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perival

percival | 02.05.2003 16:34

Link to a bbc radio programme today, on which it is claimed that overseas reporting by British journalists is riddled with disinformation controlled by UK and US intelligence services. Can this be true?

Just been listening to "the message" on Radio 4.
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/themessage.shtml

I think you should be able to listen yourself on
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/rams/themessage_20030502.ram

One of the speakers ( Stephen Dorril, author of MI6, Fifty Years of Special Operations ?) stated that MI6 has 20 people full time right now in "Information Ops" who have recruited British journalists, and are using them to spread disinformation. They have been particularly active recently, and generate completely spurious news items, which their tame journalists support by ratifying each others findings.

And not just MI6.
After Watergate the US made it illegal for the CIA to recruit US jornalists, and so they recruit British instead. I wonder how many people they are employing ?

Apparently there are many parts of the world (including the middle east) in which British journalists are regarded with particular suspicion as potential spies and truth distorters - and this is with good justifiction based on hard experience.

The implication is that probably as many as perhaps 20% of British overseas journalists in significant areas have some sort of relationship with UK or US intelligence services.

Oh dear, oh dear, this just keeps on getting worse. How have I lived so long and been so naive until palestine and iraq began to open my eyes?

percival