Blinding the eye 090309

One of the revolutionary changes of the 20th Century was the emergence of electronic news media. For the first half of the 20th Century electronic media meant radio. Today the radio is overlooked in favor of television by those shaping opinions, but radio is far more powerful as it harnesses the listener’s imagination to the message.

Radio news came of age during World War Two and quickly passed its baton to television with victory. However during its short heyday it influenced world events more than Jefferson, Hearst and Pulitzer could ever dream. The NAZI regime used a fake radio report to justify the invasion of Poland. Churchill used radio to stiffen British backs while FDR’s sophisticated media manipulation sold his agenda.

The lessons of both Axis and Allies’ use of media were not lost in the post war years. It became doctrine of coups and countercoups to first seize the media. Seizing the media message also entered the clandestine world of democracies. At the height of the Vietnam turmoil the Department of Defense (DOD) engaged in an extensive plot to control the message. Exposed by the betrayed media in a 1971 TV special “Selling the Pentagon” message control slipped back into the darkness. Subsequent Congressional investigations led to laws to limit DOD’s ability to control the media.

Despite laws DOD continued its attempts to control the message through a series of small conflicts until something larger came along. After the 911 attack DOD established a dis-information bureau. Exposed again DOD claimed to have closed the office and media control again slipped into the darkness. The primary target of Axis, Allies and DOD’s media control is their own domestic populations.

Hoping to side step the law forbidding maintaining records on civilians, DOD hired contractors to create profiles of journalist and rate their positive/negative war coverage. Exposed again U.S. military official claim the program has been terminated. According to the report, the contractor was also attempting to “spin” positive coverage. It is fair to speculate that favored journalists were caught in the spun web, while less favored journalist had restricted access to news events.

Caught with its hand in the cookie jar again a DOD spokesman denying responsibility said,” That while the Pentagon makes the media policy for the military, commands around the world are able to make decisions on their own on how to approach media planning.”

Despite DOD denials the U.S. military controls the media in the best traditions of a third rate dictatorship. Over a year ago the military stormed the Iraqi home of a Reuters’ correspondent, seized his computers, cameras and disappeared the reporter. Reuters and international journalism organizations have been unable to secure the reporter’s freedom. An Iraqi court has ordered his release, but he remains in U.S. military hands without charges, rights or hope. That’s the first amendment military style.