Transcript
Office of Strategic Misinformation
February 23, 2002
BROOKE GLADSTONE: From WNYC in New York this is NPR's On the Media. I'm Brooke Gladstone.
BOB GARFIELD: And I'm Bob Garfield. Coming up, our report on the World Business Review hosted by Al Haig. Has the general turned journalist? Or pitchman?
ALEXANDER HAIG: Dennis-- how difficult is it for a merchant to set up a contact-this-smart-card reader? Was it expensive?
BROOKE GLADSTONE: Also, reports that the Pentagon plans to plant misinformation -- the government tells us they're not lying about not lying -- but is that just another lie?
BOB GARFIELD: And Congress is funding a radio service that uses the universal language of pop to deliver its message to the Middle East's MTV generation.
MAN: You know artists like Hakim and Khalid in the Middle East blend very well with Britney Spears and New Kids on the Block.
BROOKE GLADSTONE: Plus it wasn't exactly Tonya and Nancy, but this year's Olympic ice skaters still managed to set the media's post racing.
BOB GARFIELD: We'll be back with all that and more after the news. [THEME MUSIC TAG] 01:00 * SPACE FOR NEWSCAST * [THEME MUSIC] * SEGMENT A * 06:00
BROOKE GLADSTONE: From WNYC in New York this is NPR's On the Media. I'm Brooke Gladstone.
BOB GARFIELD: And I'm Bob Garfield. Once again this week Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was at pains to reassure the world about the Pentagon's commitment to truth.
DONALD RUMSFELD: Government officials, the Department of Defense, this secretary and the people that work with me tell the American people and the people of the world the truth.
BROOKE GLADSTONE: That promise set some eyes to rolling, considering the government's checkered history of deception in the Vietnam War for example, even though earlier in the century the government aired dramatizations to inoculate the public against Nazi lies. [DRAMATIC MOVIE MUSIC]
MAN: Did you know there's ground glass in all the surgical sponges in the Army?
WOMAN: Girls with needles under their nails 'been working in the gas mask factories and been puncturing the masks!
MAN: You know what I overheard at lunch? A ship with 5,000 bodies from Pearl Harbor arrived in New York!
BOB GARFIELD: What prompted Rumsfeld's declaration though was a fresh revelation. According to the New York Times the Pentagon, frustrated by America's poor showing in the propaganda war is considering a campaign in which it would plant false information in foreign newspapers. Joining us to discuss such a scenario is Paul McMasters, First Amendment ombudsman at the Freedom Forum. Paul, welcome to OTM.
PAUL McMASTERS: Thanks for having me.
BOB GARFIELD: Now look, I've known you for many years, and I know I don't even have to interview you on this subject. I'm just going to interrupt you periodically to squeeze some more lighter fluid on the fire. The Defense Department planting disinformation in foreign media. Go.
PAUL McMASTERS: Well I think there's a, a number of reasons to be concerned about this. Obviously we all know that there are -- disinformation has been an instrument of foreign policy in military operations since the beginning of our times, and we're not the only ones that practice it. I think in this situation, though, we're seeing a racheting up of that as a policy and-- an interesting placing of it in an office in the Pentagon rather than in the intelligence agencies or say out of the State Department.
BOB GARFIELD: Let's talk about the credibility of the United States for a moment. The U.S. is always at pains with foreign audiences to persuade them that it is speaking the truth. What effect do you suppose it will have -- irrespective of whether this program ever is carried forward -- on the credibility of all messages from the United States to audiences, domestic and foreign.
PAUL McMASTERS: Where I am primarily concerned about this is what it does to the credibility of the press and its ability to provide an independent and credible source of information to the American people. If the people don't know whether to trust the information they're getting either from their elected leaders or their un-elected press, then that really confuses the democratic process.
BOB GARFIELD: Paul, what precipitates this, it appears, is America's frustration at trying to get its message across to audiences in the Arab and Muslim worlds. These are audiences that are accustomed to dealing with media sources that are heavily controlled by repressive governments. Should the government fight fire with fire?
PAUL McMASTERS: Every war is different than the preceding war, but this one moreso than any other, and it is very tempting to-- if we can adopt the military methods and tactics that our enemies are using, why not their informational tactics? I think in the long run, however, it compromises so many things that we stand for that there can be nothing but harm -- not only to the credibility of our officials but the ability of the American citizens to fully understand, support and/or challenge policies that come out of Washington.
BOB GARFIELD: Whatever happens now with this initiative or proposed initiative, isn't the damage already done?
PAUL McMASTERS: Well I think that certainly can be argued, especially if you take it in this context. We have seen from the very beginning a, a conscious or an unconscious -- and I would like to think that it was an unintentional compromising of the American press by administrative policies. We saw the calls from the White House to the major networks and newspapers about how they should cover interviews with Osama bin Laden -- we heard the ominous warning from the White House spokesman about Americans should watch what they say. I think this proposal would do even more damage in the ability of the American press to get an independent source of information and therefore better evaluate what is going on in this very important War on Terrorism.
BOB GARFIELD: But even if the Defense Department says oh, no, no - this was just talk - we discussed it - forget all about it - we would never do such a thing - this is off the table -- is there really anyone who believes that it will truly be off the table?
PAUL McMASTERS: Well I think that there will be some who will take the Defense Department at its word here, but we must keep in mind that on several occasions the secretary of Defense has said to the American people through the press briefings that he would not nor any of his people lie directly to the American people. Is that the truth or is that a part of a campaign would be a question that would come to many people's minds.
BOB GARFIELD: Well Paul, thank you very much.
PAUL McMASTERS: You're welcome. Thanks for having me.
BOB GARFIELD: Paul McMasters is a First Amendment ombudsman at the Freedom Forum in Washington, DC. [MUSIC]