The US State Department is planning to launching an Arabic website to counter "false stories that appear about the US," a senior official said.
Todd Leventhal, from the Office of Strategic Communication at the US State Department, was in Dubai this week as part of a regional tour to raise awareness about the new site and his department's work.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Leventhal described his work as "countering false stories that appear about the US". Following are excerpts from the interview:
How can people, especially in this part of the world, trust what you are saying when the current US administration has lost so much trust here?
It's difficult. I double-check sources, I provide links to original sources. I try to go in with an open mind and check facts. Some crazy things turn out to be true. I check facts.
How did you begin?
I began in 1987. Our main focus back then was Soviet disinformation. Forgeries, lots of things. The most famous was the Pentagon created the Aids virus. It was an easy rumour to spread because nobody knew what Aids was at the time.
The nature of our work has changed. The Soviet Union collapsed.
In 1990, we countered a lot of disinformation coming out of Iraq.
For instance, the transcript of Saddam Hussain's conversation with April Glaspie, the Ambassador to Iraq at the time.
It missed two important lines of the conversation. It made it look like the US would take no position on the invasion of Kuwait.
There was also the rumour from Latin America that US couples were adopting children and using their organs in transplants.
That story won awards in Europe. We rely on facts, but what people believe depends on what they want to believe.
A lot stories could be points of view.
The department doesn't deal with opinion. We deal with questions of facts.
In these times, who mainly creates false stories about the United States in your opinion?
Very small groups and individuals who use the internet to create stories.
Two months ago, there was a story about mustard gas being used in Iraq.
It was by a group called Mufakir Al Islam. It initiated the story.
A communist from the Free Arab Voice website translated it into English.
It reached Jihad Unspun, a website by a Canadian woman who decided Osama Bin Laden was right.
It reached the website aljazeera.com, which publishes conspiracy theories.
The Cuban news service ran the story, but sourced it to Al Jazeera many people confuse that website [www.aljazeera.com] with the Al Jazeera website [www.aljazeera.net].
The Venezuelan President saw the story and repeated it when he was visiting India. The Associated Press picked up the story and it spread all over the world.
Apart from extremists, who else do you think is a source of disinformation?
Splinter communist party groups who have influence far beyond their numbers.
They are in Europe, the United States, the Philippines and other places.
They are the source of most disinformation.
They are leftist anti-American circles.
They network contact and they think alike ... Some even invent things and it spreads through these networks.
How do you find these incorrect stories?
Embassies watch the media. I might see something that doesn't seem right. I do my research back in Washington as quickly as possible. I deal with local media to correct a story.
For instance, there was a story that the US used chemical weapons in Iraq. Now, it's true the US has chemical weapons, but they will be destroyed. Depleted uranium is a different issue. The danger associated with DU was exaggerated.
This corrects things?
It's difficult to correct a mistake after they occur, but it's better late than never. These stories shape people's opinions. Anti-American opinion can fuel anti-American action.
Have you ever been wrong?
Usually not in the big picture so far I haven't made a big mistake.
You have worked under several US administrations. Have they put different pressures on your job?
There's been no difference between administrations. Before 9/11, there was disinterest in the work. After 9/11, there was more interest.
Obviously your work has changed with major shifts in the political landscape, with the downfall of the USSR. How has technology cha-nged the nature of your work?
People can spread stories faster, but we can do research more quickly. The internet also gives access to journalists for information and disinformation.
We were training Iraqi journalists ... They couldn't read the website [in English] and didn't understand what the story actually meant. So we are creating the website in Arabic now.
You are in the region to talk to the press, but where are your main areas of concern?
I'd rather not pinpoint countries.
Gulf News
