PSYOPS and the Media Force Multiplier

I have seen some threads on ATS about CNN being controlled by the government, the military, the NWO, etc. so I started to dig around a little to see what one of the most watched news outlets was really up to. What I found was very disturbing, but expected none the less.

As I have become older, I have started to take stock in what is going on around me, what I listen to and believe in, etc. In the past, I would just watch either my local news, or the national news of my choice and would pretty much believe what they were telling me. I was believing that they were being fair and impartial, and were gathering facts from both sides of the story. I really started watching CNN on a daily basis back before 9/11, and as those days events unfolded, I was astounded at the amount of information (albeit conjecture and mostly speculation) was coming into CNN. I ate it up.

Recently I have started to question the motives and the news gathering efforts of CNN and other global media outlets. I had a feeling that the government (military, etc) had their hands in the cookie jar with the media, and would use it from time to time, but I never gave it much thought past that. Then I found and read a story from FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting). The story was about officers from the US Army's 4th PSYOPS group working as "interns" at the CNN headquarters building in Atlanta. Here is some background on them from the story;

The story is disturbing. In the 1980s, officers from the 4th Army PSYOPS group staffed the National Security Council's Office of Public Diplomacy (OPD), a shadowy government propaganda agency that planted stories in the U.S. media supporting the Reagan Administration's Central America policies. A senior US official described OPD as a "vast psychological warfare operation of the kind the military conducts to influence a population in enemy territory." (Miami Herald, 7/19/87) An investigation by the congressional General Accounting Office found that OPD had engaged in "prohibited, covert propaganda activities," and the office was soon shut down as a result of the Iran-Contra investigations.

Source: here

So, as a PSYOPS group, I wonder what was considered "prohibited, covert propaganda activities"? Seems to me it would have to be pretty bad to be shut down.

The story goes on to speak of how the soldiers learned the ins and outs of the CNN operation. And of course, CNN swears that it did not allow the PSYOPS unit to influence their reporting (even though that is just what a PSYOPS unit does). The article goes on to ask the question:

Even if the PSYOPS officers working in the newsroom did not influence news reporting, did the network allow the military to conduct an intelligence-gathering mission against CNN itself?

Hmmmm....very interesting. I believe that the US Army would take whatever advantage it could at CNN, including gathering what information they could about CNN and its operations.

The FAIR also reported that one of the officers worked in CNN's satellite division. At a later PSYOPS conference, there was talk "that the military needed to find ways to "gain control" over commercial news satellites to help bring down an "informational cone of silence" over regions where special operations were taking place." Now that is very interesting. Not only were the PSYOPS officers allowed to see and learn the inner workings at CNN, but they were also allowed access to the satellite operations. So now, they not only have a way to disseminate the information, but they also have a way to control the information.

In 2004 there was another article in FAIR revisiting the return of PSYOPS. In an October 14 on-air interview, Marine Lt. Lyle Gilbert told CNN Pentagon reporter Jamie McIntyre that a U.S. military assault on Fallujah had begun. In fact, the offensive would not actually begin for another three weeks. The goal of the psychological operation, according to the Times , was to deceive Iraqi insurgents into revealing what they would do in the event of an actual offensive.
This operation raises obvious questions about the government's use of media to broadcast disinformation at home and abroad-- not to mention questions about journalistic gullibility and reluctance to question official claims.

Source: here

This brings me to the document that is unclassified, but spells out how the military should (and does) use the mainstream media outlets to their advantage. I found it very interesting to look at box 14 of the beginning of the document. The writer of the paper had to list 10 keywords that relate to his paper, and the winners are:

1. Media
   
2. Operations
   
3. Public Affairs
   
4. Information Age
   
5. Command
   
6. PSYOPS
   
7. Deception
   
8. Intelligence
   

WOW....you gotta love that!

The writer goes on to say "In an era where wars can be won or lost on the worlds television screens, the operational commander must be pro-active and innovative in dealing with the media. Proactive and innovative......get in there early, and feed them what you want them to disseminate. As a matter of fact, on the bottom of page (3) of the document, the writer specifically mentions CNN. Heck, there is even a bit of propaganda directed at the military reader in there (speaking of the importance of using the media to their advantage).

Our men and women in uniform deserve nothing less of their military leaders

The article even goes as far as to say that the commander MUST leverage the potential of the media for successful military operations! That is a pretty bold statement, and proof that the military is integrating the mass media into their plans for PSYOPS both on the enemy and on you and I. I will not go any further into the document, but will allow you to check it out for yourselves. Save a copy for yourselves, there is no telling how long it will stay up. Follow the link below to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.....

PSYOPS Media Force Multiplier


Edit: To add links to stories






[edit on 19-8-2009 by desertdreamer]

A guy at my job was telling me about how he remembers seeing CNN on the beach setting up for a story on the invasion of Somalia, when some Navy SEALS popped up out of the water. He says he distinctly remembers it that way....he even said that the reporter tried to interview one of the SEALS as they came up the beach! I have not been able to find any archived footage of this, does anyone remember this or know where footage can be found?

Edit: Sorry, this was Somalia....1992, I found a link to part of the story...

The 1992 Restore Hope Operation

Operation Restore Hope Document

Before dawn on Wednesday December 16, 1992 an advance guard of Navy SEALS landed and secured a beach near the city of Mogadishu. As the SEALS hit the beach, they were confronted not by Somali warlords or hostile gunmen, but by a horde of journalists armed with bright lights and whirring television cameras. As the "surprise" dead-of-night landing was broadcast live on CNN and other networks, the black-faced young commandos were like confused deer caught in the headlights of an on-rushing media locomotive. The press in Mogadishu had been tipped off by the military as to when and where the SEALS would be landing. This staged military mission, performed almost solely to give the media something to look at, shows the fundamental problem of the modern media-military relationship.

[edit on 19-8-2009 by desertdreamer]

Any former or present PSYOPS people on here....that are willing to admit it?

Guess not.....my thread died before it really had life....lol

It's amazing to me how threads like "another look at public nudity" get more comments than others. Call me crazy, but it sure seems like the quality of posts has gone down over time (I mean this is more geared towards big brother, conspiracies, etc....right?). I am not saying I have the most thought provoking threads here (nowhere close, and I can admit that), but some of the threads on here are ridiculous and get more comments than they really should in my opinion. Just my 2 cents......okay, my thread can die in peace now.

[edit on 20-8-2009 by desertdreamer - Content]

[edit on 20-8-2009 by desertdreamer]

Bump....just to see if I could get any takers...

I really wouldn't get too up in arms over 4POG sending guys to work at CNN. They (4POG) do print and TV broadcasting, so it probably was just them getting experience.

And Major Belknap states on his paper, "The contents of this paper reflect my own personal views and are not necessarily endorsed by the Naval War College or the Department of the Navy." That means they aren't being used to shape PSYOP policy for the military. Even tho he is right; PSYOP is a force multiplier.

Of course they use CNN. Great journalisim! Star and flag for you my man!!!

Warfare at its finest...


This stuff just happens to be my specialty.


ANYONE who thinks that the media has NO connection to the government, and thus, the military is ignorant indeed!

reply to post by jerico65


Just because it says that the guys views are not necessarily endorsed does not mean that they are not using it. I mean, why have the guy write all that up and then not use it.....just like, why would the government not use Blackwater XE as a tool? They may not necessarily endorse their methods.....but hey, if it gets the job done why would they not use them?

First it’s a great thread! You put together some nice basic research to clearly detail something inconvenient for most people, a very unpleasant and disturbing thing called the TRUTH.

Yet that is why your excellent ideas and threads won’t garner much attention here on ATS.

You see the basis of your story is more accurate than you think.

They psychological operations people do their jobs better than you think.

Your thread is missing 2 basic elements that people have been conditioned to and trained to expect in news worthy of broadcast and dissemination by notables like CNN.

Your reporting must be designed with palpable and well evident anger and indignation.

Just the facts and nothing but the facts works great for the detectives of Dragnet but terrible for Internet and Media audiences that crave anger and emotional drama.

If anger is not well present in how you report it, you can not jump start the viewer into life and they remain flat lined on you. Anger sells the network news and anger sells ATS Threads, you will notice the pattern now that you know what pattern to look for.

The second critical element missing to garner attention and interaction that is always present on CNN and FOX and popular threads on ATS is there must be a scapegoat. A clearly defined entity that once angry and full of drama people feel familiar enough to rail against.

Army psychological warfare agents are homogenous and annonymous, the group you scapegoat must be readily identifiable to the viewer and be a group they are familiar with.

People get no emotional bang for the buck railing and ranting against a group that they don’t feel intimately familiar with, it lacks the dramatic appeal required to give them the feel of a pseudo life of a warrior ineffectively fighting against a known and qualified enemy.

For instance CNN throws Republican Neo Conservatives to the Lions and their audience eats it up. FOX throws left wing Liberals to the Lions and their audience eats it up.

Here on ATS, Jews, Israelis, Zionists, Arabs, Iranians, Muslims, Democrats, Republicans, Birth Certificates, the Bohemian Club, 9-11, UFO’s, the CFR and the Powers that Be really are the preferred scapegoat.

Now if you shared this same information in an angry way and made the culprit a Jew who live in Israeli but also had dual citizenship in the United States, who was secretly a Muslim Alien from outer space, who belongs to the Bohemian Club, works at the CFR and personally altered Obama’s Birth Certificate for the Democratic Party to set them up for the Republican Party and you are sure Glen Beck is going to come out with this story on Monday (post busted You Tube link to back it up) now you got a popular ATS thread!

Something for everyone to be angry about, sure sex sells too, but angry sex? Now you got ratings!

Psychological Warfare only works for one reason; those conducting it understand the Psychological mindset of their target audience.

You must too!

Darn Jewish/Israeli/Zionists/Muslim/Alien/CFR/Republican/Democrats blowing up the World Trade Center sitting around the Bohemian Club watching little kids killed in human sacrifices forging Obama’s Birth Certificate sure do burn my butt too!

Sorry man the Psychological Warfare people do their job too good and already got to them...hey want a beer?

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Finally, someone with an excellent and well rounded answer! Thanks PT! I appreciate your views!

Psychological Warfare only works for one reason; those conducting it understand the Psychological mindset of their target audience.

Yes, this is one of the main things they teach in the Army PSYOPS manuals.

Hmmmmm anger and a scapegoat......I will have to keep that in mind.

Originally posted by desertdreamer
Just because it says that the guys views are not necessarily endorsed does not mean that they are not using it. I mean, why have the guy write all that up and then not use it.....just like, why would the government not use Blackwater XE as a tool? They may not necessarily endorse their methods.....but hey, if it gets the job done why would they not use them?

It's just a Naval War College paper that the individual wrote. It's not something that the military asked him to write.

But, there are good ideas that he's putting forth. Like what the Marine General said, you can't always get favorable reporting, but you do want to have fair reporting, and you can get that by being fair with the media. That was seen with the embeded reporters during OIF.

And I have seen it in the past where certain military operations are brought up to the press to report to see how the opposition reacts to the news.

Originally posted by jerico65

Originally posted by desertdreamer
Just because it says that the guys views are not necessarily endorsed does not mean that they are not using it. I mean, why have the guy write all that up and then not use it.....just like, why would the government not use Blackwater XE as a tool? They may not necessarily endorse their methods.....but hey, if it gets the job done why would they not use them?

It's just a Naval War College paper that the individual wrote. It's not something that the military asked him to write.

But, there are good ideas that he's putting forth. Like what the Marine General said, you can't always get favorable reporting, but you do want to have fair reporting, and you can get that by being fair with the media. That was seen with the embeded reporters during OIF.

And I have seen it in the past where certain military operations are brought up to the press to report to see how the opposition reacts to the news.

Point taken. And yes, the military will feed the press news to see how the opposition will react to it. It is an excellent tool, that's for sure.

Originally posted by desertdreamer
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

Finally, someone with an excellent and well rounded answer! Thanks PT! I appreciate your views!

Psychological Warfare only works for one reason; those conducting it understand the Psychological mindset of their target audience.

Yes, this is one of the main things they teach in the Army PSYOPS manuals.

Hmmmmm anger and a scapegoat......I will have to keep that in mind.

You see friend, anger and best of all anger born out of fear, that make people lash out desperately in anger is what triggers responses and people interacting.

One of the most common mistakes people make when pitching or selling an idea or a plan is that the people you are pitching and selling it to are of equal enough intelligence to you to understand your idea and respond.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Even the awake crowd that lives to deny ignorance are not so much awake as they are wound up and connecting the dots for them from beginning to end is what winds them up and captivates them and sets them in motion.

You have to sell first a real threat and a real fear, a car could run you over one day does not sell fear or urgency as My G-d Jump that car right there is about to run you over!

Of course you can’t sell that when they are sitting in their living room or office and it has no major freeway running through it.

So you have to mentally place them on the road way, you have to show them how that car is a real threat to them based on where they are really at, you have to illustrate how the car is more likely than not bound to hit them, that the car wants to and intends to hit them with forethought and malice and why the car wants to hit them with forethought and malice, then you must make it seem like it’s a foregone conclusion that the car will hit them unless they react with anger as opposed to responding intelligently with critical thought. Who ever is driving the car must be an enemy known to them that they already suspect of having ill intent towards them and is a credible threat in their mind already. You must be able to at the same time demonstrate why the car’s driver really has it out for your reader too to reinforce that paranoia and fear that leads to rage and anger.

It’s through connecting all those dots for the reader or viewer that turns the magical light bulb on upstairs in their minds that acts as a shock treatment catalyst that jumps starts their normal indifference from over saturation to their senses by competing external stimuli for their attention and then winds them up to react with anger as ineffectual and self defeating as it may be.

Some stories regarding things like 9-11, Israel, Iran and religion sell themselves in this way because much of the audience has been previously programmed to respond strongly to these stimuli through repeated exposure and indoctrination.

So even though the person originally posting the article might not pull it all together well and connect all the dots for the viewer and reader the reader and viewer has connected most of the dots through previous exposure to the subject matter and they are primed. In those cases all you need is a good dose of self righteous indignation and anger to drive home the emotional fear and you have people interacting.

It’s all about a play on emotions not intelligence even though your target audience emotionally believes in their superior intelligence and cognitive abilities in many ways the ‘awake’ are even more asleep than the stone cold snoring sheeple, because the awake are typically just wound up like wind up dolls to respond a certain way but only to certain things.

You can see this most often in how they have strong views on a conspiratorial element that they have focused on and been taught to dislike and rail against and resist, but will take a docile approach to a conspiratorial partnered element that they haven’t yet learned is part of the same overall conspiracy. For instance Shadow Government bad…Obama good! There, there, it’s alright you go back to sleep now!

It’s also important to understand that most people aren’t actually interested in learning the true nature, depth and scope of a conspiracy as they are ego wise proving their version of the conspiracy is the correct one. The conspiracy becomes all about their ability to accurately identify it and not the actual conspiracy itself which becomes secondary in nature as they pursue exposing a conspiracy based on their individual view and understanding of it.

In part that’s why it becomes so important to connect the dots for people utilizing fear and anger as a catalyst and a propellant so that their rage and anger carries them further than their normally limited ego, intelligence and common sense would.

It’s hard work being a power that be!

People herding and farming is fraught with more challenges than it appears on the surface.





[edit on 23/8/09 by ProtoplasmicTraveler]

It is truly amazing how so many people have fell into this trap even here on ATS. I wrote a thread on The diversity Conspiracy not too long ago. I received not a single reply ,but did receive applause from a mod. It must be at least somewhat true. I think that if a thread does not confirm peoples own views they are not interested in it. It may also be what the other poster said about anger. I have seen far too many good posts here die from lack of proper discourse, as well as many posters fall off the face, Justin Oldham being one. He wrote some well thought out pieces and discussed all sides of an issue without bringing anger or name calling into play. You could agree or disagree or even both without fear of being made the fool. As ATS has grown it seems the quality has started to suffer, as it continues to evolve. It may also be infiltrated by those that you are currently writing about. Perhaps a true conspiracy right here, it wouldn't surprise me.

respectfully

reluctantpawn

reply to post by reluctantpawn


Whats the link to your thread, I would like t check it out.

Being computer dysfuntional I cannot link Try the search under The Diversity Conspiracy.

Thanks for asking,

reluctantpawn

reply to post by reluctantpawn



Ahhhhh... here it is

The Diversity Conspiracy

I will check it out, and I hope others will as well. Thanks.