Hasbara spam alert: Israli volunteers flood websites

[Disinfoagent007 Profile]

Here at DTV we got all the good threads burried in crap, I miss the good old days when there was real disclosure and less anti-muslim crap in the forum.

Hasbara spam alert
With Israel's foreign ministry organising volunteers to flood news websites with pro-Israeli comments, Propaganda 2.0 is here

By: Richard Silverstein

February 14, 2011

The hasbara brigade strikes again! You always hear about Israeli attempts at media manipulation. Everyone knows it's going on but usually the process happens through cyber insurgents like those involved with Giyus (and its media monitoring software, Megaphone). Now, we know that the Israeli foreign ministry itself is orchestrating propaganda efforts designed to flood news websites with pro-Israel arguments and information.

A reader of my blog has received the following email which documents both the efforts and the agency that originated them. The solicitation to become a pro-Israel "media volunteer" also includes a list of media links which the ministry would like addressed by pro-Israel comments:

Dear friends,

We hold the [sic] military supremacy, yet fail the battle over the international media. We need to buy time for the IDF to succeed, and the least we can do is spare some (additional) minutes on the net. The ministry of foreign affairs is putting great efforts in balancing the media, but we all know it's a battle of numbers. The more we post, blog, talkback, vote – the more likely we gain positive sentiment.

I was asked by the ministry of foreign affairs to arrange a network of volunteers, who are willing to contribute to this effort. If you're up to it you will receive a daily messages & media package as well as targets.

If you wish to participate, please respond to this email.


My friend did so and received this official communique from the ministry with talking points about Operation Cast Lead which s/he was to use in her/his propaganda efforts. Among the links was was a Peter Beaumont Cif piece. The following were identified as "target sites": the Times, the Guardian, Sky News, BBC, Yahoo!News, Huffington Post, and the Dutch Telegraaf. Also targeted were other media sites in Dutch, Spanish, German and French considered critical of the invasion.

Locally, here in Seattle, peace activists held a rally at our federal building attended by 500 protesters. In the foreign ministry communique issued the next day, activists were directed to comment in the Seattle Post Intelligencer's article about the demonstration. The comment thread for the article is riddled with clear hasbara "plants" who distort the balance and tone of the discussion with their programmed arguments, making it much more favorable than it otherwise would be.

Here the foreign ministry's coordinator describes a meeting he attended at the government's offical office:

Hi all,

I had a meeting in the ministry of foreign affairs today, and was very happy to hear that their metrics show that Israel's position in the internet is getting better every day. It means that you're doing a good job! MFA are concerned with the biased public opinion in Europe. So please focus your efforts on European media.

What can you do to help?

- Identify internet battle-grounds in different languages, and let me know
- Comment/post/vote in the listed links and others; you can use the material attached below
- Write letters to authors and editors. Identify yourself as a local resident
- Have your friends join this activity


This message was meant to encourage the pro-Israel activists in their work:

World governments are still patient with Israel's justified operation in Gaza. The [sic] public opinion, on the other hand, is impatient, to say the least. This gap will soon close – it always does.

It is our goal to shift the public opinion, as conveyed in the internet; avoiding, or at least minimising, sanctions by world leaders. We need to buy the IDF enough time to achieve its goals.


Besides the talking points provided by the foreign ministry to the pro-Israel web activists, they are offered online pro-Israel material to link to in their comments such as these:

http://www.bicom.org.uk/

http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/middle ... e_East.asp

http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp? ... 32&ak=null

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... ttr=797093

http://soundsofwar.wordpress.com/

Remember when the defence department was paying public relations companies and Iraqi newspapers to insert articles praising the Iraq war? The companies also attempted to plant coverage favorable to the US military in US newspapers. There rightly was a media uproar about the manipulation. We'll see whether the same happens over this.

The foreign ministry shouldn't get a pass on this one. It may view such hasbara as maximising its efforts to "explain" Israel's position in the world media. I view it as a cynical attempt to flood the web and news media with favorable flackery in a vain attempt to tilt public opinion toward Israel. Not only does it do Israel a disservice, it stains every legitimate effort that the ministry might make to explain Israel to the world, since no one will believe a word it says knowing it engages in such outright propaganda.

Not to mention that this is such cheap pennyante stuff. What do they gain by this? How effective can it be and how many can be convinced? By the way, I've even noticed the hasbaraniks in my own blog. You can see them a mile away because they've never published a comment before yet write something like: "I've enjoyed your blog for a long time, but anyone with a brain in their head knows that Hamas is out to destroy Israel blah, blah blah." Pretty formulaic stuff. Also, you can Google a few phrases of the comment and if you find it appears elsewhere on the web you know you either have a hasbaranik or someone who has repetition compulsion.

In some instances, western media may intentionally or unintentionally fall victim to manipulation. Tony Karon points out that pro-Israel journalist-historian Michael Oren has published several stories since the Gaza incursion began in US media outlets like the New Republic and Los Angeles Times. He is also on active duty with the IDF in Gaza serving as a public affairs officer liasing with foreign media. You will find nothing noting this in the Los Angeles Times op ed. In effect, the media is allowing advocates like Oren to pass themselves off as disinterested experts when they are anything but. It behooves editors to do some due diligence when they publish any piece that advocates for one side or the other to determine whether there may be conflicts of interest or other unacknowledged factors influencing a commentator's judgment.

It seems we are now well and truly in the world of Propaganda 2.0.
http://uruknet.com/?p=m74987&hd=&size=1&l=e

[99socks Profile]

Hahaha.... So you start an anti-Israel thread?

Nice.

[Mumin Profile]

@99socks:
i was just going to say the same thing... I think we went something like 2 days now on DTV without any hate-threads.
I guess that was just too peaceful for him ;-)

[Disinfoagent007 Profile]

Hahaha.... So you start an anti-Israel thread?

Nice.

Anti Israel???

The post quote a jewish writer.

I am not antisemite...and the post is not posted to bash Israel, but to show how some people try to spam sites to death and it is organized by some rightwing Israli political nuts.

[99socks Profile]

Hahaha.... So you start an anti-Israel thread?

Nice.

Anti Israel???

The post quote a jewish writer.

I am not antisemite...and the post is not posted to bash Israel, but to show how some people try to spam sites to death and it is organized by some rightwing Israli political nuts.

Right.

Just like like all those threads about Islam are "hate" threads.... though they really are not.

[Proto Profile]

Anti Israel???

The post quote a jewish writer.

Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein, a Seattle based Jew and self-described “Jewish progressive”, is a regular contributor to ‘Comment is Free’ and the Huffington Post and runs a blog entitled Tikkun Olam. Tikkun Olam means “repairing the world” and as observed by one of Silverstein’s critics “the motto of the site is “make the world a better place“, but unfortunately, his image of a “better place” is more in line with Norman Finkelstein’s vision rather than Anne Frank’s.”

Though Silverstein repeatedly claims to be a Zionist, his writings feature unrelenting attacks on the Jewish state with a wanton disregard for any facts that repudiate his so-called “progressive” views on the conflict. Silverstein openly supports the likes of Norman Finkelstein and Walt and Mearsheimer, minimalizes and, at some times, justifies violence perpetrated by Hamas, vilifies the Israeli right wing and IDF to the point of demonization and supports a version of the one-state solution including the renunciation of the right of return of diaspora Jewry.

Affectionately referred to as “Little Dickie” and “KapoDickie” by his detractors, Silverstein has been embroiled in ongoing spats with several bloggers and websites including The Shield of Achilles, Justin White, Kapodickie- an Adventure in Jewish self-hatred , Aussie Dave , CK , Masada2000 as well as the now defunct (and vulgar) Little Dickie’s Diaper Droppings. He also shoots himself in the foot with Daniel Pipes and is accused of making false allegations about Campus Watch and CAMERA.

Bringing Silverstein further in disrepute, he was recently found by the California Court of Appeals to have libeled Rachel Neuwirth for calling her a “Kahanist swine”.

Rightly so, Silverstein was ridiculed here and here for such utter nonsense. And for further rebuking of more Silverstein nonsense click here.

http://cifwatch.com/cif-contributors/ri ... lverstein/
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite? ... %2FPrinter
http://www.hurryupharry.org/2008/12/04/ ... stein-mad/
http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/06/12/ ... /#comments

[Epicfailure Profile]

well one already came here^^^^^^^, and the other I am assuming is Zinzana.

[Mediasorcerer Profile]

Hahaha.... So you start an anti-Israel thread?

Nice.

Anti Israel???

The post quote a jewish writer.

I am not antisemite...and the post is not posted to bash Israel, but to show how some people try to spam sites to death and it is organized by some rightwing Israli political nuts.

Right.

Just like like all those threads about Islam are "hate" threads.... though they really are not.

what are they then? i dont see anywhere in his post where hes saying israelis fuk donkeys
?or murder children,or child prostitutes,etc etc etc.

[Disinfoagent007 Profile]

Bla bla bla and even more bla bla bla from a non-disclosed source

Here the foreign ministry's coordinator describes a meeting he attended at the government's offical office:

Hi all,

I had a meeting in the ministry of foreign affairs today, and was very happy to hear that their metrics show that Israel's position in the internet is getting better every day. It means that you're doing a good job! MFA are concerned with the biased public opinion in Europe. So please focus your efforts on European media.

What can you do to help?

- Identify internet battle-grounds in different languages, and let me know
- Comment/post/vote in the listed links and others; you can use the material attached below
- Write letters to authors and editors. Identify yourself as a local resident
- Have your friends join this activity


This message was meant to encourage the pro-Israel activists in their work:
World governments are still patient with Israel's justified operation in Gaza. The [sic] public opinion, on the other hand, is impatient, to say the least. This gap will soon close – it always does.

It is our goal to shift the public opinion, as conveyed in the internet; avoiding, or at least minimising, sanctions by world leaders. We need to buy the IDF enough time to achieve its goals.

Sadly, too many discussions like this is about to destroy this forum.

[Proto Profile]

this article is from Friday 9 January 2009 ,written during the 2009 IDF operation in Gaza,

this is the original i guess :

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... stry-media

and there is a huge difference between "concerned with the biased public opinion in Europe."
in the so called foreign ministry's coordinator quote in the article, and "orchestrating propaganda efforts designed to flood news websites with pro-Israel arguments and information."
as Silverstein tries to make out of it .

pro Israel does not equal propaganda or spam ,especially if it's the truth , although for rabid hater like Silverstein and i guess for the DTV anti Israel crew anything positive or not negative about Israel or anything that contradict your prejudices and bias is automatically labeled as propaganda .