Understanding Operation Mockingbird: A Covert CIA Initiative

Operation Mockingbird was a covert CIA initiative aimed at influencing American and foreign media to spread pro-US propaganda. The agency recruited journalists, students, and media organizations to craft or manipulate stories favoring government narratives. It was exposed through investigative journalism, most notably by Carl Bernstein in his 1977 article revealing extensive collaboration between the CIA and reporters. While officially terminated in the 1970s, debates about Operation Mockingbird’s existence and legacy continue, raising concerns over media manipulation and press freedom.