Whither the Weather?

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security "is paying a Pennsylvania ad firm to pitch 'pre-written' winter-weather-preparedness articles" to national and local media. The Neiman Group firm wrote to the Vermont newspaper Seven Days: "In light of the forecasted weekend snowstorm in Burlington, now is a great time to remind your readers about the importance of preparing for winter weather." In response to questions from the paper, a Neiman spokesperson explained: "We've just noticed that staffing has been a little down at newspapers. ... A lot of newspapers have been asking us for what we're calling 'pre-written' articles." The information offered from Homeland Security's Ready.gov campaign intersperses mentions of "winter storms and extreme cold," "man-made disasters as well as natural ones" and "attacks." Ready.gov "is administered by the Ad Council, a private marketing firm" that "first gained notoriety for its 'Loose Lips Sink Ships' campaign" during World War II.