The CIAs 60-Year History of Fake News: How the Deep State Corrupted Many American Writers

[OxQQme]

>"In this week’s episode of “Scheer Intelligence,” Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer interviews Joel Whitney, author and co-founder of Guernica magazine.

Whitney’s new book, “Finks: How the C.I.A. Tricked the World’s Best Writers,” explores how the CIA influenced acclaimed writers and publications during the Cold War to produce subtly anti-communist material. During the interview, Scheer and Whitney discuss these manipulations and how the CIA controlled major news agencies and respected literary publications (such as the Paris Review).

Their talk comes at a particularly tense time in American politics, as accusations of fake news and Russian propaganda fly from both sides of the aisle. But the history detailed in Whitney’s book presents a valuable lesson for writers hoping to avoid similar manipulations today.

Scheer opens the discussion with the question: “Were they really tricked?”

“It could have been ‘paid,’ it could have been ‘subsidized,’ it could have been ‘used,’ it could have been ‘collaborated with,’ ” Whitney responds. “So yeah, it might have been any other verb there besides ‘tricked.’”

The two then delve into the tactics used by the CIA to influence writers. Whitney notes that the fearful political atmosphere at the time led to “secrecy being used to preside over and rule over the free press—which we’re supposed to be the champions of.”

“They drank the Kool-Aid and thought they were saving freedom,” Scheer agrees."<

The discussion underscores the need for analysis of Cold War-era media as a way to avoid propagandized journalism today. Scheer says, “I look at the current situation, where we don’t even have a good communist enemy, so we’re inventing Russia as a reborn communist power enemy.”

“I call it superpolitics,” Whitney concludes, “where essentially there’s something that’s so evil and so frightening that we have to change how our democratic institutions work.”

Listen to the full interview below. Don’t have time to stream the full interview? Download it and listen on the go by clicking on the “arrow” button.
You can also read a full transcript of the conversation below.

http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/joel_whitney_cia_propaganda_cold_war_scheer_intelligence_20170317

[gordianot]

1. Look what it got them a bite in the ass.

The first on the elimination list is the intelligence community and the Deep State. Thouroghly being thrashed by Vladimir Putin.

[Fast Walker 52]

2. we did a lot of horrible things in the name of fighting communism

and in promoting capitalism above all else. The CIA was a prime institution promoting those crimes.

I hope they have reformed. Supposedly Operation Mockingird is no longer active, for instance.

[tech3149]

3. Yea, just like Treadstone has been shut down

Sorry for the glib movie reference but it seemed like a good hook. The CIA has been off the reservation since its inception. I know there are a lot of good people with good intentions working within the agency but the inherent paranoia inevitably leads to overreach. This is made even worse by the so called "news media" being somewhere between lazy or cowardly. They may not be willing accomplices but they absolutely don't challenge existing power structures if it puts at risk their income.

[Fast Walker 52]

4. true... they have little acccountability

and I will add they've obviously done horrible things in the name of fighting terrorism, the problem is they weren't alone in that regard. I do feel like they were slightly better under Obama and I can't argue with anything they might be doing against Trump...