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 in the Iraqi press as unbiased news accounts written and reported by independent journalists. The stories trumpet the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce insurgents, and tout U.S.-led efforts to rebuild the country.
While 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.
The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military. The Pentagon has a contract with a small Washington-based firm whose 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 information operations campaign has sparked a backlash among some senior military officers, 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.
“Here we are trying to create the principles of democracy in Iraq. … And we’re breaking all the first principles of democracy when we’re doing it,” said a senior Pentagon official.
