The White House has expressed concern about reports that the U.S. military paid Iraqi newspapers to run pro-American stories about the war and rebuilding effort.
Spokesman Scott McClellan Thursday said the White House is seeking more information from the Defense Department.
The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday first reported the program to plant articles in Iraqi media. It reported that American soldiers wrote the articles and presented them to Iraqi media as unbiased accounts from independent journalists.
The Defense Department said it is looking into the matter. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he sent inquiries to military officials in Iraq about the alleged activity. He added that, if true, some of the activities are troubling.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.