Robert Johnson
Business Insider
April 20, 2012
When Tom Vanden Brook and his editor Ray Locker researched a story about the astronomical sums being spent by military propaganda campaigns, one of their first stops was the Pentagon.
Published in February, their story outlines a massive propaganda effort costing U.S. taxpayers hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars a year that produced dubious returns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The investigation prompted a federal investigation into one of the “information operations” contractors that had $4 million in unpaid federal taxes and liens against them.
Maybe the team expected that, but what Vanden Brook and Locker did not expect was to be personally attacked online by a sophisticated team of Internet assailants.
Gregory Korte at USA Today reports that following their story the pair noticed websites, Wikipedia entries, and fake Twitter accounts appearing in their names publishing false information and attempting to disparage the unblemished record of them both (via The Military Times).
From the Military Times:
The activity is the work of what online reputation expert Andy Beal calls a “determined detractor.” “It’s like a machine gun approach. They’re trying to generate as much online content as they can,” he said. “The person who’s behind this, we can give them a lot of credit here and assume they’re very sophisticated about reputation attacks.”
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
“This is the work of somebody who knows what they’re doing. They have some experience of covering their tracks. This is probably not the first time they’ve done something like this,” said Beal, CEO of Trackur, an online reputation tracking service.
The attackers took great pains to cover their tracks, employing proxy servers and various measure to keep their identity hidden, but both journalists remain undeterred.
If they thought it would deter me from writing about this, they’re wrong,” Vanden Brook said.
And Locker agrees, “This is a clear attempt at intimidation that has failed.”
The pair don’t come out and make the obvious connection aloud — that they’re being smeared by a propaganda machine, after writing about a propaganda machine run by the U.S. government — but they do point out that if the efforts against them were paid for by federal fund it could violate federal law.
Korte mentions the infraction would fall under a law “prohibiting the production of propaganda for domestic consumption”.
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. James Gregory, responded to Korte’s inquiry by saying: “We’re not aware of any participation in such activities, nor would it be acceptable.”
18 Responses to “Reporters Slammed By Mysterious Propaganda After USA Today Psy Ops Story”
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And you watch and wonder where you belong….nd the crowd, it moves and takes you along
And the colours splash and repaint your sky
And reality is yours to deny…
Bits and pieces of your past
Chill your soul like winter rain
But the time will come at last
When a love will ease your pain
If you let me I will try
If you let me I’ll be near
If you let me when you cry
I will hear
VanHelsing Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 7:48 am
Fuck you Vanhelsing even now my devils move against you…
VanHelsing Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 7:49 am
So What ass face… lol….
Vengeance Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 10:03 am
With cries of despair
from past evil’s sorrows
The thousands of rent souls
shall cry for a kinder tomorrow
When Darkness at last
does reveal its cold terrible face
Will it then be our past heroes
who quietly turn away in disgrace
The once great proud nations
all torn assunder by vice
To bring us all back
who here will pay that ultimate price
To take Liberty’s bright stand
once more with resolute vigor and zeal
As we shout loud across the lands
“NEVERMORE SHALL WE YIELD!!”
Carol Ann Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Vengeance
Thank you. …”shall cry for a kinder tomorrow” That is our hope and prayer. “Nevermore shall we yield” We were gentle as lambs with trusting hearts. But now, they have awakened the will of iron and the heart of a lion within us.
Carol Ann Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
VanHelsing
Wonderful! One always find quality in the human heart. Thank you. Thank you.
Robert Johnson, Tom and Ray, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil for some reason. So this article is exactly an example of what it says it is exposing. “Sophisticated propaganda campaign,” is self-contained in this article, it is what it says it is talking about, making perpetrators into victims, blatantly and boldly reversing and inverting the identity of the person or people engaged in or that had engaged in the action, so when you read this, understand this article is exactly an example of what it says it is reporting on.
VanHelsing Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 8:08 am
The man called Vanhelsing wars with the god….
VanHelsing Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 8:09 am
Even now every day… his heart is true….
Peace Frog Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 8:20 am
I’m jump’n in on your thread to say just wait until these guys get hit with the microwaves.
So be it then we shall enter battle together….
Vengeance Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 10:07 am
Tis a good day to die sword-brother, a good day to die…
MILLSNWOTHEMEASURE Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
The Devil wrote is Laws on stone in Georgia,cause he was Looking for souls to steal.”But Johny said, I guess you don”t know it but i am a Fiddle player too,if you care to take a Dare then i will make a bet with you”,well the Devil bows his head cause he had been beat,then he placed that NWO Fiddle,at Johny”s feet,come at me Devil any time again,i told you once you S.O.B,I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT YOU AGAIN.
i do not like the false God nor doI tust him so I will do battle with his army..
Robert46 Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 11:27 am
You’re doing battle with the only 2 brain cells you have left in your skull is more likely the case! Why don’t you morons like yourself and Vengeance, go to the Sesame Street website and comment where you will likely be more at home!
This is just CYA. They know exactly who is doing this.
I hope these reporters learned something, which is that our government is OUT OF CONTROL.
Employing ‘PROXY SERVERS’, eh?
How sophisticated do these spooks get!
Why next you’ll be telling us they wear cloaks, and carry concealed daggers.