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AP threatened by Pentagon over accurate reporting of Iraq

Meagan Freeman | 11.02.2009 00:29 | Iraq | Other Press | Repression | World

"Now is the time to resist the propaganda the Pentagon produces and live up to our obligation to question authority and thereby help protect our democracy." AP CEO Tom Curley, speaking at University of Kansas.

In a speech at University of Kansas the head of Associated Press, Tom Curley, accused the Bush administration of systematically attacking the AP to ensure "unflattering" (ie. accurate) reporting of US actions in Iraq was kept out of the press.

The speech comes days after an AP investigation put the price of this year's Pentagon 'influence operations' - psychological warfare in the field and at home- at $4.7 billion, and revealed that it takes 27,000 employees to run this propaganda machine.

Curley also alluded to the detention and possible torture of journalists, and said that on one occasion the Pentagon had threatened to 'ruin' the AP for honest reporting of the US military invasion of Iraq.

Full articles here  http://harpers.org/archive/2009/02/hbc-90004359

and here  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/06/ap-ceo-bush-turned-milita_n_164812.html

Meagan Freeman

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  1. curley's original speech text — Adelaide Blaxland