Pentagon rolls out stealth PR

By Matt Kelley, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - A $300 million Pentagon psychological warfare operation
includes plans for placing pro-American messages in foreign media
outlets without disclosing the U.S. government as the source, one 
of the military officials in charge of the program says.

Run by psychological warfare experts at the U.S. Special Operations
Command, the media campaign is being designed to counter terrorist
ideology and sway foreign audiences to support American policies. 
The military wants to fight the information war against al-Qaeda 
through newspapers, websites, radio, television and "novelty items" 
such as T-shirts and bumper stickers.

The program will operate throughout the world, including in allied
nations and in countries where the United States is not involved in
armed conflict.

The description of the program by Mike Furlong, deputy director of 
the Joint Psychological Operations Support Element, provides the 
most detailed look to date at the Pentagon's global campaign.

The three companies handling the campaign include the Lincoln Group,
the company being investigated by the Pentagon for paying Iraqi
newspapers to run pro-U.S. stories. (Related story: Contracts for 
pro-U.S. propaganda)

Military officials involved with the campaign say they're not planning
to place false stories in foreign news outlets clandestinely. But the
military won't always reveal its role in distributing pro-American
messages, Furlong says.

"While the product may not carry the label, 'Made in the USA,' we will
respond truthfully if asked" by journalists, Furlong told USA TODAY in
a videoconference interview.

He declined to give examples of specific "products," which he said
would include articles, advertisements and public-service
announcements.

The military's communications work in Iraq has recently drawn
controversy with disclosures that Lincoln Group and the U.S. 
military secretly paid journalists and news outlets to run 
pro-American stories.

White House officials have expressed concern about the practice, 
even when the stories are true.

[...]

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Cheers, Steve..

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