Terrorism

PR Pushes Poll Numbers

by Judith Siers-Poisson — September 20, 2006 - 8:00am

President Bush's approval rating has risen to 44% in a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll conducted September 15-17, 2006. This represents his highest marks in a year. Concurrently, for the first time since December 2005, a majority of people did not say the war in Iraq was a mistake.

Main Source: 
USA Today, September 18, 2006

A View of 9/11 from North of the Border

by Judith Siers-Poisson — September 13, 2006 - 8:28am
  • Topics: Iraq, Terrorism, Health, International, Politics, War / Peace

    • I happened to be in Vancouver Sunday evening and all day Monday, so spent 9/11 north of the border. While people in the U.S. and other parts of the world only had The Path to 9/11 docudrama as a television viewing choice, I was fortunate to be able to watch two excellent documentary films about 9/11 and its aftermath aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC).

    The Year of Lobbying Dangerously

    by Diane Farsetta — September 11, 2006 - 11:49am

    "Indonesia's national intelligence agency used a former Indonesian president's charitable foundation to hire a Washington lobbying firm ... to press the U.S. government for a full resumption of controversial military training programs," reports the Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

    Main Source: 
    International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, September 7, 2006

    How 9-11 Changed the News

    by Diane Farsetta — September 11, 2006 - 11:18am

    "How did 9-11 change the news?" asks the Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ). To answer the question, ADT Research's Tyndall Report analyzed network evening news shows, comparing "the four years of network newscasts prior to 2001" with "the four years since." The study reveals "increased coverage of foreign policy and global conflict ... but less coverage of domestic issues." PEJ writes, "A rise in foreign coverage may not surprise anyone.

    Main Source: 
    Project for Excellence in Journalism (U.S.), September 11, 2006

    Breathless Audacity

    by Sheldon Rampton — September 6, 2006 - 8:31pm

    The largest study yet of lung problems among 9/11 rescue workers shows bad news. "Nearly 70 percent of the rescue and cleanup workers who toiled in the dust and fumes at ground zero have had trouble breathing, and many will probably be sick for the rest of their lives," reports Amy Westfeldt. The study, conducted by the Mount Sinai Medical Center, monitored the health of nearly 16,000 ground zero workers.

    Main Source: 
    FireDogLake, September 6, 2006

    Open Letter to ABC

    by Sheldon Rampton — September 6, 2006 - 8:02pm

    A group of activists has launched an Open Letter to ABC and its parent company, Disney, challenging the network's right-wing bias and factual distortions in its upcoming docudrama, "The Path to 9/11." The open letter includes information about

    Main Source: 
    Open Letter to ABC, September 5, 2006

    PR Firms Pitch 'War on Terror' Players

    by Diane Farsetta — July 31, 2006 - 3:10pm

    Pakistan hired the firm Quinn Gillespie & Associates, to promote the country to U.S. audiences as a "reliable and attractive member of the global economic community." One goal of the $616,000-per-year deal is to secure a "more robust bilateral relationship with the U.S. based on trade and security," according to the contract.

    Main Source: 
    O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), July 27, 2006

    The Best War Ever: Lies, Damned Lies and the Mess in Iraq

    by John Stauber — July 26, 2006 - 8:36am
  • Topics: Iraq, Terrorism, Propaganda, War / Peace

    • Exactly three years ago our book Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq was published. Our publisher pitched it this way: "Rampton and Stauber take no prisoners as they reveal - headline by headline, news show by news show, press conference by press conference - the deliberate, aggressive, and highly successful public relations campaign that sold the Iraqi war to the American public.

    Pentagon Seeks More Bang for Propaganda Buck

    by John Stauber — July 19, 2006 - 5:16pm

    "The U.S. military has removed two firms from a psychological operations contract aimed at influencing international public opinion," reports the Washington Post. "The firms, plus a third company (SYColeman) that will retain the contract, spent the past year developing prototypes for radio and television spots intended for use in Iraq and in other nations...

    Main Source: 
    Washington Post, July 19, 2006
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