CAUGHT: Pentagon Pundits Infiltrate Mainstream News

Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films at 11:50 AM on April 22, 2008.

Our friends at Freepress.net sent this shocking video along to us. According to a recent article in the NY Times, the so-called "objective" military pundits that have been appearing all over the mainstream media networks for the last few years were mere puppets of the Pentagon and Bush administration.

Beginning with the buildup to the Iraq War, the Bush administration created this "media Trojan horse" to counter any and all criticism. At times, they manipulated the networks' own military experts, spoon-feeding them talking points on everything from Iraq to Rumsfeld's handling of the war to Guantanamo. Here's a quote from the Times:

"Again and again, records show, the administration has enlisted analysts as a rapid reaction force to rebut what it viewed as critical news coverage, some of it by the networks’ own Pentagon correspondents. For example, when news articles revealed that troops in Iraq were dying because of inadequate body armor, a senior Pentagon official wrote to his colleagues: 'I think our analysts — properly armed — can push back in that arena.'"

This is pro-war propaganda at its most insidious. Make sure you take action: sign Free Press's petition and call on Congress to demand better media.

Tagged as: pentagon, george bush

ZP Heller is the editorial director of Brave New Films. He has written for The American Prospect, AlterNet, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Huffington Post, covering everything from politics to pop culture.