Phil Taylor's papers
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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA AND THE GWOT Year 3 - 2004 (mainly Iraq)
Rumors are a bombardment that never stops by Tom Squitieri Rumors are a bombardment that never stops By Tom Squitieri, USA TODAY BAGHDAD - Minutes after suicide bombers attacked Shiite Muslim pilgrims in Baghdad and Karbala this month, rumors that U.S. forces were responsible for the attacks swept through this city. U.S. officials were taken aback. They had been careful to respect the sensitivities of the religious faithful by not sending troops too close to Shiite shrines, and they had offered resources to the Iraqi police to help defend against attacks. But they failed to take into account the rapidly adaptable and sophisticated propaganda abilities of the anti-U.S. insurgency Fighting the information war on the streets and in the bazaars of Iraq's cities and villages is proving as tough as combating the elusive fighters who attack soldiers. In November, the coalition set up a 50-member rumor-control team in recognition of the importance of the information war. The team monitors rumors on the streets and in cafes, what's published in countless Iraqi newspapers and what appears on television. Coalition officials worry about the spread of misinformation or outright propaganda because it can lead to violence and undermine efforts to stabilize Iraq. This week, a Baghdad newspaper run by followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was shut down after coalition officials said the publication incited violence against the U.S.-led force occupying Iraq. Military officials say the newspaper, Al-Hawza, called on readers to take up arms against U.S. forces. "It's one thing to call us pigs," one coalition official says. "But when you call on people to take up a rifle or take up a knife to slit the throat of the American pigs, that crosses the line. If we let this go on unchecked, people will die." Word of mouth has always been a powerful force in the Middle East, and influencing what is known as the "Arab street" is crucial to winning the rumor and propaganda war, U.S. officials say. Some rumors are planted by insurgents; others are more innocent urban legends. "These things spread like wildfire, and they can take us by surprise," says Col. Jill Morgenthaler, a member of the rumor-control team. "Their initial instincts are to blame Americans." That comes easy to a generation raised on Saddam Hussein's warnings that Americans were evil. Iraqis never had an independent news media. News was what you heard from neighbors or in smoky cafes while sipping tea with friends. Under Saddam, neighbors were considered more reliable than newspapers. The Baghdad-based rumor-control team has two offices. The more public face is in the convention center and consists of mostly military personnel and a few civilians. Less public is the psychological-operations part of the team, which is housed in Saddam's official palace, where top coalition officials also have their offices. In both offices, rows of desks are covered with newspapers, transcripts, empty soft-drink cans, maps and reports. Every morning at 8:45, the rumor-control team meets to review intelligence reports and daily digests of the articles in the dozens of newspapers that have sprouted since Saddam's fall. Team members scan a daily tip sheet of rumors from the street, compiled by Iraqi staffers and U.S. and British intelligence officials. The rumors vary. After a bombing, bystanders will often wave chunks of metal and claim that they are shrapnel from U.S. grenades responsible for the attack. Coalition officials have also picked up rumors that toys passed out by U.S. soldiers trigger deadly diseases in children. Other rumors officials are combating: "Saddam is in a Colorado ski resort. "Israel is behind the invasion of Iraq. "The United States is holding back on electricity distribution to punish Iraqis. "The night-vision goggles used by U.S. soldiers lets them see through the clothing of Iraqi women. "We chase a lot of things," Morgenthaler says. Sometimes stopping a rumor is fairly easy. One rumor that gained currency in early March was that coalition forces were deliberately triggering explosions of captured weapons and bombs at different times of the day and night in order to keep Iraqis scared and on edge. In response, the coalition shifted the explosions to a regular schedule and began to announce the blasts in advance. The rumor slowly subsided. Others are more difficult to overcome. The rumor about poisoned toys, which originated last summer, took months to be beaten down, although it still persists in some rural areas where contact with troops is limited, U.S. officials say. Coalition officials hope an independent media will replace word of mouth as the main source of information. Dozens of newspapers emerged after Saddam's regime collapsed, but their reliability varies, and many are associated with political parties. Rumor-control team members are training Iraqi journalists in an effort to help develop an independent media. The officials say they are making progress in combating rumors. They point to polls taken by the coalition showing that 85% of Iraqis know and understand that sovereignty will be returned to them on June 30. They did not disclose how many people were polled or the margin of error. Find this article at: 
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