Ethics, propaganda and marketing

Following a story doing the rounds in Slashdot, I found this article that details the American propaganda machine in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Wheareas I definitely understand the rationale for the Americans to give their version of events, it makes me rather uneasy that they do so posing as a neutral party, thereby undermining their own credibility.

If you're a brand, that's something you should never do as audiences hate discovering they are being cheated, even if your brand is called USA.