http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/world/13289155.htm

 Posted on Wed, Nov. 30, 2005

Iraqi papers paid to print articles favorable to U.S.

By Mark Mazzetti And Borzou Daragahi

LOS ANGELES TIMES


WASHINGTON - As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military 
is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American 
troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq.

The articles, written by U.S. military "information operations" troops, are 
translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of a 
defense contractor, according to U.S. military officials and documents 
obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

Many of the articles are presented as unbiased news accounts by independent 
journalists. The stories trumpet the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce 
insurgents, and tout U.S.-led rebuilding efforts.

Although the articles are basically truthful, they present only one side of 
events and omit information that might reflect poorly on the U.S. or Iraqi 
governments, officials said. Records and interviews indicate that the U.S. 
has paid Iraqi newspapers to run dozens of such articles since the effort 
began this year.

The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military. The 
Pentagon has a contract with a small Washington-based firm called Lincoln 
Group, which helps translate and place the stories. The Lincoln Group's 
Iraqi staff, or its subcontractors, sometimes pose as freelance reporters or 
advertising executives when they deliver the stories to Baghdad media 
outlets.

The military's effort to disseminate propaganda in the Iraqi media is taking 
place even as U.S. officials are vowing to promote democratic principles, 
political transparency and freedom of speech to a country emerging from 
decades of dictatorship and corruption.

It comes as the State Department is training Iraqi reporters in basic 
journalism skills and Western media ethics, including one workshop titled 
"The Role of Press in a Democratic Society."

Underscoring the importance U.S. officials place on development of a 
Western-style media, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday cited the 
proliferation of news organizations in Iraq as one of the country's great 
successes since the ouster of Saddam Hussein.

The hundreds of newspapers, television stations and other "free media" offer 
a "relief valve" for the Iraqi public to debate the issues of their 
burgeoning democracy, Rumsfeld said.

The military's information operations campaign has sparked a backlash among 
some senior military officers in Iraq and at the Pentagon who argue that 
attempts to subvert the news media could destroy the U.S. military's 
credibility both in foreign nations and with the American public.