White House To Overhaul Efforts To Combat Online Propaganda From The Islamic State And Other Militant Groups

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Washington Post: Obama administration plans shake-up in propaganda war against the Islamic State

The Obama administration is overhauling its faltering efforts to combat the online propaganda of the Islamic State and other terror groups, U.S. officials said, reflecting rising White House frustration with largely ineffective efforts so far to cut into ISIS’ use of social media to draw recruits and incite attacks.

Officials will create a new counter-terrorism task force, which will be based at the Department of Homeland Security but aims to enlist dozens of federal and local agencies. Other moves include revamping a State Department program that was created to serve as an information war room to challenge the Islamic State online and erode its appeal.

U.S. officials said the unit at the State Department will turn its focus toward helping allies craft more localized anti-terror messages, and will stop producing any videos or other material in English — ending a campaign that had been derided by critics.

Update #1: U.S. recruits tech leaders to help disrupt ISIS -- CBS/AP
Update #2: Top tech CEOs and U.S. officials brainstorm ideas on how to hit ISIS online -- Digital Trends

WNU Editor: The problem with what the White House is proposing is this .... Asking Silicon Valley to 'disrupt' terrorists is tech talk for 'surveillance' (Trevor Timm, The Guardian)

The Islamic State Releases Their Latest Propaganda Film 'Flames of War'

An ISIS jihadist spoke with an American accent on the Flames of War propaganda film which was uploaded to YouTube today. In the video, the masked extremist stands before Syrian soldiers, loyal to dictator Bashar al-Assad who are digging their own shallow grave outside the city of Raqqa

Masked Man With AMERICAN Accent Appears In Latest ISIS Propaganda Film 'Flames of War' -- Daily Mail

The 55-minute long, 'Flames of War' video was posted on YouTube today
It bears the hallmarks of previous propaganda including Hollywood-style effects and bloodthirsty, call-to-arms language
At end of the tape, a masked jihadist in desert fatigues, speaks directly to the camera in an American accent
An ISIS flag billows as Syrian soldiers loyal to dictator Bashar al-Assad dig their own shallow graves

The latest suspected ISIS propaganda film has been uploaded to YouTube and appears to feature a jihadist with an American accent.

The 55-minute 'Flames of War' video was posted online today and bears hallmarks of previous Islamic State tapes including Hollywood-style effects and bloodthirsty, call-to-arms language.

The clip bears the stamp of the al-Hayat Media Centre, ISIS' English-language propaganda arm.

Read more ....

Update: WATCH VIDEO *GRAPHIC* Islamic State Releases Gruesome Full-Length Film directed at America; Jihadist with AMERICAN accent appears, Hostages Seen Digging Their Own Graves -- Pamela Geller

WNU Editor: YouTube has pulled down the video .... but it can be watched at this Dutch website. The link is here. This video is slick.

The Islamic State Is Doctoring It's Videos Of President Obama To Make Him Look 'Haggard'

The islamic State Is Doctoring It's Videos Of President Obama To Make Him Look 'Haggard'

How Isil Doctored The Image Of Obama, Making Him Appear Haggard In Videos -- The Telegraph

The terrorist group carefully manipulate their videos to make the US president look as tired and weary as possible, demonstrating its technical prowess

Isil's video editors have carefully manipulated colour and screen size to make Barack Obama look as haggard as possible in their recent productions.

The two videos disclosing the murders of James Foley and Steven Sotloff display Isil’s mastery of complex editing and animation techniques. Both productions set out to denigrate Mr Obama and present a narrative that blames him for the deaths of the two journalists.

Comparing the two videos shows how Isil has improved its techniques – but the terrorist film-makers still remain capable of basic mistakes.

The videos share the same structure: they begin with clips of Mr Obama ordering air strikes and then cut to a scene of the hostage kneeling in the desert and denouncing America. They conclude with the black-clad Isil terrorist announcing in an English accent that the captive will now be killed.

Read more ....

My Comment: Politicians have always been concerned about their image  .... and what ISIS is trying to do is present their own image of who President Obama is  .... and define him to to the Middle East.

Glossy Internet Magazine Targets Americans For Jihad Training

The cover of "Jihad Recollections," a magazine about
Al Qaeda that impels Americans to join in jihad.

From FOX News:

It's been likened to Al Qaeda's "Vanity Fair," a new English-language Internet magazine called "Jihad Recollections" that focuses on the terrorist group, its founder, Usama Bin Laden, and how to commit jihad. It also predicts the demise of the United States.

“This is designed for Americans,” says noted terrorism expert Steven Emerson, founder of the Investigative Project on Terrorism in Washington, D.C., and author of the book "American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us."

“It’s not for Brits, not for Germans, not for jihadists in the Middle East. It’s designed for Americans and it’s designed to get them to convert to Islam or to carry out jihad acts of terror,” he said.

Read more ....

My Comment: Another hate site that deserves to be shut down.

Why Language Is Important In The War Against Militant islam

(Image from Pubphilosopher)

Military Report: Terms 'Jihad,' 'Islamist' Needed -- Washington Times

Team sees no reason to soften words

A U.S. military "Red Team" charged with challenging conventional thinking says that words like "jihad" and "Islamist" are needed in discussing 21st-century terrorism and that federal agencies that avoid the words soft-pedaled the link between religious extremism and violent acts.

"We must reject the notion that Islam and Arabic stand apart as bodies of knowledge that cannot be critiqued or discussed as elements of understanding our enemies in this conflict," said the internal report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times.

The report, "Freedom of Speech in Jihad Analysis: Debunking the Myth of Offensive Words," was written by unnamed civilian analysts and contractors for the U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for the Middle East and South Asia. It is thought to be the first official document to challenge those in the government who seek to downplay the role of Islam in inspiring some terrorist violence.

Read more .....

My Comment: A breath of fresh air on the need to call the jihadists and their supporters for what they are.

Required Reading: The Spectacle of War by Andrew Exum

Hat Tip to Mountain Runner:

Quoting Mountain Runner directly:

Read Andrew Exum's excellent The Spectacle of War: Insurgent video propaganda and Western response (or PDF version here) at Arab Media & Society. Andrew describes what I call precision-guided media to mobilize supporters through a combination of traditional media such as radio and television, to New Media like websites, discussion boards, YouTube, and SMS. Modern insurgents have moved well beyond the international sympathy of the Zapatista to, as Andrew describes, fostering and relying on a re-interpretation of nationalism to mobilize and elicit responses near and far.

Read more ....

My Comment: The report by Andrew Exum is incredibly clear and insightful, instructive, and educational in explaining how propaganda now functions in the internet age. The brief comments and explanations from Mountain Runner also go straight to the point ..... this post should be required reading for all news editors and publishers.