Editor and Publisher has a fascinating piece on the reasons why 50% of Americans still believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Significant among them is the work being done on the blogosphere to obfuscate and confuse the now clear evidence that there were none. We tend to idealize the impact that the ‘net can have on the rapid dissemination of information, and fantasize that this means the spread of truth. But this simply isn’t accurate – the internet is being used very well, certainly as effectively as embedded reporters were, to spread a one-sided mythology about the war.
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You have to include the ‘propaganda’ email containing ‘first person’ or ‘my friend’ or ‘I know someone’ who knows that such and such is true…now circulating in the internet. There is a concerted effort by, dare I say it, the GOP, to generate more fear in the the face of a potential loss of control of the House and Senate in the U.S. elections this fall. It’s no wonder that information and truth is becoming a premium commodity in the internet.