Obama Administration Plans Shake-up in Propaganda War Against the Islamic State
Obama Administration Plans Shake-up in Propaganda War Against the Islamic State by Greg Miller and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post
The Obama administration is creating a new counter-terrorism task force as part of a broader overhaul of the U.S. government’s faltering efforts to combat the online propaganda of the Islamic State and other terror groups, U.S. officials said.
The new unit, which will be based at the Department of Homeland Security but aims to enlist dozens of federal and local agencies, reflects rising White House frustration with largely ineffective efforts so far to cut into the Islamic State’s use of social media to draw recruits and incite attacks.
Other moves include revamping a State Department program that was created to serve as an information war room to challenge the Islamic State online and erode its appeal. U.S. officials said the unit will turn its focus toward helping allies craft more localized anti-terror messages, and will stop producing any videos or other material in English — ending a campaign that had been derided by critics…