War / Peace

The Loyal Opposition

by Sheldon Rampton — March 20, 2002 - 9:16am

Today's Republican Party demonizes any criticism of President Bush on the grounds that it will "undermine the war effort," and journalists like Tom Gutting are learning the hard way that they can be fired if they question the president's leadership. Yet one of the GOP's most influential forebears, presidential nominee Thomas Dewey, openly criticized Franklin Roosevelt at the peak of the war against fascism.

Main Source: 
TomPaine.com

Bush's Budget Is Good For PR

by Laura Miller — March 11, 2002 - 1:00am

The release of President Bush's defense- and "homeland security"-heavy budget will generate plenty of work for PR agencies according to PR Week reporter Douglas Quenqua. "The trick in 2002, say public affairs and budget experts, will be to redefine your pet issue or product as a matter of homeland security," Quenqua writes.

Main Source: 
PR Week, March 11, 2002

The War Against Propaganda

by Sheldon Rampton — March 6, 2002 - 1:00am

"Sadly, in the face of the grand spin machine, the nine American lives that were lost this week will just get caught up in the patriotic, hero-propping fervor that has seized the country ever since the World Trade Center bombings," writes Mark Brown. "Anyone who dies in the line of duty, especially servicemen and law enforcement officers, are instantly heroes. I don't think there is anything wrong with fallen soldiers receiving that treatment, for the record. But the greater tragedy here is when nobody asks the question: 'Why are those men there dying in the first place?' "

Main Source: 
Democratic Underground, March 6, 2002

The Rendon Group Got Almost $100M From CIA

by Laura Miller — March 4, 2002 - 1:00am

The Rendon Group received close to $100-million dollars from the CIA for work it did in Iraq in the five years following the Gulf War according to reporter Seymour Hersh in a New Yorker article. Between 1991-96, The Rendon Group did "media relations" work for the Iraqi National Congress, a coalition opposition group supported at the time by the CIA.

Main Source: 
The New Yorker, Posted March 4, 2002

Preparing for Perpetual War

by Sheldon Rampton — March 4, 2002 - 1:00am

The Bush administration may be trying to "prepare us for a war without end," writes Ruth Rosen. "The political impetus for creating a state of perpetual war can't be ignored. George W. Bush has never forgotten his father's precipitous fall after the Persian Gulf War. Despite his currently high approval ratings, Bush also knows that a majority of Americans still favor the Democrats' domestic policies."

Main Source: 
San Francisco Chronicle, March 4, 2002

The Great Deception

by Sheldon Rampton — February 27, 2002 - 1:00am

The "war on terrorism," writes historian Howard Zinn, has opened up the prospect of "a war without end." President Bush has already said that the war may not be finished during his administration. "He will pass on the war to the next president, and perhaps the next and the next," Zinn writes. "How useful to have an enemy who is so elusive, whose defeat will require an endless war. Because so long as the nation is in a state of war, it is possible to control the population by saying: we are at war, and this is no time for division, we must sacrifice our freedoms.

Main Source: 
TomPaine.com, February 27, 2002

The Rendon Group -- "The Weird Turn Pro"

by Sheldon Rampton — February 27, 2002 - 1:00am

John Rendon of the Rendon Group likes to quote gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson's remark: "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Jeff Stein thinks this is probably an apt characterization of Rendon's current PR work for the Pentagon. In a profile of Rendon's past work for clients such as the Kuwaiti Royal Family, the embattled Colombian Army and the CIA, Stein paints a picture of corruption and ineptitude.

Main Source: 
TomPaine.com, February 27, 2002

Bush & Rumsfeld Scrambling to Manage OSI Backlash

by John Stauber — February 25, 2002 - 1:00am

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and President Bush have backed away from the Pentagon's new propaganda arm, the Office of Strategic Influence. The administration is scrambling to deal with public backlash against the idea of a Pentagon propaganda office that would, among other actions, disseminate false and misleading information to US allies. Today's New York Times quotes "a senior Administration official" who said, "(Bush) specifically mentioned that the office would be shut down before it started or that its focus would be dramatically narrowed to obvious things like leaflet campaigns.'"

Main Source: 
New York Times, February 25, 2002

Coyote Rummy

by Sheldon Rampton — February 24, 2002 - 1:00am

The U.S. has imposed more restrictions on reporters in Afghanistan than in any previous U.S. war, but Hollywood has carte blanche to make feel-good "reality TV" shows about the adventure. Maureen Dowd notes that that the Pentagon is teaming with Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of "Top Gun," "Black Hawk Down," "Pearl Harbor" and "Coyote Ugly," along with Bertram van Munster of "Cops," to make a TV docudrama about the war on terrorism. "I'm outraged about the Hollywoodization of the military," says Dan Rather.

Main Source: 
New York Times, February 24, 2002

Pentagon & Disney/ABC Turn War Into Gung Ho TV Entertainment

by John Stauber — February 21, 2002 - 11:51am

"The Pentagon is giving two Hollywood producers access to troops in Afghanistan and around the world to promote its war effort through television's genre of the moment, the reality series. The result is expected to be a 13-part series shown in prime time by ABC entertainment division this year. The producers - Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the movies "Black Hawk Down' and 'Pearl Harbor,' and Bertram van Munster, whose credits include the reality series ... 'Cops' - intend to tell the 'compelling personal stories of the U.S.

Main Source: 
New York Times
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