Inside the surreal world of the Islamic State’s propaganda machine

... resembles a medieval reality show. Camera crews fan out across the caliphate every day, their ubiquitous presence distorting the events they purportedly document. Battle scenes and public beheadings are so scripted and staged that fighters and executioners often perform multiple takes and read their lines from cue cards... a media division dominated by foreigners ... production skills stem from previous jobs they held at news channels or technology companies. Senior media operatives are treated as “emirs” of equal rank to their military counterparts. They are directly involved in decisions on strategy and territory. They preside over hundreds of videographers, producers and editors who form a privileged, professional class with status, salaries and living arrangements that are the envy of ordinary fighters. - Inside the surreal world of the Islamic State’s propaganda machine - The Washington Post