public diplomacy

St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square, Moscow"Flush with foreign reserves from oil and natural gas sales, the Kremlin is pumping tens of millions of dollars into various forms of public diplomacy," reports Peter Finn. The Russian government "has hired the giant U.S. public relations firm Ketchum Inc. 'to help the government tell its story of economic growth and opportunity for its citizens,' said Randy DeCleene, an executive at the firm." As part of the PR push, "the official government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta is ... fund[ing] monthly supplements in newspapers in India, Britain, Bulgaria and the United States," including a paid supplement in the Washington Post. "Russiaprofile.org, a news and analysis site funded by [the government news agency] RIA Novosti" features "a range of opinions, including some quite hostile to the Kremlin." RIA Novosti also hosts an annual "Valdai Discussion Club," where "30 to 40 Russia experts and prominent journalists, mostly from the United States and Western Europe ... are wined and dined in the company of Russian policymakers and political analysts." The Hoover Institute's Michael McFaul (an adviser to Barack Obama's campaign) called the Valdai events, which featured sessions with then-President Vladimir Putin, "really smart PR." A previous Spin noted Russia's new think tank, the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation.

GlassmanJames Glassman, the nominee for Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, probably won't have much of an impact on how the United States presents itself to the rest of the world.

For one thing, he'll only have 11 months in the post. For another -- as his predecessor Karen Hughes proved -- putting shinier lipstick on the pig of U.S. foreign policy doesn't do much to assuage widespread anti-American sentiment. Still, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's January 30 hearing on Glassman's nomination provided some insight into Washington's evolving view of public diplomacy.

The Russian government, upset at criticism from such foreign-funded organizations as the U.S. think tank Freedom House, is turning the tables. Moscow approved the creation of the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation, which will "study democracy and human rights in Europe and the United States." The Institute, whose funding comes from "private businesses," has offices in New York and Paris. "No country can monopolize the definition of standards of democracy and human rights," said Institute founder Anatoly Kucherena. In related news, the National Information Center will open in Moscow next month. "The center's aims include improving Russia's image abroad, promoting national projects and providing [Russian and foreign] journalists with first-hand contacts in the presidential administration," reports the Moscow Times. The Center will also be funded by business leaders, while Vasily Shestakov, "a friend and judo partner of President Vladimir Putin," has been invited to head its supervisory board.

Listen to this week's edition of the "Weekly Radio Spin," the Center for Media and Democracy's audio report on the stories behind the news. This week, we look at why leaders in China -- and the U.S. -- think more propaganda is better, what happens when journalists wear a PR hat too, and who's joining Blackwater's crowded payroll. In "Six Degrees of Spin and Fakin'," we tell you how many steps it takes to get from spreading democracy in the Muslim world to dropping bombs in our own backyard. The Weekly Radio Spin is freely available for personal and broadcast use. Podcasters can subscribe to the XML feed on www.prwatch.org/audio or via iTunes. If you air the Weekly Radio Spin on your radio station, please email us at editor@prwatch.org to let us know. Thanks!

As China prepares to host the Olympic Games, President Hu Jintao is urging Communist Party officials to "perform well the task of outward propaganda, further exhibit and raise up the nation's good image." At a recent Communist Party gathering, Jintao stressed the need for "cultural soft power," or public diplomacy, and said Chinese propaganda must "advance the building of the body of socialist core value and further boost unity and harmony." To improve their propaganda, the Beijing 2008 Olympics organizers have been working with the major public relations firm Hill & Knowlton. In related news, Chinese officials "are increasingly engaging in the debate over their country's role in Africa," countering charges that "they are neo-colonialists engaged in a remorseless drive for Africa's commodities," reports Financial Times. China's ambassador to Pretoria, South Africa defended his country's engagement with repressive governments like Zimbabwe's: "If you want to pressure and you cut all dialogue you cannot reason" with them. He also defended "the influx of cheap Chinese goods," saying African villagers' ability to "wear new clothes from China" instead of second-hand clothes gives them "confidence."

Listen to this week's edition of the "Weekly Radio Spin," the Center for Media and Democracy's audio report on the stories behind the news. This week, we cover the reality behind oil companies' green rhetoric, who will replace Karen Hughes at the State Department, and the evolution of President Bush's statements on Iran. In "Six Degrees of Spin and Fakin'," we tell you how many steps it takes to get from U.S. public diplomacy to Burmese military repression. The Weekly Radio Spin is freely available for personal and broadcast use. Podcasters can subscribe to the XML feed on www.prwatch.org/audio or via iTunes. If you air the Weekly Radio Spin on your radio station, please email us at editor@prwatch.org to let us know. Thanks!

As one of her last acts as Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Karen Hughes unveiled a new short film that will be shown in "the waiting areas of more than 200 American embassies and consulates around the world." Titled "I am America," the film was commissioned by the group Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA), created by the Omnicom-owned ad agency GSD&M Idea City, and donated to the U.S. State Department. The State Department explains that "the idea for the film emerged from brainstorming sessions involving ... Karen Hughes, her staffers and BDA. U.S. officials wanted to correct misperceptions of the United States as an unfriendly and insular place." In addition to the video, Hughes announced "a photo book called 'America Is' for young people overseas; and a new America.gov website providing information for audiences around the world." Walt Disney recently donated a similar film to the State Department, called "Welcome: Portraits of America," which is being shown in the international arrivals areas of major U.S. airports.

James K. Glassman will soon be nominated as the next U.S. Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, reports Associated Press. Glassman would replace PR czar Karen Hughes, who plans to leave her State Department post by the end of 2007. Glassman currently chairs the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees U.S. government-funded international broadcasts like the Voice of America. He is also a fellow at the conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute, a columnist and the author of the book "Dow 36000." In 2000, Glassman founded Tech Central Station (TCS), a "journo-lobbying" website then published by the Republican lobbying firm DCI Group. TCS runs articles and opinions friendly to its corporate sponsors. "Glassman was chosen in part because he has already won Senate confirmation," explains AP, "and the administration was looking for someone who could avoid a bruising confirmation fight in an election year." Glassman served on the "Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World," whose 2003 report (PDF) faulted the "absurd and dangerous underfunding of public diplomacy in a time of peril."

TV coverage of the fake FEMA press conferenceOn December 6, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) "conducted a communications workshop for external affairs and management staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency at FEMA's offices in Washington, D.C." PRSA offered the workshop after FEMA's controversial fake news conference in October, where FEMA staffers played reporter, asking their boss softball questions. PRSA's press release said the workshop was the first time "that a federal government agency formally engaged and consulted the Society ... involving staff on the topics of crisis communications, ethics and reputation management." PRSA hopes the workshop "will be the beginning of an ongoing interaction with FEMA -- as well as an open door to relationships with other government agencies," according to its press release. PRSA has also worked with the U.S. State Department "on public diplomacy for Congressional members and their staff," reports O'Dwyer's. In 2000, PRSA revamped its ethics code, getting rid of all internal enforcement mechanisms.

Bill Berkowitz reports that Paul Wolfowitz "has been offered a position as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board -- formerly known as the Arms Control and Nonproliferation Advisory Board -- a prestigious State Department panel. The 18-member panel, which has access to highly classified intelligence, advises Condoleezza Rice on disarmament, nuclear proliferation, WMD issues and other matters. Wolfowitz will replace former senator Fred Thompson, who quit over the summer to run for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. ... 'Wolfowitz will get some image redemption being back in the White House and involved with foreign policy, with a title to his name and access to and the blessings of Bush, Cheney and presumably Rice,' John Stauber ... told Media Transparency via an e-mail exchange. Stauber pointed out that since this 'is a lame duck Administration responsible for the biggest foreign policy disaster in US history,' it is probably having 'a difficult time filling positions because no one wants to book a ride on a doomed vessel.' ... One of the other big issues remaining for the Bush presidency is whether or not it will 'attack Iran or Syria and expand the war in the Middle East,' said John Stauber. ... 'Whatever the Administration decides to do, Wolfowitz is a team player with Bush and Cheney and he can perform any role they designate.' "