Administration embedding conservative bloggers
By on Dec 27th, 2005 at 10:03 am
Administration embedding conservative bloggers
with troops to publish favorable news about Iraq. (Via HuffPost)
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December 27th, 2005 at 10:19 amThis is completely unsurprising, yet still completely shocking to me. This seems like the weapon of choice for this administration in a lot of instances. Paying journalists here in America to promote the administrations failed policies, then paying Iraqi journalists to promote failed Iraq actions, and now paying bloggers to do the same thing. Why do I have a feeling this wont be the last of this kind of story?
December 27th, 2005 at 10:21 amno doubt to combat what they see as a “liberal” media covering only bad news… most of it is bad!
December 27th, 2005 at 10:24 amThanks, should work now.
December 27th, 2005 at 10:28 amIn case anyone has miss the bottom line of this administration and the GOP it is all about the PR. Controlling the public through 5th Avenue public relations opertunities and the spread of adverestising of the administration’s and GOP’s spin (lies).
He who controls the media, controls the present. He who controls the present controls the past. He who controls the past controls the future.
Where did I hear that before? Oh yea, 1984 and Big Brother.
December 27th, 2005 at 10:33 amEven if there are “good things” happening in Iraq and I don’t doubt there are, how do they compare with the state America is in?
December 27th, 2005 at 10:33 ampaid rightwingnut bloggers?….not new here,we see them posting here all the time! Impeach,and set us free.
December 27th, 2005 at 10:36 amAn interesting study in contrasts. Donald Rumsfeld recently said that the metric for success in iraq should not be measured by how many bombings there are in Iraq.
This is dirctly opposite of the administrations metrics for success in America in the so called “war on terror”. The “war” is a success because there have been no attacks in America.
The 9/11 attacks are brought up whenever justification for adminsitration tactics is needed. “Remember 9/11″ is the constant battle cry.
So, bombings and attacks in Iraq are not a good barometer of success when contrasted with how many soccer fields were built and how many schools were open. However, I have never heard anyone mention how many soccer fields and schools were painted in America on 9/11.
-GSD
December 27th, 2005 at 10:53 amthe best media money can buy! shameless…
December 27th, 2005 at 11:02 amJust ANOTHER feeble attempt to control media from feeble minded fools. The only people that would believe in such crap is the feeble minded fools that STILL support the criminal in the oval office.
December 27th, 2005 at 11:07 amWell, this should make an effective rhetorical tool; anything conservative bloggers type can now effectively discounted as paid propaganda – unless they can prove otherwise (good luck). George’s little PR ploy just deligitimized ALL conservative bloggers as paid shills.
Now THERE’S a christmas gift!
December 27th, 2005 at 11:14 amGood point Dano. Next thing they’ll do is hire Alan Keyes as their PR guy.
December 27th, 2005 at 11:24 amDid anyone actually read the WaPo article? Far from propagandists, the bloggers live with the Marines and report what they observe … why conclude that their reports would be innaccurate?
Many people here reject the notion that, in spite of proven personal political leanings, much of the MSM reports in a biased (to the progressive) way … but everyone assumes that bloggers (conservatives) WOULD do so. Isn’t that thinking a tad disningenuous?
In addition, I’m sure that TP would be happy to provide one of their bloggers to go over to Iraq and report what they see (in the interest of fairness, of course).
December 27th, 2005 at 11:30 amLook. For the hole year I’ve been asigned to tp, I didnt want to be hear, supposed to be pushing the Bush plans, making him sound so grate and stuff. Its hard work! Mostly the punctuation and grammer and stuff. But now Im pissed, you other troll’s no what its like working for those guys. The promises and more promises, the contests for the best postings on all the libral web sites, it was all just bull and none beliefs any of it anyhow, so I’m telling how it realy is! They tried to have all the Indian guys do this cause they so cheap. Didn’t work, there english be to good and not reall like mine seamed fake. I was supposed to get free turky in Novmber, didnt even get that, but I thot Id get something special fer Christmas and nothing but a stupid card! So Im done posting hear, you wont be see me no more, knot worth it! Youll never wins that trip to the Indy 500 like theys promised, never!
A little satire never hurt anyone. Seems to be on-topic anyways…
December 27th, 2005 at 11:32 amLOL
December 27th, 2005 at 11:42 amif they are NEO_KOOK Bloggers
WE have nothing to worry About,
The Troops, and the Americans
HAVE already Seen
right thru their obvious spinosisms.
toys – very, very funny… sorta sad that there are people like this, but still very funny.
December 27th, 2005 at 11:46 amThey target and kill liberal or independent journalists (in the future bloggers) in Iraq, don’t they. The truth, and terrorists, are their enemy.
December 27th, 2005 at 11:46 amBetter that they should all get back to tending their organic terra wrist farm in Iraq. Propaganda overload.
This comes just in time to help stem the future uproar over the US military’s increased indiscriminant bombing, and the civilian casualties which will ensue.
December 27th, 2005 at 12:02 pmThe funniest part is some people took it seriously. Oh, a trolling we will go,…
December 27th, 2005 at 12:04 pmDid anyone actually read the WaPo article? Far from propagandists, the bloggers live with the Marines and report what they observe … why conclude that their reports would be innaccurate?
Because they would be shown only those things the military WANTS them to see – geez, I guess this propaganda stuff really works; look how it caused Metro to shut down the logical part of his brain, and accept the party line at face value. Or were you just being willfully ignorant?
“Many people here reject the notion that, in spite of proven personal political leanings, much of the MSM reports in a biased (to the progressive) way … but everyone assumes that bloggers (conservatives) WOULD do so. Isn’t that thinking a tad disningenuous?”
Jim Guckert, Armstrong Williams, Maggie Gallagher . . .
“In addition, I’m sure that TP would be happy to provide one of their bloggers to go over to Iraq and report what they see (in the interest of fairness, of course).”
Comment by Giacomo — December 27, 2005 @ 11:30 am
And if that blogger wanted to type something not favorable to the military (but true)? We’ve already seen how they treat reporters who aren’t “on message”; they kill them.
Why don’t YOU go? I’m sure they would be glad to have such a staunch supporter giving “their side” of the story.
December 27th, 2005 at 12:07 pmYou know, with some ‘independent observers’ stationed in those prisons, the entire torture scandal would have been avoided. Wouldn’t that be a good thing?
December 27th, 2005 at 12:13 pm“Many people here reject the notion that, in spite of proven personal political leanings, much of the MSM reports in a biased (to the progressive) way … but everyone assumes that bloggers (conservatives) WOULD do so. Isn’t that thinking a tad disningenuous?”
Well consider the “filters” each must pass through in order for their words to reach print. While reporters might be more liberal – their work must be ok’d by their editors – and ultimately the publisher. Embedded bloggers have no such filter, as they don’t rely on ad revenues (they’re paid shills remember). Let’s parse the embedded bloggers postings, and see how many report negative occurances; I’ll bet those postings are few and far between.
Since all major media are controlled by five corporations, perhaps you could point us to which of these five are demonstrably liberal. And I don’t mean just because a network might employ Dan Rather, either. Demonstrably liberal. I won’t hold my breath waiting.
December 27th, 2005 at 12:21 pmI’ve read Roggio’s reports. He has good contacts inside the units in Iraq and has reported especially about the ops in Al Anbar province. While it can be seen as another source of info, he doesn’t necessarily feel the same way in reverse,or at least his commenters don’t. Tom Lasseter of Knight-Ridder spent a week embedded with an Iraqi unit this past summer (without Pentagon approval) and his reports were denigrated by Roggio’s readers.
December 27th, 2005 at 12:28 pmThe split between those who want to look for good news and those who see the problems has grown wider recently.
The administration,military and civilian, has done a poor job in informing the public of the war (Pat Tillman comes to mind) and to expect that embedding bloggers to tell the “real” story is too little too late.
The real issue for me is that the media, cable,print and networks, have missed this boat as well. There are numerous reports filed by the government that have good news and bad. But you’ll never see it unless you go get it yourself.
This program will serve only to confirm good news fopr those who were expecting it and be dismissed as propaganda by those who,having been lied to by the government for so long, don’t want to hear anything good anyway.
I am almost certain that most of us who read this blog site are aware that this president must be excised immediately. Seen the same thing years ago, in the Nixon administration, right?
Only one big difference. Nixon was just power hungry. This president is mentally ill and must be done away with at all costs, and as quickly as possible.
Iraq a democracy? The man and his rightwingnut jobbers are crazy! The “suits” the president is paying millions to see him as a source of income, the resst of the Iraqis want us out of their beloved country.
In the meantime an average of two american military a day are killed. Do you think this bothers Bushsie boy? Hell no, he wallows in the misery just as dogs wallow on their bones while marking them.
Watch his speeches and his performances, if you can stomach them.Full of catch phrases and idiotic stuff, not cold hard facts. He is a low IQ cocaine sniffing alcoholic who has, and never will, amount to a hill of beans. He is ignorant, he is a loser, many times over. He cant even finish sentences in his speeches. He grinds his teeth. You know why? Because he is demented, knows he is lying and hopes, secretly, that redemption is coming. He wants to be put out of his misery and leave this earth as a hero, but knows that he will leave as a coward.
December 27th, 2005 at 12:33 pm“[. . .]who,having been lied to by the government for so long, don’t want to hear anything good anyway.”
Comment by TJM — December 27, 2005 @
You must do better – they won’t pay unless you mention Clinton twice, and 9/11 three times – geez, didn’t you get the memo?
December 27th, 2005 at 12:35 pmAdministration embedding conservative bloggers with troops to publish favorable news about Iraq.
Welcome to the world of CLCs (Clever Little Conservatives)…
December 27th, 2005 at 12:39 pmTwo Americans a day are killed and according to the State Department’s quarterly report,since 1/05 thru 9/05, 62 Iraqi security forces are casualties/day. That’s close to a brigade a month. And that’s with the Shiites and the Kurds either on our side or generally leaving us alone.
That’s what makes the media reports of the “historic” Iraqi vote so naive. They voted so we’d leave. The people care less about who’s in charge than about having some security and stability.
This desire from a populace which has known little of either in the last 25 years is contrasted to here in the US where the populace since 9/11 seems willing to forego the constitution for an ephemeral security and stability delivered by an administration capable of delivering neither. The current policies seem driven to increase a sense of foreboding that can be salved only by a government security blanket.
December 27th, 2005 at 1:19 pm
December 27th, 2005 at 1:22 pmAnyone who has not recently read (or reread) “1984″ should do so. It is the playbook for the Bushies.
Propaganda directed toward the enemy in wartime is understood; propaganda toward our own citizens (military) is illegal.
Is this coming at a time when the election debacle needs to be overshadowed? Is it timed to cover up that troops are NOT going to be withdrawn (or not re-deployed) as promised?
I have no doubt that certain humanitarian acts are being accomplished by the troops — but where that fits into the entire scene is another story. Soldiers are not trained to act as civil engineers and police enforcement, yet after three years, the Iraqis are unable to stand alone. Their country has been destroyed, their government is in disarray, and they are near civil war among themselves.
Bush and Rumsfeld’s propaganda is simply a smoke screen.
They are over budget with Al Hurra and are trying to save money now by having bloggers do it for free.
December 27th, 2005 at 1:39 pmQuestion— Does evidence exist showing that the president authorized spying on strictly domestic communications?
Is it true he was monitoring animal rights groups, peace activists, and Quakers? If this is so, how do these right wing blowhards actually claim the taps were “only” used to fight terrorism? Is there an article stating this evidence that someone could reference for me?
I really cannot wait to watch Bush attempt to explain this in front of congress.
I predict new words will be created like “Hispanically Speaking”. Should be a show!
Thanks
December 27th, 2005 at 2:09 pmThe same way they speak about anything. They lie. And the right wing media covers for them.
Here is the New York Times piece that discusses US only wiretaps. This piece came out in response to Bush admitting to the wiretapping and then saying it was only international communications.
New York Times
December 21, 2005
Spying Program Snared U.S. Calls
December 27th, 2005 at 2:38 pmRight-wing bloggers have just been knee-capped by the Bush administration, but they don’t yet know it. It will become readily apparent in the coming months, however. The Bush administration’s revelations about buying positive spin in Iraqi news outlets, mixed with the Armstrong Williams, Maggie Gallagher, James Guckert -style tactics previously employed, and the conservative “embeds” blogging happy news from Iraq, paints a picture of conservatives (and conservative bloggers in particular) as being paid shills for the government – and as such they are now reduced to cartoonish, two-dimensional representations of the conservative cause – no more “true believers” than the little old ladies who staff phone-sex businesses are kinky nyphos.
Any conservative, pro-Bush spin can now effectively be countered just by saying “typical spin from a paid shill”. Proving the negative – that they are NOT a paid megaphone for the Bush administration – cannot effectively be done without subjecting their financial affairs to intense scrutiny (more scrutiny than they would find comfortable, I’m sure). So don’t bother with facts, logic, moral or ethical dimensions when debating conservatives online – that’s not what they’re there for; they’re in it for that easy money offered to parrot propaganda.
December 27th, 2005 at 2:52 pmIf any government funds were donated to help get these bloggers into the embedded bloggers program then we have a criminal use of public funds.
Track the money trail, it will be fun to see the rats running around trying to cover their tracks. Then again these rats don’t really try to hide much. The more that is exposed to public review the more brazzen they get.
December 27th, 2005 at 4:08 pmThey are sending Jeff Gannon number one ace in the rear hole to report all the good news about slaves that are owned by contractors to work for nothing. It’s good news for the contractors indeed.
December 27th, 2005 at 4:53 pmGood news!
Iraq has a newly elected government and now enjoy the bounties of Democracy.
The Iraqi people love America and thank them for this beautiful gift.
The troops feel very proud of their service.
Yeah, its true!
The U.S. and its coalition partners services are no longer needed.
Welcome home our fine brave soldiers!
December 27th, 2005 at 5:44 pm[...] Blog Name: Think Progress Article Title: Administration embedding conservative bloggers with troops to publish favorable news about Iraq. (Via HuffPost) [...]
February 10th, 2006 at 12:25 pm