Post by ocelot on Sept 22, 2006 8:52:29 GMT -5
Military wants to turn soldiers into 'journalists' to win minds overseas
OTTAWA (CP) - Some Canadian soldiers are exchanging their guns for microphones as they train to become "journalists" to help win the hearts and minds of populations during military operations abroad.
The Canadian Forces recently hired an expert to teach soldiers how to become effective news broadcasters to get the military's messages out to locals in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The expert, Ivana Previsic, is to establish an "operational newsroom" in an army studio run by the Peace Support Training Centre in Kingston, Ont., according to a contract obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.
Soldiers will be taught "all the broadcast journalist skills required from broadcast law and ethics, to style guide, bulletin presentation, news format construction, manufacture and production of 'packages', 'voicers', 'voxpops', 'features' and 'Talk Shows'."
A spokesman says the creation of this first generation of soldier-journalists is simply an extension of existing activities, whereby the military tries to communicate effectively with locals, sometimes using bullhorns to address crowds.
"It provides commanders with a means to talk to the population to achieve military objectives," Maj. Bernard Dionne said in an interview from Kingston.
"We want to be effective in contacting and reaching the population."
A separate military contract indicates some of the first graduates will be broadcasting digital audio from Kingston into Afghanistan by satellite.
Flagged "extreme urgency," the technical contract is for "radio broadcasting into Afghanistan area of operations, (and) essential transmission infrastructure to ensure effective delivery of radio programming to the target audience."
The American military in recent years has refined the concept, operating newspapers and radio stations in Iraq and Afghanistan without divulging their U.S. origins.
For example, so-called Peace Radio in Kabul - formerly run by the Taliban - offers positive messages in its daily "newscasts," designed to tell the American side of any story.
"We have no requirements to adhere to journalistic principles of objectivity," U.S. Col. Jack N. Summe told the New York Times last year.
The military term for influencing attitudes and behaviours is PSYOPS, for psychological operations. Since November 2003, the Canadian Forces has formalized such activities under Canadian Psychological Operations, a unit created by Gen. Rick Hillier, then head of the army and now Canada's top soldier.
Canadian officers have always tried to convey key messages during interviews they grant to local stations overseas. But Dionne said the military - which already uses soldiers as photographers and videographers - wants to become more proactive.
Soldiers trained in broadcast journalism could use their news skills in Allied military studios abroad, or could establish Canadian broadcasting facilities in local theatres of operations.
"In the future, we might have our own equipment where we could do that all on our own," Dionne said.
Previsic, who won the $64,200 training contract, is from Bosnia-Herzegovina where she had experience helping NATO forces run a radio station for local audiences, Dionne said.
Her heavily censored contract indicates the training is partly in support of a particular Canadian military operation abroad, but all references to location are carefully deleted.
However, the second technical contract issued to Ottawa-based International Datacasting Corp. - also for the army's Peace Support Training Centre - is intended to assist "PSYOPS activities in direct support of the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan."
A spokesman confirmed the Canadian Forces are considering joining an allied effort to extend military-controlled radio broadcasting from Kabul to the rest of the country.
"No firm decision has been made on this," said Col. Michael Hood. "This is something we're considering supporting."
Hood said the intention is to hire Afghan-Canadians who speak local dialects to broadcast from Kingston under the supervision of trained military officers.
A spokesman for the Canadian Association of Journalists raised concerns that soldiers trained under the program will present themselves as journalists overseas, hiding their military connection.
"If there's an attempt to disguise or mislead, then I think that's a problem," president Paul Schneidereit said from Halifax.
Blurring the lines between soldiers and journalists may heighten the danger for reporters working in Afghanistan, he said.
"There's every reason to be concerned about something that may increase the risks for journalists."
Hood said military personnel would not be frontline journalists, but would employ others with language skills to deliver news and information programming that will "accurately portray events."
OTTAWA (CP) - Some Canadian soldiers are exchanging their guns for microphones as they train to become "journalists" to help win the hearts and minds of populations during military operations abroad.
The Canadian Forces recently hired an expert to teach soldiers how to become effective news broadcasters to get the military's messages out to locals in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The expert, Ivana Previsic, is to establish an "operational newsroom" in an army studio run by the Peace Support Training Centre in Kingston, Ont., according to a contract obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.
Soldiers will be taught "all the broadcast journalist skills required from broadcast law and ethics, to style guide, bulletin presentation, news format construction, manufacture and production of 'packages', 'voicers', 'voxpops', 'features' and 'Talk Shows'."
A spokesman says the creation of this first generation of soldier-journalists is simply an extension of existing activities, whereby the military tries to communicate effectively with locals, sometimes using bullhorns to address crowds.
"It provides commanders with a means to talk to the population to achieve military objectives," Maj. Bernard Dionne said in an interview from Kingston.
"We want to be effective in contacting and reaching the population."
A separate military contract indicates some of the first graduates will be broadcasting digital audio from Kingston into Afghanistan by satellite.
Flagged "extreme urgency," the technical contract is for "radio broadcasting into Afghanistan area of operations, (and) essential transmission infrastructure to ensure effective delivery of radio programming to the target audience."
The American military in recent years has refined the concept, operating newspapers and radio stations in Iraq and Afghanistan without divulging their U.S. origins.
For example, so-called Peace Radio in Kabul - formerly run by the Taliban - offers positive messages in its daily "newscasts," designed to tell the American side of any story.
"We have no requirements to adhere to journalistic principles of objectivity," U.S. Col. Jack N. Summe told the New York Times last year.
The military term for influencing attitudes and behaviours is PSYOPS, for psychological operations. Since November 2003, the Canadian Forces has formalized such activities under Canadian Psychological Operations, a unit created by Gen. Rick Hillier, then head of the army and now Canada's top soldier.
Canadian officers have always tried to convey key messages during interviews they grant to local stations overseas. But Dionne said the military - which already uses soldiers as photographers and videographers - wants to become more proactive.
Soldiers trained in broadcast journalism could use their news skills in Allied military studios abroad, or could establish Canadian broadcasting facilities in local theatres of operations.
"In the future, we might have our own equipment where we could do that all on our own," Dionne said.
Previsic, who won the $64,200 training contract, is from Bosnia-Herzegovina where she had experience helping NATO forces run a radio station for local audiences, Dionne said.
Her heavily censored contract indicates the training is partly in support of a particular Canadian military operation abroad, but all references to location are carefully deleted.
However, the second technical contract issued to Ottawa-based International Datacasting Corp. - also for the army's Peace Support Training Centre - is intended to assist "PSYOPS activities in direct support of the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan."
A spokesman confirmed the Canadian Forces are considering joining an allied effort to extend military-controlled radio broadcasting from Kabul to the rest of the country.
"No firm decision has been made on this," said Col. Michael Hood. "This is something we're considering supporting."
Hood said the intention is to hire Afghan-Canadians who speak local dialects to broadcast from Kingston under the supervision of trained military officers.
A spokesman for the Canadian Association of Journalists raised concerns that soldiers trained under the program will present themselves as journalists overseas, hiding their military connection.
"If there's an attempt to disguise or mislead, then I think that's a problem," president Paul Schneidereit said from Halifax.
Blurring the lines between soldiers and journalists may heighten the danger for reporters working in Afghanistan, he said.
"There's every reason to be concerned about something that may increase the risks for journalists."
Hood said military personnel would not be frontline journalists, but would employ others with language skills to deliver news and information programming that will "accurately portray events."