State Department diplomatic cables released this week by WikiLeaks reveal propaganda efforts aimed at countering negative public perceptions about American wars and the torture regime in Guantánamo Bay detention center.
One cable detailed a trip to the Sudan by US Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture Tony Hall aimed at “spotlight[ing] the U.S. Government’s role as a humanitarian leader.”
“Facing off in a world media environment dominated by themes like Iraq and terrorism, USUN-Rome mounted a month-long blitz that promoted a positive American story,” reads the cable. The trip entailed “a coordinated media outreach plan” that “reached targeted audiences in Europe and the Muslim world with the story of U.S. generosity.”
The cable notes that the UN delegation’s officers “worked to ensure that the Ambassador’s party included journalists from The Washington Post, Cox News Service, VOA, The Economist, Sunday Times of London and Knight-Ridder.” And another “press conference organized by the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum produced additional coverage by the Associated Press, Agence France- Presse, Al Ayam, Alwan, Sudan Tribune and Middle East Broadcasting Corp.”
Summarizing the Ambassador’s visit to the starving and war-ravaged Sudan, the cable notes approvingly that the positive media attention achieved the mission’s goal. “Together, these efforts reflect the mission’s goal of taking the offense to win hearts and minds by making the stories and bringing them to journalists – and not the other way around.”
In another, much more specific case of propaganda and control of disseminated information, the US Embassy in Bahrain provided an “action request” to the Bahraini government to lie about the treatment of an innocent Bahraini man in custody in the Guantánamo Bay detention facility.
Press reports published in October 2005 detailed the torture an abuse of Bahraini detainee Juma al-Dossary, including forced nudity, sexual abuse, and solitary confinement without charge or trial. The reports noted that al Dossary, among others, had resorted to going on a hunger strike in response to his treatment.
In response to the media exposure of the mistreatment, the US Embassy contacted the Bahraini government to make an “action request” for “talking points” to relay to the Bahraini public and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Embassy has talking points on the hunger strikes,” the cable reads “but requests talking points to respond publicly to questions about the treatment of al-Dossary, as well as any points that could be conveyed privately to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to the diplomatic note.”
Shortly after this action request was made, the Embassy put out a statement denying that al-Dossary was abused or that he was kept in solitary confinement. The statement also claimed that al-Dossary had access to excellent medical care, and insisted that the treatment of detainees held in Guantánamo Bay were “humane.”
As the release of these diplomatic cables prove, the US government undoubtedly engages in massive amounts of conscious deception in order to coax public opinion away from a reality-based understanding of US policy. The strategy is to spin media attention toward reporting that US policy mimics humanitarian concern, but not to actually move US policy in a more humanitarian direction.
There was a day when the press served as a "broker for truth" in the dirty political world. Today, much of the main stream medai have lost all appetite for getting to the truthful bottom of matters and agree to sell to the public the message that governments want them to believe. The days of the Fifth Estate are long gone. And with most of the major American press owned and controlled by pro-Israeli million aires and billionaires, you can be sure that no story about the Middle East conflict will be the real truth. I get the most honest news on world matters from the BBC and Al-Jezeera, and of course from the posting on antiwar.com.
someone msut be delusional if he thinks that bbc and al jareeza tell anything but rbitish propaganda and lies having been infiltrated by british lair journalists in al jareeza.
Allowing british journalists is very dangerous-they are the spies working to destabilise al countries not under them.
10/02/2011, 00:08
besides whenever the english journalists infiltrate the news media or forum the news become propaganda for the english interest only. The same happend with CNn and is happening with al jareeza where english journalists infiltrated.
Another example is Russia today where the english journalists have hijacked the agenda of Russian tv.
Just one example out of thousand as to how much the english journalists do the propaganda for england even in Russian tv.
Today while interviewing an American about the money and corruption of Mubarak and his cronies with american support-the american lady was lashing out at american corruption and collaboration with dictatorial mubarak regime- then the newscaster of Russia today with name of some the some dudley guy(obviusly from england) said "but then such ally of usa in egypt like mubarak brings stablility and help to the west and thus is it not a good thing instead of bothering about corruption?"
Here is the newscaster of Russian tv but is pimping for English (west is code word for anglosaxon) interest even when he admits that is corruption and against democracy for Egyptians!
I'd venture that outside of Juanito Cole, there aren't too many Americans believe word one the US State Department would have to say about anything.
Juan Cole is turning out to be an embarrassment to those of us dedicated to peace and an evenhanded approach to problems…. However we should NOT write him off because none of us are perfect and we all have bad days, dates luncheons and wars as well…. What is the REAL goal in Lybia…???
A couple of whoppers here.
Susan Rice ….. "Gadahfi was going to kill 200,000 civilians" This after his Gadhafi soldiers died after defending a weapons store but had shot several rioter before succumbing to numbers.
"Gadhaffi is bombing his people" Going back over news reports the bombing occurred of an amunition dump rather than have rebels loot it.
Repeat a lie often enough and people start believing it. Some believe it dosen't matter what.
We saw this technique used on a massive scale during the skulduggerous run up to the invasion of Iraq, where Cheney's office would plant lies in the national press and then quote from the newspapers once the lies had been published, all to support their assertions.
The fact that these people have to put so much effort into deceiving a general public which remains rooted in the 'reality based community' and that in general still understands that torture is wrong is surely an encouraging sign.
As for Libya; the world is running out of water and oil, and Libya still has plenty of both, and this NATO exercise shows us that NATO has evolved into a new acronym: 'New Alternatives To Occupation'.
Israel no doubt will also be happy to see another dictator and enabler for the private constituency emerge, The turbulence in Egypt must trouble the Israel leadership deeply, and the new Libyan leadership will therefore play an important role in the pincer movement designed to crush the threat of democracy emerging there.
So much for the news media that likes to tell us how they act as a public watchdog with regard to government.
The tip of the iceberg. We need to learn more about hoe this is done- especially the part targetting US citizens whose ignorance and misperceptions are crucial to Empire.
As fo Juan Cole, he is a long time "consultant" to the CIA.
you hear this if you have friends who have friends who travel or live overseas – they all will tell you that they can't believe the lies that our media tells us – one ridiculous whopper after another
I believe we are among the most heavily propagandized people in the world – next to North Korea
The current philosophy of Journalism requires that "journalists" who intend to work in and around the government relinquish the age old emphasis on investigative journalism – you know, where a "journalist" actually worked to uncover the bad things that bad people do – like the government – and succumb to the supposed necessity to kneel and kowtow to the governmental toadies in order to guarantee access – and the promise of real information that that access alludes to. Journalists today are nothing more than sycophants. And the American people are left to wonder what the truth really is. The sad part is many, many people don't even bother to wonder whether they're getting the truth – they really don't want to know.
The cachet released yesterday was very, very interesting. It showed how the vultures plotting the invasion of Libya since 2008, how the Israelis took an active part in the Shrub's theft of two presidential elections and the blowback to the US during the bombing of Lebanon by Israel back in 2006.
Thumbing Through WikiLeaks' Fresh Batch of Diplomatic
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/08/thu…
I particularly like this piece, people calling in to give the US embassy a piece of their mind for their hypocrisy:
"The U.S. "Ask an Ambassador" query attracted some insults in Israel. "Most messages condemned the U.S. for "double standard" policies, with some asking why the U.S. did not take action to stop Israel. One message read, "Stop the Israeli violence in Lebanon. Zionist barbarians are killing babies. You are not a super power; only a super Masonic puppy." "
"The trip entailed “a coordinated media outreach plan” that “reached targeted audiences in Europe and the Muslim world with the story of U.S. generosity.”"
Oh, but…but…but…the US IS generous. Particularly to the Arab/Muslim world. Look, they've just bestowed over 4 trillion tax payer bucks on them over the past decade. So what is that was if it was in the form of bombs, depleted uranium and other weapons of mass destruction? It's the thought that counts, ain't it?
Thank you WikiLeaks for this and other truths. Keep them coming.
Is this suppose to be a surprise? It is always best to assume anything coming out of the mouth of an official of the US government is either propaganda or a lie until proven otherwise.
The US has the best liers and we all seen the torture at gitmo in pictures.Along with all the illegal things Israel does.There is many things we don't see we probably only see 1 one hundredth of the crimes commited.It sad but the only way it will end is most likley through the biggest war the worlds ever seen.Witch most likely will turn nucular.Freedom is as important as life and since there has been man kind billions have died for freedom the thing worth risking your life for.Because we are leaving this world to are children and future generations.They deserve a world were violence is rare on the world level.And police and governments need to worrie about making the world better not more violent.Bring treoops home and gaurd your country instead of making more enemys for the crimes you commite witch is making the world less safe every day.The hole world needs to wake up not just the few.
What a sad commentary on our country that we view being able to get other peoples of the world to believe our lies is a mark of accomplishment and real success.
That's how psychopaths operate.
Somebody is making a fortune selling Smoke and Mirrors to the US government and military- and the buyers are getting every last dollar's worth of use out of them.
Part of me yearns for Walter Cronkite to rise from the grave and deliver a repeat of his 'We are mired in a stalemate" report of Feb '68. I have a feeling that would be the government's worst nightmare.
Leading up to the war on Libya, all sorts of inaccurate reports were fabricated by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Sky News, CNN, and other major networks. For example Al Jazeera reported that Shokri Ghanem, a top energy official in Libya, had fled Libya, but Reuters confirmed that this was not true. [21] Ghamen protested to Al Jazeera’s misreporting in an interview with Reuters: “‘This is not true, I am in my office and I will be on TV in a few minutes’ Ghamen said by telephone.” [22]
Members of British SAS caught and arrested by Basra police in Iraq for planing to detonate explosives in a public area dressed as locals.
It has to also be emphasized that Britain sent commandos into Iraq that were disguised as local Arabs to bomb local mosques and areas with civilians in order to create sectarian fighting amongst the Iraqis. [20] It is not beyond the realm of possibility that this is also being replicated amongst the Libyans and other Arab peoples in order to divide them and to fuel civil strife. Nor should the doctored pictures made by Britain and the U.S. about Iraqis greeting Anglo-American forces as liberators be forgotten either.
* Video of one soldier purportedly confessing to being shot in the back by security forces and linked to by the Guardian has been completely misconstrued. The Guardian irresponsibly repeats a false interpretation of the video provided by an informant.
1. This is what the Guardian writes: “Footage on YouTube shows an injured soldier saying he was shot in the back by security forces.”
The video does not “support” the story that the Guardian says it does. The soldier denies that he was ordered to fire on people. Instead, he says he was on his way to Banyas to enforce security. He does not say that he was shot at by government agents or soldiers. In fact he denies it. The interviewer tries to put words in his mouth but the soldier clearly denies the story that the interviewer is trying to make him confess to. In the video, the wounded soldier is surrounded by people who are trying to get him to say that he was shot by a military officer. The soldier says clearly, “They [our superiors] told us, ‘Shoot at them IF they shoot at you.’”
The Guardian’s pseudonymous reporter in Damascus reported the allegations, incorrect, at least in the matter of the injured soldier shown on Youtube, and used the allegation to paint a dire picture of a military and a regime facing disintegration:
Syrian soldiers shot for refusing to fire on protesters.
Katherine Marsh – a pseudonym – in Damascus
guardian, Tuesday 12 April 2011
Witnesses told al-Jazeera and the BBC that some soldiers had refused to shoot after the army moved into Banias in the wake of intense protests on Friday.
All lies-so gaudian bbc and al jareeza which has been infiltrated by the rbitish fraud journalists are all telling lies as expected from the british crew.