Operation Mockingbird – Government Control of Mainstream Media
Operation Mockingbird
Intelligent people have varying degrees of suspicion that the US government is in bed with the American mainstream media, and anyone who monitors the news media with discerning eyes can quite easily identify specific stories and strategies that are being used to persuade and intimidate the population. For those who want “evidence” of such manipulation, one needs to look no further than the findings of a Senate Select Committee in 1975, which confirms and details this, has occurred for decades on a scale larger than most people could imagine.
Operation Mockingbird, as it was called, was exposed in 1975 during the Church Committee investigation, which then published its findings the following year. The full name of the committee which investigated and uncovered such activities was called, “The United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities” which was chaired by Senator Frank Church (D-ID).
Through this investigation it became clear that such a program was developed in the 1950s for the purpose of persuading American and foreign media, as well as to use the media as gatekeepers to prevent certain information from being published and reaching the masses.
In 1948 an espionage and counter-intelligence branch within the CIA was created for the purpose of “propaganda, economic warfare; preventive direct action, including sabotage, anti-sabotage, demolition and evacuation measures; subversion against hostile states, including assistance to underground resistance groups, and support of indigenous anti-Communist elements in threatened countries of the free world.” Later that year Operation Mockingbird was established to influence the domestic and foreign media. Philip Graham, the owner of The Washington Post, was first recruited to run the project within the industry and develop a network of assets.
Thomas Braden, who was the head of the International Organizations Division (IOD), which was a division of the CIA dealing with human intelligence services, played a substantial role in Operation Mockingbird and would later reveal, “If the director of CIA wanted to extend a present, say, to someone in Europe—a Labour leader—suppose he just thought, this man can use fifty thousand dollars, he’s working well and doing a good job—he could hand it to him and never have to account to anybody… There was simply no limit to the money it could spend and no limit to the people it could hire and no limit to the activities it could decide were necessary to conduct the war—the secret war….It was multinational.”
According to the Congressional report published in 1976, “The CIA currently maintains a network of several hundred individuals around the world who provide intelligence for the CIA and at times attempt to influence opinion through the use of covert propaganda. These individuals provide the CIA with direct access to a large number of newspapers and periodicals, scores of press services and news agencies, radio and television stations, commercial book publishers, and other foreign media outlets.”
The committee also concluded that the cost of the program was approximately $265 million a year, which when adjusted for inflation as of 2010 means that in today’s dollars the program costs an astounding one billion dollars a year.
A year after the Church Committee released its findings on Operation Mockingbird, Rolling Stone magazine published an article on the program and named various prominent journalists who they alleged to be involved with it. Some of these included Ben Bradlee, who wrote for Newsweek, Stewart Alsop, who wrote for the New York Herald Tribune, James Reston (New York Times), Charles Douglas Jackson (Time Magazine), Walter Pincus (Washington Post), William C. Baggs (The Miami News), and others.
In 2007 a large amount of documents known as the “Family Jewels” were declassified and released by the National Security Archive, which also revealed that the CIA had routinely wiretapped Washington-based news reporters. These individuals were most likely seen as a threat to the establishment and were not playing along with the propaganda and gate-keeping efforts within the media establishment.
Source: Mark Dice
12 Significant Events That the Mockingbird Media is Currently Ignoring
CENSORSHIP, HOW DOES IT WORK?
When the state of any free society where freedom of the press, speech and expression is the law wishes to implement censorship ( State sponsored Censorship ) it must do so through a specific process which I call Subversive censorship. This process is comprised of two levels or stages. These are as follows:
1- Mild or covert censorship
This is the initial stage where the state very quietly and in some cases even stealthily implements censorship to specific material and information, rather it be with regards to information shared through the media, or material used in cinematic movies, TV. Shows etc. Or information and material used in the educational institutions. Of course Censorship isn't just about withholding information but rather in some cases it is also about altering and even changing the core message or character of a message regarding any specific issue or subject. These highly subversive tactics are used primarily at the early stages of the Censorship implementation process. Simply because the citizens of a free society whom have become accustomed to being free with expressing there thoughts and views without any fear of reprisal or state regulated restrictions. If at the beginning become aware of the states intentions. This would lead to widespread unrest and anger amongst the populace and would ultimately result in a revolt against the state by its citizens. So therefore if the state wishes to implement such a process it must do so very quietly and slowly. The most important aspect of this process is not so much the citizens forced adherence to censorship, but rather implementing this process in such a manner whereby the populace will subconsciously after a period of time abide by this rule themselves without the need of any physical encouragement forth coming from the state. Meaning that the exposure of the people to this process is don so in such a low amount and over such a long period of time that censorship becomes almost second nature and is perceived as simply the norm and is accepted as the reality of everyday life. Another consequence of this process is that not only will the citizens in question abide by or adhere to state censorship willingly, but also even those who openly profess to oppose censorship and are ardent supporters of free speech and freedom of the press etc.. Will ultimately themselves without knowing it exercise censorship against those materials or information which they do not agree with or perceive as not in accordance with what they believe to be correct or acceptable. They do so with out understanding that if one supports the principles of free speech and freedom of expression, then one must adhere to these principles at all times and not only when it suits them or when they choose to do so. its like saying that one is a devout Christian and whole heartedly believes in the Bible, but picks and chooses what parts of the Bible he or she are willing to adhere to?. This level or stage of Subversive Censorship can take anywhere from 5-10 years for it to be complete.
2- Overt or aggressive Censorship.
At this level all material and information is openly and officially Censored, whereby before any new material or information is either broad casted or publicised it must first be presented to the state and only upon received the states approval will they be permitted to be publicised.. This includes all material used in movies, on Television and in the media. Also all information and material taught to students at all levels in all educational intuitions across the country. In addition, as shown in the first stage, nearly all citizens with in the society in question have come to accept censorship as the norm. However there still will be those with in society whom will refuse to allow them selves to be manipulated or indoctrinated by the state. So, it is required by the state to enforce its censorship rule by means of force. Censorship at this level is for a indefinite period of time.
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