US Military Explored Hiring Bloggers As Propagandists

Zeinfeld writes "Wired reports that one time Clipper Chip supporter Dorothy Denning wrote a report on using blogs for information warfare in 2006 (a report available from cryptome). Amongst the proposals were hiring bloggers directly as propaganda agents and using military media resources to 'make' a blogger posting favorable material. Notably, and most unfortunately absent from the report, is the very real question of whether the military should be manipulating domestic media." Is meme warfare just another battleground, or is this dirty pool?

Cool

[Anonymous Coward]

So there will finally be propagando to counter the countless other bloggers who spew out nonsense about the war.

Yeah Right

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know what country you guys are from, but this would never happen in my beloved U.S. of A. We're above that kind of thing.

Re:The Future of Warfare

[AioKits]

Gandhi never thought we'd rid ourselves of conflict, but instead envisioned wars in his utopia being fought by "propaganda armies".

So, have we always been at war with Oceana or do I have to pull a 72 hour stint to change the history books to properly reflect this?

Re:It's not like this is anything new...

[molarmass192]

the latest was that Obama is Muslim.

Yeah, well, he turned me into a newt! Burn him! Burn him!

Re:The Future of Warfare

[Anonymous Coward]

perhaps we would prefer being thrown in a secret prison for descent

True, it was a criminally good game.

It's not a form of media, it's a way of life

[WillAffleckUW]

And I'm glad to see that they finally declassified my third military occupation, so now the world can know we milbloggers have been on the front lines in the War On Terror.

Every time you see a foreign propaganda piece in the Saudi Times and read a comment by Al Rashid, that was our brave comrades in arms, fighting the real fight for Democracy.

Every time you read the Pakistani Journal of Objective Theological Criticism and read the online commentary by Pashtun seperatists, it was Chief Petty Officer Nunzia writing that post.

The few, the proud, the frequently anonymous - Blog Warriors!

Re:Mod parent up, please.

[Digital Vomit]

Ok.

...

Aw, crap!

Has You Seen Mah Bukkit?

[longacre]

I always had a sneaking suspicion that the icanhascheezburger cats were just TOO pro-America to be real. Now I understand.

Re:The Future of Warfare

[Scrameustache]

This story is about governments using propaganda to manipulate its own people.

That is exactly what Rosie the Riveter, Wendy the Welder, Loose Lips, Buy War Bonds, and a myriad of other campaigns were about.

I don't mind open, honest propaganda.

I mind secret manipulation through obfuscated means, passing it as the open, honest opinions of unrelated individuals or groups.

P.S. Before Pearl Harbor, Superman for for truth and justice. Period. That I mind a bit more than clever posters.