U.S. Government

U.S. Military Gets Picky about Whom It Embeds

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

In an interview with Foreign Policy, former Newsweek Baghdad bureau chief Rod Nordland said the situation in Iraq is "a lot worse ... than is reported. The administration does a great job of managing the news." He added, "The military has started censored many [embedded reporting] arrangements. Before a journalist is allowed to go on an embed now, [the military] check[s] the work you have done previously.

No
Main Source: 
Foreign Policy, July 5, 2006
Topics: 
Iraq
Journalism
Propaganda
U.S. Government

FOIA's 40th Birthday Marked By Plans to Weaken It

Submitted by Bob Burton on

Jeffrey Addicott, Associate Professor of Law and the Director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas, will head a $1 million project funded by the U.S. government to produce a "model statute" to restrict information disclosed under the 40-year-old Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

No
Main Source: 
USA Today, July 6, 2006
Topics: 
Journalism
Terrorism
Democracy
Secrecy
U.S. Government

Karen Hughes Focuses on the Diplomacy Dozen

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

Hughes greets Indonesian students (State Dept. photo)With the help of U.S. Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes, "the Bush administration has drawn up a classified list of about a dozen high-priority countries on which to focus public diplomacy." Hughes "said strategic plans were being developed for those 'pilot' countries," which include Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Egypt. Hughes "said her department would seek out clerics from Muslim nations where some Friday prayers encouraged hatred and bring those clerics to America on exchange programs." "People who have been to America or know someone who has been to America are far more likely to have a positive view of our country," she explained. Another goal is to identify "strategic influencers." Hughes gave the example of a dinner she attended at the U.S. ambassador's home in Morocco, "where the person on her right was a famous cooking show host, while on her left was a track star."

No
Main Source: 
Reuters, June 28, 2006
Topics: 
International
Public Diplomacy
U.S. Government
Terrorism

Media Wars: Advertising for the U.S. Military

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

The first spots produced by the U.S. Army's new ad agency, McCann Erickson, aim "to recruit Arabic-speaking translators," reports Advertising Age. The Arabic-language spots are running in heavy rotation during World Cup coverage on the Arab Radio & Television Network in Canada and the United States. In one ad, a soldier says, "I am a bridge between two cultures. ... I make the children smile because I can speak with them," followed by "a mention of a $10,000 reward for joining the Army and the possibility of expedited U.S.

No
Main Source: 
Advertising Age, June 27, 2006
Topics: 
Advertising
Terrorism
U.S. Government

Benador Asks: Are You With the Fabricators or the Terrorists?

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

"Who needs Hill & Knowlton when you've got Benador Associates?" asks Larry Cohler-Esses in The Nation. Cohler-Esses examines a rapidly-debunked May 2006 story in Canada's National Post, which claimed that Iran's government was requiring Jewish residents to wear a yellow insignia.

No
Main Source: 
The Nation, June 14, 2006
Topics: 
Terrorism
International
Public Relations
U.S. Government

Pentagon Calls SOS for Foreign Media Work

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

STRATCOM, the U.S. military's Strategic Operations Command, has awarded its new contract for foreign media monitoring to SOS International. Perennial Pentagon favorite the Rendon Group formerly held the contract. SOS will track "foreign press in several languages across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Mexico with a focus on the so-called Global War on Terrorism," reports O'Dwyer's PR Daily.

No
Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), June 21, 2006
Topics: 
Media
Public Relations
U.S. Government
War / Peace

Rove's Buddy Strikes A Gusher with Dirty Drilling Deal

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

"A rule designed by the Environmental Protection Agency to keep groundwater clean near oil drilling sites and other construction zones was loosened ... after years of intense industry pressure, including court battles and behind-the-scenes agency lobbying," in addition to a letter from "a well-connected Texas oil executive" to White House advisor Karl Rove, reports the Los Angeles Times.

No
Main Source: 
Los Angeles Times, June 13, 2006
Topics: 
Corporations
Environment
U.S. Government

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