the problem is not that propaganda during wartime is new, but that modern propaganda campaigns take place within a worldwide information network. one that isn't limited to the enemy's media. the misinformation that is spread for tactical purposes abroad, easily migrates back home and misinforms our own public. at the same time, the propaganda value in the enemy country is diminished because the people there have access to contrary information from outside news sources. meanwhile, both the news media and military sources on both sides get discredited in the process. as the article notes near the end:
If the press, foreign and domestic, remains fair game for psychological operations, the military, as well as the media, could be headed for a credibility crisis. "There are some people who will say we have to do whatever it takes to win this war," said Pamela Keeton, who is now the director of public affairs and communications for the U.S. Institute of Peace, a congressionally funded nonpartisan organization that focuses on conflict resolution. "I think there are places where we need to draw the line -- and one of them is using the news media for psyops purposes. It will get to the point where the news media won't trust anybody, and the people won't trust what's being quoted in news articles." Propaganda, even the kind intended for specific audiences, can turn up anywhere--on the news wires, in newspapers, on blogs or Web sites. "They're not going to know that they were written by some information-warfare guy," she said. In the hands of policymakers, she continued, these skewed stories can then be used for political ends -- to show that the Taliban is disintegrating, say, or that Iraqis are taking the initiative to protect and rebuild their country, or that the war on terror is going better than it really is. She seemed less than hopeful that the damage could be contained. "It's a Pandora's box."interesting stuff with lots and lots of examples from the iraq war. go read the whole thing.
(via abu aardvark)
