Operation Mockingbird was a secret campaign by the CIA to influence the media. Begun in the 1950s, it was initially organized by Cord Meyer and Allen W. Dulles, and was later led by Frank Wisner. The organization recruited leading American journalists into a network to help present the CIA's views, and funded some student and cultural organizations, and magazines as fronts. As it developed, it also worked to influence foreign media and political campaigns, in addition to activities by other operating units of the CIA.

The usual methodology was placing reports developed from intelligence provided by the CIA to witting or unwitting reporters. Those reports would then be repeated or cited by the preceding reporters which in turn would then be cited throughout the media wire services. These networks were run by people with well-known liberal but pro-American big business and anti-Soviet views.

In the 1950s, some 3,000 salaried and contract CIA employees were eventually engaged in propaganda efforts. Among others CBS, TIme and Life Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Star, Louisville Courier-Journal, Copley News Services, Christian Science Monitor where subverted.