propaganda machine

The Huffington Post has obtained an internal memo from FOX News, written by their vice-President of news. The memo contained this very interesting tidbit:

Of course FOX news will be on the lookout for statements from Iraqi insurgents saying they are happy the Democrats won. Isn't this the job of the administration's propaganda machine? But there is something else within that single paragraph that is of real interest:

Jennifer Grffin sent in info on Hamas' call for attacks on American interests.

What makes that statement so interesting is this piece of info that Aravosis has uncovered:

Palestinian terror groups and security organizations in the Gaza Strip received $2 million from a United States source in exchange for the release of Fox News employees Steve Centanni and Olag Wiig, who were kidnapped here last summer, a senior leader of one of the groups suspected of the abductions told WND.

The terror leader, from the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees, said his organization's share of the money was used to purchase weapons, which he said would be utilized "to hit the Zionists."

He said he expects the payments for Centanni and Wiig's freedom will encourage Palestinian groups to carry out further kidnappings.

Officials associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party and its security organization, the Preventative Security Services, confirmed to WND money was paid for the release of the Fox News reporters.... the money was used to purchase weapons.

Well Bush can say he isn't worried about the mid-term elections but behind the scenes it looks different. When memos like this come out you got to wonder what they are thinking:

Career appointees at the Department of Agriculture were stunned last week to receive e-mailed instructions that include Bush administration "talking points" -- saying things such as "President Bush has a clear strategy for victory in Iraq" -- in every speech they give for the department.

"The President has requested that all members of his cabinet and sub-cabinet incorporate message points on the Global War on Terror into speeches, including specific examples of what each agency is doing to aid the reconstruction of Iraq," the May 2 e-mail from USDA speechwriter Heather Vaughn began.

The e-mail, sent to about 60 undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and other political appointees, was also sent to "a few people to whom it should not have gone," said the department's communications director, Terri Teuber . The career people, we are assured, are not being asked to spread the great news on Iraq in their talks to food stamp recipients, disadvantaged farmers, enviros or other folks.

Ahh yes. Don't worry about madcow disease. Just make sure you talk up Bush when it comes to his piss-poor decision to go to war in Iraq and his disastrous decisions on how to execute that war.

Now I understand they are trying to write this off as "an accident" that should not have gone to all these people but you know there is a hidden motive behind it. Kind of like an attorney saying something in the courtroom that he knows the judge will throw out, the damage is already done. The information has already been heard by the jury and they won't "just wipe it from their minds". The same thing goes with this memo.

Bill O'Reilly needs to retire. If he does not retire then FOX needs to fire
him. He has taken his show, The O'Reilly Factor and turned it further into a
partisan smear machine. He has done this by attacking the left wing web sites
that disagree with him and has associated them with the Nazi party.

Last night on the Factor, O'Reilly had two right wing bloggers present to
help support his claims. Not "fair and balanced" if you ask me. Further more,
since his attacks have begun on Media
Matters, he continues to refuse them time to come on and defend their work.

O'Reilly tried to criminalize George Sorros, a major contributor to Media
Matters, because he keeps his money in an offshore account. Well Mr. O'Reilly,
how about looking into Halliburton and how they move their interests to the
Bahamas in order to avoid U.S. taxes and labor laws.

O'Reilly also made a false claim that there are no such right wing sites on
the internet. Well let me set the record straight to Mr. O'Reilly. There are
plenty. One is Michelle
Malkin who is a contributor to FOX network. She even had
an article last week
saying that the liberal left was planning parties when the 2,000th soldier got
killed in Iraq. An incredible lie and even worse she used her propaganda machine
to use the death of soldiers in order to promote her hate of the left. That's
pretty bad.