Military Mythmaking: Editorial Error Reveals Pentagon Fabrications

A recent editorial blunder in Iraq exposed the Pentagon’s penchant for deception. Press releases describing recent attacks in Iraq (while applying the official spin) are common, though the issuances are expected to maintain a degree of accuracy.

On July 25, the United States military, through Task Force Baghdad with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, issued a press release about recent attacks on a Baghdad police station that read, in part: "'The terrorists are attacking the infrastructure, the ISF [Iraqi police] and all of Iraq. They are enemies of humanity without religion or any sort of ethics. They have attacked my community today and I will now take the fight to the terrorists,’ said one Iraqi man who preferred not to be identified.”

That bit seemed familiar to reporters covering the story, partly because the unnamed Iraqi expressed a sentiment that was curiously similar to a phrase repeatedly used by George Bush: “taking the fight to the terrorists.” Several journalists checked previous press releases, and discovered a virtually identical passage about an entirely different attack, in a July 13, 2005 press release:

"'The terrorists are attacking the infrastructure, the children and all of Iraq,’ said one Iraqi man who preferred not to be identified. ‘They are enemies of humanity without religion or any sort of ethics. They have attacked my community today and I will now take the fight to the terrorists.’”

When that same phrase popped up again, the military’s hidden use of fictional sources was made plain as day: Like the Jayson Blair-era New York Times, ostensibly factual information in American military reports may or may not be true, and may or may not quote fictional people.

According to a CNN article, when asked about the deception, the military reissued the latest release without the quote, and stated that “Task Force Baghdad Public Affairs regrets the confusion regarding two press releases issued in support of our operations July 24.” The official could not explain how the “confusion” happened, though it seems clear that the deception was intentional. Obviously, there are three ways this could have come about: 1) two real, unidentified Iraqi men said virtually the same thing about two separate attacks; 2) one Iraqi man’s real statement was used by the U.S. military to apply to two different attacks; or 3) one or both Iraqi men are fictional, and the quotes were dreamed up to deceive the public into believing that this Iraqi and others are rising up against insurgents. The Pentagon, which admitted that the first scenario did not occur, often points out the bias and misinformation issued by Al Jazeera and other non-American news sources, but are silent when they are exposed spreading their own bias and misinformation. Truth is indeed one of the first casualties of war, and myths come from all sides--not just the enemy.

In my book Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us, I discuss other modern wartime myths, including those in the lead up to the war on Iraq.