WP/AP: Pentagon will monitor "tone" of media stories on Iraq

[DeepModem Mom]

Pentagon Moves Toward Monitoring Media
MATTHEW PERRONE
The Associated Press
Thursday, August 31, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. command in Baghdad is seeking bidders for a two-year, $20 million public relations contract that calls for monitoring the tone of Iraq news stories filed by U.S. and foreign media.

Proposals, due Sept. 6, ask companies to show how they'll "provide continuous monitoring and near-real time reporting of Iraqi, pan-Arabic, international, and U.S. media," according to the solicitation issued last week....

***

Attempts by The Associated Press to contact officials connected to the project via telephone and e-mail were not successful Thursday night.

The program comes during what has appeared to be a White House effort, before the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, to take the offensive against critics at a time of doubt about the future of Iraq....

***

The military last year was criticized for a public relations program in Iraq that included hiring a consulting firm that paid Iraqi news media to carry news stories written by American troops....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/31/AR2006083101418.html

[charlie and algernon]

1. ...and it starts.....

war is peace


Freedom is slavery


ignorance is strength

[rodeodance]

7. and so it CONTINUES.

[wicket]

18. You got that right!

:grr:

[niallmac]

22. Ministry of Truth

...but forgive me. Some tell me here that "1984" is just so not relevant to today.
I think otherwise.

[helderheid]

2. so much for any shred left of the "free press"

[blm]

3. This past year since Katrina, some media's been lax in protecting BushInc

so now they are OFFICIALLY on "notice" by the fascists running the military now.

[bronxiteforever]

4. There is so much evil being done by this admin. I can't keep

track of it!!

[Jacobin]

5. And Daryn Kagan is leaving CNN to publish a 'good news' website

So now, the DOD is going to be funding fucking Rush Limpball's (ex?) girlfriend's lifestyle.

I'm so glad the 'adults are in charge' again.

:argh:

[rodeodance]

8. umm. It does make me wonder if she will apply for a grant?

[Jacobin]

12. I would bet money on it

Timing is very convenient. I've lost my tinfoil hat, but this just adds up

[rodeodance]

6. We have had several troops die (4-5 in one day)--during the last few

weeks, yet there is little coverage of this.

[Avalux]

11. troop deaths have INCREASED dramatically since last month. n/t

[Phredicles]

15. And the LA Times has been running "The Security Crackdown is Working"

stories the last several days. Well, until this morning, when an article on the latest, partcularly nasty carnage in Baghdad was tucked in the lower right corner of the front page.

[Hubert Flottz]

9. Bushland über alles

So we are paying the Bushco Propaganda Ministry to lie to us and the world.

Will the democrats in Washington raise hell about the frivolous spending of money, when our country is under the threat of the "CONSTANT TERRORIST ATTACK?"

[Justyce]

10. $20 million to monitor news stories?!

we already do that everyday for free... and provide plenty of feedback at no extra charge ;)

[spanone]

13. Ministry of Propaganda....20 million dollar taxpayers budget.

[jimshoes]

14. But Ted "Tubes" Stevens

puts a secret hold on a bill that would put gov contracts in a searchable database to see who's getting our tax dollars and for what for a mere $15 million. Maybe Russ Feingold or John Kerry can put a secret hold on this atrocity.

[gratuitous]

16. That's $15 million over five years . . .

The first year cost is estimated to be $4 million. Stevens wants to be sure we're not wasting money on the database, whose first-year cost wouldn't cover even a half hour of the occupation of Iraq at current prices. Ted, however, is nowhere on record as wanting to know whether that's a wise use of taxpayer dollars.

[suegeo]

17. Hitlerian horseshit

[dogday]

19. Das Boot from the Pentagon

Only acceptable stories will be allowed. We control the flow of information....

[bigtree]

20. trolling for wingers

[malaise]

21. Ah fugg them

This too will fail.