military analysts

Pentagon Pundits, Media Reform and Talking Back to Bill O'Reilly

Stevie Converse — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:18:51 -0700

As Paul Schmelzer wrote on the Minnesota Independent website, "There were two National Conferences on Media Reform in Minneapolis over the weeken

Selling a War

Stevie Converse — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:22:22 -0700

The U.S. House of Representatives has angrily and appropriately lashed out at a Pentagon program that used retired senior military officers as propaganda surrogates to sell the Iraq war.

GAO, Pentagon's IG Investigate Military TV Analysts

Stevie Converse — Fri, 30 May 2008 07:38:10 -0700

The Defense Department's inspector general (IG) as well as the General Accountability Office (GAO) began investigations last week into the Pentagon's private briefings of retired military analysts.

Amendment Targets Embedded-Analyst Program

Stevie Converse — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:02:32 -0700

It looks like the inspector general of the Defense Department and the Government Accountability Office may be joining the Federal Communications Commission in investigating the Bush administration's “embedded analyst” program.

House Aims at Pentagon Propaganda on Iraq War

Stevie Converse — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:57:24 -0700

The House of Representatives moved Thursday to crack down on a Pentagon program that Democrats say planted false and overly optimistic news stories about the Iraq war, using military analysts who appeared regularly on television.

Military Public Relations Effort Faces Inquiry

Stevie Converse — Tue, 27 May 2008 04:41:27 -0700

The Pentagon's internal watchdog is investigating a government public relations effort that relied on retired military officers to defend the administration's Iraq war policies.

DeLauro Fights Use of Retired Generals to Justify Iraq War

Stevie Converse — Tue, 27 May 2008 04:25:02 -0700

Rep. Rosa DeLauro's long-standing frustration about government propaganda has been reactivated by the recent revelation that the Bush administration recruited retired generals and armed them with the administration's pro-war message to deliver on television news shows.

Two Inquiries Set on Pentagon Publicity Effort

Stevie Converse — Tue, 27 May 2008 04:10:44 -0700

The inspector general’s office at the Defense Department announced on Friday that it would investigate a Pentagon public affairs program that sought to transform retired military officers who work as television and radio analysts into “message force multipliers” who could be counted on to echo Bush administration talking points about Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo and terrorism in general.

White House Says Pentagon Propaganda Program Similar to Writing for a 'Liberal Blog'

Stevie Converse — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:24:16 -0700

Earlier this month, the Pentagon released a document dump in response to the New York Times’s expose on its military analyst program.

Famed War Reporter Calls Pentagon/Media 'Propaganda' Program Illegal

Stevie Converse — Fri, 16 May 2008 05:32:25 -0700

A Pentagon spokesman, in response to the "media generals" revelations said this week that Donald Rumsfeld had reached out to critics as well, citing Joe Galloway one. Here Galloway responds.

Four-Star Elephant in the (News)room

Stevie Converse — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:28:08 -0700

On the heels of an April 20 New York Times investigative report exposing the hidden relationship between media military analysts and the Pentagon and defense industries, Media Matters for America today exclusively released an accounting of the analysts identified in the Times exposé

Why Big Media Needs Propaganda to Survive

Stevie Converse — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:09:59 -0700

The mainstream media are as likely to report on Pentagon propaganda — and thus, themselves — as President Bush is likely to cede that “mission accomplished” was poor phrasing. That is, it ain’t ever gonna happen.

FCC Probing Complaint About Embedded Analysts

Stevie Converse — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:24:43 -0700

Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday that the commission was looking into complaints about the Department of Defense's program to provide administration talking points to former military officers used by TV networks as analysts on the Iraq war.

'Deafening' Silence on Analyst Story

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:03:16 -0700

Even with countless media outlets available these days, a Sunday New York Times cover story could always be counted on to send a jolt through the television news cycle.

Top Dems Demand FCC Review of Pentagon Fake News

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:18:22 -0700

Two key figures on Capitol Hill want the Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether TV networks violated agency rules when they gave air time to a coordinated Defense Department media blitz that promoted retired military brass as supposedly impartial experts on the war in Iraq.

Memo to the Media: Have You Hosted the Person Who Told Rumsfeld, 'You Are Our Leader'?

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:42:34 -0700

Following the publication of the April 20 New York Times front-page article on the hidden ties between media military analysts and the Pentagon, the Department of Defense has released to the public numerous documents regarding

FCC Urged to Look into Pentagon Analysts

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:20:32 -0700

The Federal Communications Commission is the latest federal agency being asked by members of Congress to investigate the Pentagon's use of network and cable military analysts.

FCC Asked to Probe TV 'Surrogates' by Top Lawmakers

Stevie Converse — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:06:29 -0700

Two top lawmakers have asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the Pentagon's use of retired military officers as "surrogates" on television news.

What the Pentagon Pundits Were Selling on the Side

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:10:29 -0700

The Pentagon pundit scandal was not only a corrupt marriage of propaganda and corporate lobbying -- it was completely illegal.

The News Media: Watchdog or Lap Dog?

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:00:52 -0700

It is becoming more and more difficult for the news media to undertake serious investigative reporting.