Military admits planting news in Iraq

Saturday, December 3, 2005

U.S. military officials have now confirmed that the U.S. military has been paying Iraqi newspapers to publish positive news about U.S. efforts in Iraq. This confirms the report that the Los Angeles Times broke last week.

Earlier this year, the Bush administration came under criticism for distributing videos and news stories in the United States without identifying the federal government as its source, and paying American journalists to promote administration policies. The Government Accountability Office has characterized these practices as "covert propaganda."

Sources

Josh White and Bradley Graham. "Military Says It Paid Iraq Papers for News" — Washington Post, December 3, 2005
Lolita C. Baldor. "U.S. propaganda effort described" — Detroit Free Press, December 3, 2005

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