Submitted by Laura Miller on
The Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius once wrote, "The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them knows anything about the subject." The editorial board of the Des Moines Register writes, "That is the quote that comes to mind now that a new poll reveals many Americans are misinformed about Iraq." The fact that Americans don't know the truth about the basics is "downright scary.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Five days before the war began in Iraq, Rand Beers resigned his White House job as special assistant to the president for combating terrorism. "The administration wasn't matching its deeds to its words in the war on terrorism. They're making us less secure, not more secure," Beers told reporter Laura Blumenfeld. "As an insider, I saw the things that weren't being done.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
Victoria "Torie" Clarke is resigning from her position as Department of Defense assistant secretary for public affairs. Clarke says she's leaving her top spot as Pentagon spin doctor for personal reasons.
Submitted by John Stauber on
"In its letters to Private Lynch's family and officials at the medical center, obtained by The New York Times, CBS News combined its pitch for a two-hour documentary with many other projects envisioned by the other divisions of its corporate parent,
Viacom. In the process, CBS renewed concerns among critics about the independence of news divisions owned by media giants. 'Attached you will find the outlines of a proposal that
includes ideas from CBS News, CBS Entertainment, MTV
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Morale among U.S. troops in Iraq is suffering as they find themselves "locked into an increasingly serious battle against guerrilla snipers and bombers who stage regular hit-and-run attacks," reports Edmund L. Andrews.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Derrick Z. Jackson examines the "numbing prattle" from US military officials "about the precision of our weaponry, precaution to avoid needless carnage, and promises to investigate possible mistakes." During the war, officials said pledged investigations into civilian casualties, but are now admitting that the "investigations" were never conducted. A recent Associated Press report counted more than 3,000 civilian deaths.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"President Bush's recent claim that weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq highlights two disturbing trends in rhetoric from the White House," observes Bryan Keefer. The first "is the Bush administration's record of factual misstatements and distortions.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
"The US army has launched a glossy patriotic magazine to rally its 3rd
Infantry Division, whose troops face hostile action in the badlands of
western Iraq a full two months after Saddam Hussein's ouster," Agence France-Press reports. "Called the 'Liberator', the 16-page in-house publication carries rousing reports from the field to win over homesick troops who might be doubting the rationale for the US presence more than six months after they first arrived
in Kuwait to train for the invasion."
Submitted by Laura Miller on
"Journalists and government officials complained last week that the Bush administration has virtually abandoned its public affairs operation in Baghdad," PR Week reports. "Moroccan ambassador Margaret Tutwiler was sent to oversee the operation in April after major hostilities ended. But according to administration sources, she returned to Morocco within a month.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The Bush administration distorted intelligence and presented conjecture as evidence to justify a US invasion of Iraq, said Greg Thielmann, who served as director of the strategic, proliferation, and military issues office in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research during the months before the war. "What disturbs me deeply is what I think are the disingenuous statements made from the very top about what the intelligence did say," said Thielmann. "The area of distortion was greatest in the nuclear field."
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