Inside Moscow And Beijing's Attempts To Influence U.S. Voters

Photo: Des Moines Register's China Watch paid content was cited by President Trump as Chinese interference. (Supplied)

ABC News Online: US mid-term elections: Inside Moscow and Beijing's attempts to influence voters

In the lobby of Sputnik, one of the foreign media outlets accused by US intelligence of being involved in Russian election interference efforts, a familiar Australian face is on the television.

It shows Sputnik's sister television channel Russia Today running an interview with veteran Australian journalist John Pilger.

Mr Pilger's widely discredited allegations shifting the blame for the Sergei Skripal poisoning from Russia to England make him popular on the station.

For US intelligence though, Russia Today and its radio and online outlet, Sputnik, are part of a broader interference campaign designed to undermine trust and promote division in the west.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The media budgets and coverage costs during U.S. election cycles involves hundreds of millions (if not billions) in monies being spent. Both Russia and China still have a long way to go before they can influence U.S. elections. But they are trying .... just like everyone else.

A Look At Britain's 'Propaganda' War Against The Islamic State In Syria

Free Syrian army fighters, one of the groups often considered to be part of the moderate armed opposition. Photograph: Reuters

The Guardian: How Britain funds the 'propaganda war' against Isis in Syria

Government contractors effectively run a press office for opposition fighters but communications conceal UK’s role.

The British government is waging information warfare in Syria by funding media operations for some rebel fighting groups, in the foreign front of what David Cameron has called “the propaganda war” against Islamic State.

The campaign aims to boost the reputation of what the government calls the “moderate armed opposition”, a complex and shifting alliance of armed factions.

Deciding which factions to support is risky for the government because many groups have become increasingly extremist as the five-year civil war grinds on.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: An excellent story that reviews the importance of the propaganda war against the Islamic State. This post also makes me wonder on how much of the material that I have posted over the years on this blog is actually material that was first conceptualized and implemented in some shape or manner in some PR or media relations room in the Pentagon, Britain's Ministry of Defense, the Russian Ministry of Defense, or Gods only knows where else. This is one of the main reasons why I post multiple links from different news agencies on the many conflicts in the world. There is too much group think out there .... and posting other sources helps me (and I hope it helps the readers) a chance to get away from this mindset .... at least some of the times.

Hat Tip to Jay for this Guardian link.

Video Of A Syrian Boy Braving Sniper Fire To Rescue Terrified Girl Is A Fake

'Syrian Hero Boy' Is A FAKE: Norwegian Director Admits That Footage Of Youngster Dodging Sniper Fire To Rescue Girl Was Actually Shot On Gladiator Film Set Using Professional Actors -- Daily Mail

* Video appeared to show boy dodging bullets in streets of countryside town
* One-minute clip was viewed more than 3.6 million times in just five days
* But Norwegian director has revealed that it was shot in Malta this summer
* Explained he wanted to spark a debate about children living in war zones
* Lars Klevberg said he did not feel uncomfortable about deceiving viewers

A video that appeared to show a young Syrian boy running through sniper fire to rescue a young girl is a fake, it has emerged.

The boy was hailed a hero after the one-minute clip, thought to be filmed in Yabroud, a countryside town 50 miles from Damascus, was posted online earlier this week.

But a group of Norwegian filmmakers have today revealed that the footage was in fact shot on location in Malta using professional actors.

Read more ....

Previous Post: Syrian Boy Braves Sniper Fire To Rescue Terrified Girl (Video)

My Comment: I knew that something was not right .... snipers rarely miss. But Ropestuff is right when he made the comment in my original post that even if it is fake .... "a lot of kids get sniped everyday, the scenario is common enough".

Canadian Jihadist May Be Dead But His Video Is Still Being Used To Recruit Foreign Fighters For ISIS

This Canadian Jihadist Died In Syria, But His Video May Recruit More Foreign Fighters -- Washington Post

"I watched hockey. I went to the cottage in the summertime. I liked to fish," says the bearded man in fatigues in the video, a rifle propped up on his shoulder. "I was like your everyday regular Canadian before Islam," he concludes.

Andre Poulin, a Canadian convert to Islam from the town of Timmons, Ontario, journeyed to Syria in 2012 to join the extremist militants of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. He is believed to have died in battle in the summer of 2013. But a new video released by a Web site affiliated with the Islamic State appears to be using his story to spread the word of jihad to other foreigners in the English-speaking world. (The above video is an edit of the full 11-minute version, which can be watched here.)

It's unclear when the video was filmed. But in it, Poulin, who went by the name Abu Muslim al Canadi and was believed to be 24 when he died, describes himself as a "regular person" who had a salary and a normal life in the West. And, he insists, "mujahideen are regular people, too." He calls on his "brothers" in the West to reject paying taxes to regimes that wage war in Muslim lands and to lend all their professional skills -- even as as doctors or engineers -- to the cause of the Islamic State.

Read more ....

Update: Canadian Killed in Syria Lives On as Pitchman for Jihadis -- New York Times

My Comment: I live in Canada .... so I know how life is here. The idea that fighting for Jihad in a place like Syria (and dying there) is preferable than living a life in Canada .... what an idiot.

Russian Propaganda Is Alive And Well

There have been accusations that the woman is an actress hired to sow discord in Ukraine and stoke pro-Moscow groups to incite people against the Kiev authorities

The 'Aggrieved Housewife', The 'Soldier's Mother' And The 'Kiev Resident': Did Russian Television 'Use Actress To Portray FIVE Different Women' As It Reported Normal Ukrainians Backed Kremlin -- Daily Mail

* Blonde woman seen on television broadcasts as a housewife in Odessa
* It is alleged she also appeared as the mother of a soldier in Kiev
* Woman appeared in five cities, appealing for help from Russia, it is alleged
* Ukrainians have accused Russia of paying 'Putin tourists' to stir trouble
* She was named as Tatiana Samoilenko, 40, although now has darker hair

Russian television makers have been accused of using an actress to pose as at least five different women opposed to the revolution in Ukraine.

The blonde woman was seen on television broadcasts as an aggrieved housewife in Odessa, describing her terror at the 'pro-fascist' politicians who grabbed power in Ukraine during last month's revolution.

However, many social network users were quick to notice that the 'housewife' bears an uncanny resemblance to several other women interviewed - prompting accusations that she is an actress hired to sow discord in Ukraine and stoke pro-Moscow groups to incite people against the Kiev authorities.

Read more ....

My Comment: Growing up in the old Soviet Union taught me to be very skeptical on local/national/international news reports .... a skepticism that still exists with me today. So naturally .... I try my best to be  careful with what the Russian media is reporting in Ukraine today. Overall .... I have found it to be OK. Having my own sources in Ukraine helps .... but my main beef with the Russian news media is that they are leaving out important stories .... especially on stories that are critical of Russia and/or are positive of the new Ukraine government. But taken in perspective of what the Russian media use to be in the old Soviet Union .... they have definitely improved for the better. As to how the West is covering Ukraine .... the European media is fair .... the U.S. media is stupid.

Our Media/Propaganda Campaigns Have Been A Failure In Iraq And Afghanistan

Marine Corps Cpl. William Aider releases a batch of leaflets April 3 while aboard an aircraft flying over Afghanistan. Sgt. Joshua T. Greenfield, Marine Corps

U.S. 'Info Ops' Programs Dubious, Costly -- USA Today

WASHINGTON – As the Pentagon has sought to sell wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to often-hostile populations there, it has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on poorly tracked marketing and propaganda campaigns that military leaders like to call "information operations," the modern equivalent of psychological warfare.

From 2005 to 2009, such spending rose from $9 million to $580 million a year mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan, Pentagon and congressional records show. Last year, spending dropped to $202 million as the Iraq War wrapped up. A USA TODAY investigation, based on dozens of interviews and a series of internal military reports, shows that Pentagon officials have little proof the programs work and they won't make public where the money goes. In Iraq alone, more than $173 million was paid to what were identified only as "miscellaneous foreign contractors."

Read more ....

My Comment: The enemy spends almost nothing for their media/info campaigns .... but are infinitely more successful with their message. So .... is the fault on our side the message or the messenger? My guess is that the answer is a combination of both.

Changing The Information War To Woo Muslims

Adm. Mike Mullen

Military Chief Seeks New Plan To Woo Muslims -- MSNBC

Mullen says actions, not words, needed to erase 'arrogant Americans' label.

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written a searing critique of government efforts at “strategic communication” with the Muslim world, saying that no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting.

The critique by the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, comes as the United States is widely believed to be losing ground in the war of ideas against extremist Islamist ideology. The issue is particularly relevant as the Obama administration orders fresh efforts to counter militant propaganda, part of its broader strategy to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Read more ....

My Comment: The same argument was made when President Bush and the U.S. military were engaged in Iraq. Also .... the proposed solutions from Adm. Mullen are actually the same remedies that were applied by President Bush in the middle of the iraqi occupation.

These policies failed. The American information campaign was always treated with propaganda and contempt by the people that they were trying to influence.

What made the difference was on the battlefield. Nothing beats communicating your position than from a position of strength and success. It was only when the Americans were successful with their surge and their commitment to stay the course in Iraq that people began to listen to our "message".

I believe that the same thing must be done in Afghanistan .... but if Adm. Mullen is to be believed .... this is not going to be the case.

US Jamming Taliban Radio, Websites

From The Daily Times:

LAHORE: The US government is starting a broad effort in Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent the Taliban from using radio stations and websites, senior US officials have told the Wall Street Journal.

American military and intelligence personnel are working to jam the unlicensed radio stations that Taliban fighters use to broadcast “threats and decrees”. US personnel are also trying to block the Pakistani chat rooms and websites joining the extremist underground. The websites frequently contain videos of attacks and inflammatory religious material that attempts to justify acts of violence.

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My Comment: I would like to know why it has taken NATO and the U.S. military this long to jam these messages. The Daily Times explanation of the effectiveness of radio during the Rwandan Genocide is an appropriate example to use when comparing that disaster to what is happening today.

Bias From The Associate Press In Covering The War In Iraq ...... Again

President Barack Obama hugs a soldier as he greets military personnel at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, April 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Analysis: Obama Achieves Defining TV Shot In Iraq -- Yahoo News/AP

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama went for the defining television shot in Iraq and got it — pictures of hundreds of U.S. troops cheering wildly as he told them it was time for the Iraqis to take charge of their own future.

The war zone photo opportunity produced a stunning show of appreciation for Obama from military men and women who have made great sacrifices, many serving repeated tours in a highly unpopular war.

Read more ....

My Comment: When President Bush was with the troops in Iraq .... and the same type of pictures were produced as what is shown above .... the AP ran critical stories that were the complete opposite of what is written in the above story on President Obama.

Sigh ..... and the AP wonders why they are losing readers on a continual basis.

ANOTHER Bogus Iraqi Slaughter Reported & Repeated By MSM

From Gateway Pundit:

7 Shia pilgrims were supposedly ambushed and slaughtered on Sunday near Madain by gunmen hiding in reeds on their way toward a shrine in northern Baghdad for an annual event marking the death of an eighth-century saint.
USA Today reported:

The story was repeated no less than 490 times by the mainstream media.

The Associated Press again reported the story on Monday:

On Sunday, at least seven pilgrims were killed south of Baghdad in an ambush by gunmen near a Sunni town, Madain, south of the capital.

The marchers were commemorating the death in 799 A.D. of Imam Moussa ibn Jaafar al-Kadhim, one of the 12 principle Shiite imams.

However, once again we find out later that this was just a bogus report and that authorities found nothing to back up the story.
Today the Iraqi military denied the reports of the ambush on the Shiite pilgrims.

Read more ....

My Comment: One more example of the dinosaur media at work. Hat tip to Gateway Pundit for spotting what the Iraq media is saying, and what the media is saying here.