraq is that they won't write anything unless they are paid, then we should pay them.
I doubt the Iraqis care about this story nearly as much as the LA Times does.
Bad title, I thought this was about the MSM.
MSM just pissing and moaning because the Iraqi's are not praising terrorists according to MSM template.
Propaganda is as much a tool of war as bullets. Good for them.
Someone needs to ask Mr. Edelman if he would characterize the work of Lowell Thomas and the Movietone News programs during World War II as "a perversion of our business".
I've yet to hear a single mention of the recent CNN debacle where we all learned that CNN actually paid Saddam cash money to be allowed to stay in Iraq and broadcast to the world. Saddam's conditions also required that CNN submit the stories to be broadcast for review and revision. CNN denied this report at first, then caved and admitted it. If this isn't world class hypocrisy, then I don't know the meaning of the word. As far as I am concerned, all media pigs that spout this crap should be thrashed in a public square. Liars one and all.
The Los Angeles Times reported this week that U.S. military officials are paying Iraqi newspapers to run canned, favorable "stories" that praise the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, laud the rebuilding efforts and denounce the insurgents."
Yes, this is a scandal!
The scandal is this: The print Al Qaed a propaganda for FREE ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1532428/posts
... and they refuse to admit their own bias, and then whine about pro-American bias when it is suggested they report fairly on what we are doing.
I will enjoy the decline and fall of the Liberal MSM empire.
It's only fair.
The MSN doesn't report good news from Iraq.
How much do they pay their reporters to put together their stories and send them off to the mainland?
Why not pay for good news too?
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