US paid Iraqi scholars to help propaganda

A PENTAGON contractor that paid Iraqi newspapers to publish positive articles by US soldiers has also been compensating Sunni religious scholars in Iraq for help with its propaganda work, The New York Times reported.

Citing a former employee of public relations firm Lincoln Group, the Times reported the Pentagon directed the company early in 2005 to identify religious leaders who could help produce messages that would persuade Sunnis in the violent Anbar Province to participate in national elections and reject the insurgency.

The company then retained three or four Sunni religious scholars to offer advice and write reports for military commanders on the content of propaganda campaigns, the Times said, citing the former employee.