None Dare Call It a Whitewash
That press release from the U.S. military in Iraq announcing that U.S. planes fired on Sons of Iraq militiamen who were planting roadside bombs? Note its anodyne headline, designed to die in reporters’ inboxes and RSS feeds:
“„MND-B [Multinational Division-Baghdad] aircraft engage suspected IED emplacement team
Nothing about the Sons of Iraq there. You would think that this is a fairly routine operation. Same thing for the headline from the American Forces Press Service, the military’s official news operation:
“„Coalition Air Weapons Team Strikes Roadside Bombers in Iraq
And officials wonder why the public grows mistrustful of their statements.
