Even Propagandists Need Good PR

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The Lincoln Group, the PR firm charged with placing U.S. friendly stories in the Iraqi press, has recently created a new staff position: director of media relations. The firm, which was one of three defense contractors awarded a $300 million Pentagon contract to help out with winning the information war, apparently needed help burnishing its own image. According to PR Week, the Lincoln Group's new hire Bill Dixon will be responsible for "telling more positive stories about the agency's work to a cynical press. When asked if his hiring was based on negative external events, Dixon said, via e-mail, that it had more to do with the agency's growth than any other factors." "Trying to place good stories about their work with deeply skeptical US journalists will take more than a fistful of dinars," former White House global communications director Tucker Eskew told PR Week, adding, "Successfully repositioning this firm will require a new openness, some happy-warrior determination, and light-touch persistence [not] ham-fisted flackery."