Rumsfeld's comments seem all the more alarming in light of analysis presented by William Arkin in a recent Los Angeles Times opinion column (11/24/02), in which he argues that Rumsfeld is redesigning the U.S. military to make
"information warfare" central to its functions.
This new policy, says Arkin, increasingly "blurs or even erases the boundaries between factual information and news, on the one hand, and public relations, propaganda and psychological warfare, on the other." Arkin adds that "while the policy ostensibly targets foreign enemies, its most likely victim will be the American electorate."
It is essential that media follow up this story, particularly now, as the country faces a possible war with Iraq and reporters rely even more heavily than usual on Pentagon information.
To read the full transcript of Rumsfeld's remarks, see:
http://www.dod.gov/news/Nov2002/t11212002_t1118sd2.html
To read William Arkin's Los Angeles Times article:
http://www.latimes.com/templates/misc/printstory.jsp?slug=la%2Dop%2Darkin24nov24001455§ion=%2Fnews%2Fopinion%2Fcommentary
(The L.A. Times Link expires December 1.)
"information warfare" central to its functions.
This new policy, says Arkin, increasingly "blurs or even erases the boundaries between factual information and news, on the one hand, and public relations, propaganda and psychological warfare, on the other." Arkin adds that "while the policy ostensibly targets foreign enemies, its most likely victim will be the American electorate."
It is essential that media follow up this story, particularly now, as the country faces a possible war with Iraq and reporters rely even more heavily than usual on Pentagon information.
To read the full transcript of Rumsfeld's remarks, see:
http://www.dod.gov/news/Nov2002/t11212002_t1118sd2.html
To read William Arkin's Los Angeles Times article:
http://www.latimes.com/templates/misc/printstory.jsp?slug=la%2Dop%2Darkin24nov24001455§ion=%2Fnews%2Fopinion%2Fcommentary
(The L.A. Times Link expires December 1.)