Iraqi Media Engagement Team

The Department of Defense's Iraqi Media Engagement Team (IMET) is part of the Combined Press Information Center in Iraq.

On March 13, 2004, the Armed Forces Press Service announced that twelve Iraqis had "recently graduated from the first Iraqi Basic Public Affairs Course, taught by Combined Joint Task Force 7's Coalition Press Information Center" in Baghdad. "Officials said the students all are part of the Iraqi Media Engagement Team at the CPIC, and are vital to spreading the word about coalition efforts in Iraq to the public. ... All of the students have been employed as translators and media analysts at the CPIC, but the idea came up to bring an engagement team together that could work closely with the Arabic media."

The "Mission"

According to the December 10, 2004, issue of The Shaw Spirit, a U.S. Air Force publication, "Another part of the CPIC, the Iraqi Media Engagement Team also works in offensive information operations. 'By engaging Arabic media directly, we are able to bring our story to the table. Our dedicated team of translators play a critical role in our ability to know what is being reported and how to reach out to them. It is challenging but very rewarding,' said Maj. Manning Brown, officer in charge of the IMET."

"'Just as convoys have to look out for IEDs [improvised explosive device], we on the information super highway have to look for bombs too, information bombs,' said Maj. Brown."

SourceWatch Resources

• fake news
• information operations
• Information Operations Roadmap
• Information Operations Task Force
• information warfare
• Lincoln Group
• Multi-National Corps-Iraq
• U.S. Central Command
• war propaganda

External links

• MSG Sonja C.R. Whittington, USAF, "Iraqis Learn to Spread Word Through Media," American Forces Press Service, March 13, 2004.
• Linda S. Heard, "The Pentagon's 'thought police'," Online Journal, January 11, 2006.