Military report: secretly ‘recruit or hire bloggers.’

[kpete]

Military report: secretly ‘recruit or hire bloggers.’

Noah Shachtman at Danger Room finds a 2006 report written for U.S. Special Operations Command that suggests ways the military should deal with the blogosphere. One suggestion is for the military to hire bloggers to “pass the U.S. message“:

Information strategists can consider clandestinely recruiting or hiring prominent bloggers or other persons of prominence…to pass the U.S. message. … On the other hand, such operations can have a blowback effect, as witnessed by the public reaction following revelations that the U.S. military had paid journalists to publish stories in the Iraqi press under their own names. People do not like to be deceived, and the price of being exposed is lost credibility and trust.

An alternative strategy is to “make” a blog and blogger. The process of boosting the blog to a position of influence could take some time, however, and depending on the person running the blog, may impose a significant educational burden, in terms of cultural and linguistic training before the blog could be put online to any useful effect. Still, there are people in the military today who like to blog.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/31/military-report-secretly-recruit-or-hire-bloggers/

[bemildred]

1. Well, heck. I'm definitely for sale for the right sort of compensastion.

This is hard work, after all, a man has to look after himself.

[RainDog]

2. I thought this was an April Fool's post

but it's just regular fools, it seems.

[Postman]

3. When the mission is legal, moral and just, there is no need to hire bloggers...

The invasion and occupation of Iraq was wrong, is wrong and will alwyas be wrong because the reasons were lies perpetuated by liars.

[hootinholler]

4. You mean they didn't?

Geeze, what the hell are we spending all this money on then?

I don't believe for one second that they aren't doing this shit, and not just the DoD.

-Hoot

[Thickasabrick]

5. LOL....that's why the republicans are so bad at the "intertubes" - they

don't understand that any lie posted can be easily exposed. The left is successful because it posts truth and uncovers their lies....they got nothin!!!!

[mopinko]

6. they have been studying this shit for a long time.

know someone that was special ops. long, long time.
don't be surprised, come the revolution, when the intenets evaporate.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

7. THE MILITARY IS JUST ONE BIG CORPORATION

FEAR THEM. :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh:

[Arctic Dave]

8. I think Rummy let the cat out of the bag a while back

when he referred to engaging and dominating cyberspace. This is, after all, just another media source they wish to pervert and obfuscate for their benefit. I Don't think they are just satisfied with blogs. I wouldn't doubt for a second that they already have an entire list of contractors that oversee sites, just like this one, and tries to create malice and division among them. Remember, If you can't control the message, muddle it beyond recognition.

[stubtoe]

9. Maybe we better keep an eye on Skinner ...

*kidding* *kidding* *kidding* :7