Clinamen

This story about connections between "military analysts" (i.e. talking heads that defend war strategy) and military contractors is making the rounds. I've now seen it linked on Boing Boing, The Blogora, and a few other blogs. It turns out that those "explaining" U.S. war strategy in Iraq had financial interests linked with that war and also served as a kind of public relations staff for the White House:

“It was them [the Bush administration] saying, ‘We need to stick our hands up your back and move your mouth for you,’ ” Robert S. Bevelacqua, a retired Green Beret and former Fox News analyst, said.

Followers of Wikipedia know this tactic by the name of sockpuppetry. As Bevelacqua notes, a sockpuppet involves some other entity sticking their hands up another's...errr..."back" and putting out a particular message. On Wikipedia, this is used to hide identity and it's linked to whitewashing and other nefarious practices.

Too often, I hear that "the Web," or "Web 2.0," or Wikipedia (all of these become interchangeable in certain conversations) is responsible for a lack of accountability and for an anti-expertise environment. How can anyone make such a claim when our OFF-LINE information is part of the same game of sockpuppetry that plays out on-line. The Web isn't creating a crisis in credibility...it's reminding us of some problems have always been around.