3 chapters across the catalog
A 1991 declassified CIA report outlines a "Task Force on Greater CIA Openness" designed to influence public perception through relationships with major news outlets. The document reveals how the agency works with reporters to turn intelligence failures into successes and postpone stories detrimental to national security. The discussion concludes that the media remains heavily integrated with agency interests, functioning as an extension of the "fourth branch."
The U.S. government released a trove of documents and digital books allegedly found in Osama Bin Laden's Abbottabad compound in 2011. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the "CEO of Al-Qaeda Central" and his reading list, which included works by Bob Woodward and Noam Chomsky. The timing of the release is questioned, with suggestions it was intended to counter Seymour Hersh's recent investigative reporting on the raid.
WikiLeaks Hoaxes and National Security Archive
The hosts discuss the rise of fake WikiLeaks cables, including a hoax regarding a UFO base near Antarctica. They recommend the National Security Archive at George Washington University as a superior source for actual declassified government documents. The segment warns that the WikiLeaks brand is being co-opted for disinformation and "Project Bluebeam" psychological operations.
