There’s a nice little movie out there called “Fruitvale Station,” a separate discussion. In the movie the lead character, Oscar, is getting lovey with his wife and she is indifferent, and then mentions that he had an affair with another woman and that it was making it difficult for her. “One time,” says Oscar, and she agrees. “Yeah. You got caught, one time.”
This article is from TV Guide, April 15, 2000. It was a freer time in our history with more actual journalism going on than now. The incident has stuck in my mind all of these years because events subsequent indicate heavily military PSYOP presence in our news media.
In the TV Guide article, we learn that eight US Army PSYOP specialists held positions with CNN and NPR. That much is certain, as it was admitted by red-faced CNN and NPR.
After that, everything appears to be a lie. News executives did not know about them, they say. They did not affect “journalism,” they say. “Human Resources” did not know their backgrounds, they say. They were just there to “learn at the feet of masters,” and only about how to do news reporting, they say. In Latin America, they were used to doing things like create anti-drug advertisements, they say. They just did low-level clerkish work, says NPR, on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. They were probably pushing a coffee cart around. What could be more harmless?
And, of course, once NPR and CNN “learned” they were there, they were immediately terminated. End of story.
Truth is a little less savory. A French Intelligence newsletter exposed their existence, and the story ran in a Dutch newspaper, thereby making its way into the US media.
CNN and NPR got caught. But of course, it was the first time. Never happened before, never happen again. Honest honey.
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