Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
John O'Dwyer of O'Dwyer's PR Services, which is headquartered in Manhattan, has written a firsthand account of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Anthony Lappé at the Guerilla News Network has also written a personal dispatch, titled Terror from the Skies.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"Terrorism is a new kind of warfare, tailor-made for the Information Age," observes John Rieger. "Terror spreads with the news. It's a war of impressions, of ideas, of symbols." TomPaine.com has also compiled a terrorism reader in an effort to comprehend the incomprehensible.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
PR Newswire opened its wires to companies whose crisis communications plans were activated by the attacks on the World Trade Center as a public service. The newswire sent out an e-mail to members at approximately 11a.m. The message read: "For PR Newswire members whose crisis communication plan has been activated by today's World Trade Center and Washington, D.C.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"Since the onset of unrestrained Arab violence almost one year ago, no expression has been heard more often than the word, 'hasbara' (explaining Israel's position, or positive public relations)," says pro-Israel media advocate Michael Friedson. Friedson says Israel's spokespersons should stop feeling "compelled to begin briefings with apologies ... for loss of life and property" and should "seize the rage. ...
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"In war, words are a weapon, we all know that," observes Sam Kiley in this essay explaining his reason for quitting his job as a reporter in Rupert Murdoch's media empire. In the battle between Israel and the Palestinians, "Both sides manipulate the use and meaning of language. ... But in the war of words, no newspaper has been more happy to hand the keys of the armoury over to one side than The Times, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch
Submitted by Laura Miller on
The U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center recently hired PR-firm Hill & Knowlton for a 5-year, $2-million-dollar contract to promote the Center's "morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) programs." According to a Center spokesperson, H&K's work on 250 various MWR activities will include concerts (Miller Genuine Draft Army Concert Tour), sporting events ("Bowl Hog Wild" tournament featuring a Harley-Davidson motorcycle as grand prize), theater, and social/health/education programs.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
It has been two years since Congress suppressed an overview of the risks to people from chemical plant explosions. Dangerous chemical plants, they argued, were potential terrorist weapons, and if terrorists knew which ones were most dangerous, they would target them. Congress also ordered the Justice Department to produce a report by August 2000 on how to protect chemical plants from terrorists and make them less dangerous. A year after that deadline, the report is nowhere to be seen.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
American coverage of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has almost always been sympathetic to Israel. For most U.S. news organizations, "objective" has long meant "pro-Israeli." This report in TomPaine.com details some of the behind-the-scenes PR aimed at keeping things that way. In the words of one Israeli official, "Engaging in a successful PR campaign is part of winning the conflict."
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Rubenstein Associates, the PR firm that has represented clients such as Rupert Murdoch, Donald Trump, Leona Helmsley, Adnan Khashoggi and Kathie Lee Gifford, has been hired to help the state of Israel spruce up its image in the deadly conflict with the Palestinians. His advice so far?
Submitted by John Stauber on
"The Pentagon admitted yesterday that the "Son of Star Wars" missile interception test flight over the Pacific on July 14 succeeded partly because the target, an unarmed Minuteman II ballistic missile warhead, had an electronic beacon on it to help to guide the "hit-to-kill" weapon. ... Critics of the missile defense program have said that earlier flight tests had been unrealistic because they made it easier for the target to be hit."
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