On Tuesday, February 1, 2005, Iraqi militants claimed to be holding an American soldier hostage via a Web site that often posted statements from militants. The militants threated to behead the soldier named John Adam if Iraqi prisoners were not released from U.S. prisons within 72 hours. The post included a photograph of a soldier in desert fatigues with his hands tied behind his back, seated in front of an Islamic flag. There is a gun point at his head that is only about half in the shot.
There are many problems with the photo, as most mass communication majors would be able to point out. The face looks pixelated and the chin does not look anatomically correct. Additionally, the flag behind the soldier does not represent the group that took credit for the kidnapping and threat. Finally, the boots and uniform are not that of the U.S. military. As it turns out, “John Adam” is a doll named Cody made by toy manufacturer Dragon Models USA Inc.
The case of the toy soldier is black propaganda. The Iraqi militants who carried out this scheme knowingly lied and were deceitful through threats and insinuated violence. In addition, the source was not credible. Behind the doll was a flag that had Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s Al-Qaida faction’s logo on it, but that was not the group that took credit for the kidnapping. No reliable source from this group has taken credit for the false kidnapping.
There are many problems with the photo, as most mass communication majors would be able to point out. The face looks pixelated and the chin does not look anatomically correct. Additionally, the flag behind the soldier does not represent the group that took credit for the kidnapping and threat. Finally, the boots and uniform are not that of the U.S. military. As it turns out, “John Adam” is a doll named Cody made by toy manufacturer Dragon Models USA Inc.
The case of the toy soldier is black propaganda. The Iraqi militants who carried out this scheme knowingly lied and were deceitful through threats and insinuated violence. In addition, the source was not credible. Behind the doll was a flag that had Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s Al-Qaida faction’s logo on it, but that was not the group that took credit for the kidnapping. No reliable source from this group has taken credit for the false kidnapping.