G'day Michael, Rendon - apparently the inventors of the Iraqi National Congress - is another that comes to mind..
There's plenty on that via Google. Cheers, Rob. Michael Hoover wrote: > > "embedding" - pentagon-speak for new policy of attaching journalists to particular > military units - has resulted in overwhelmingly pro-war/pro-military coverage thus > far... > > any listers know which firms were contracted to create public support in months > preceding war, wirthlin group (founded by one-time prez raygun consultant richard > wirthlin) and Hill & Knowlton (who did work for right-wing el salvador arena party > in 80s) did bulk of propaganda prior to gulf war 1... michael hoover > > > Reporters Respond Eagerly to Pentagon Welcome Mat > > > > March 23, 2003 > > By TODD S. PURDUM and JIM RUTENBERG > > > > > > WASHINGTON, March 22 - Last fall, the White House chief of > > staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., likened the Bush > > administration's drive to build support for the possible > > war with Iraq to a product-marketing campaign. That effort > > produced mixed results, but so far the war itself is > > selling like beer on a troopship, thanks in part to > > compelling news accounts from reporters bunking with > > frontline units. > > > > Carefully devised by the Pentagon to counter years of > > complaints by news organizations about restrictions on > > combat coverage, the new policy of "embedding" more than > > 500 reporters with invading troops has produced riveting > > images of fighter jets on carriers and tanks plowing across > > the Iraqi desert, accompanied by household faces like Ted > > Koppel of ABC's "Nightline," and of surrendering Iraqi > > soldiers with their hands held high. > > > > Like the most sophisticated Madison Avenue marketers, > > Pentagon planners have also reached out to diverse outlets > > where public opinion is shaped, by including reporters from > > MTV, Rolling Stone, People magazine and Men's Health, and > > foreign journalists running the gamut from Al Jazeera, the > > Arabic-language television channel, to Russia's Itar-Tass > > news agency. > > > > But for all the military's orchestration, news > > organizations have so far expressed satisfaction with the > > arrangements, which offer much greater access in exchange > > for relatively few restrictions. And the bulk of the > > coverage has been so positive as to verge on celebratory. > > > > Dave Sirulnick, the executive in charge of MTV News, whose > > correspondent Gideon Yago recently asked a young marine, > > "Dude, how was it to tell your wife that you were going off > > to the Iraqi border?" said he was not sure of the > > Pentagon's motivation. "But I do know that by allowing > > their soldiers to speak openly and freely to us, they are > > coming off a lot more credibly," Mr. Sirulnick said. > > "Instead of thinking of these guys as G.I. Joes and > > Robocops, you get to meet them and see they are young guys > > and girls just like the folks who are watching." > > > > Some reporters have been given extraordinary access, > > allowed to sit in on secret briefings, watching > > computerized maps of the battlefield with the latest > > satellite photos, in the middle of the Kuwait desert, for > > example. The cardinal rule: No reporting, not even any > > phone calls to their editors, that might divulge details of > > future operations, and no private satellite telephones, > > cellphones or sidearms. Showers are scarce, hot meals > > spotty, but reporters assigned to military units recount > > friendly, open conversations with G.I.'s, surgeons, > > drivers, dentists and communications experts, described by > > one correspondent as "quite talkative" and "extremely > > interested in what I do." > > > > The new policy has only begun to be tested in battle, and > > Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the allied commander in the Persian > > Gulf, was said by associates to have been upset to read too > > many details about planes and missiles in the war's > > opening-night raids in his morning newspaper. > > > > The Pentagon's chief spokeswoman, Victoria Clarke, warned > > editors in a conference call on Wednesday that some reports > > had already provided too much specific information about > > troop locations and movements, and that even if commanders > > on the scene divulged such information, it was up to news > > organizations to withhold it under detailed guidelines to > > which each agreed in exchange for the reporting berths. > > > > Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld delivered his first > > briefing on the war on Thursday in front of an image of a > > little girl in pigtails and the warning: "Don't kill her > > Daddy with careless words." > > > > But there have been no reports of serious disputes on the > > scene, and by the end of the week Mr. Rumsfeld went so far > > as to praise the robust reporting as "historic" and said, > > "I doubt that in a conflict of this type, there's ever been > > the degree of free press coverage as you are witnessing in > > this instance." > > > > The CNN anchor Aaron Brown made a similar point on the air > > as tanks sped across the desert late Thursday. "No matter > > how you slice this thing, this is an extraordinary picture > > of a moment in a war," Mr. Brown said. "This is not the > > kind of thing that has ever happened before. The last time > > American reporters had really good access to American > > troops was Vietnam, and by and large it would be two days > > before stories got back to the United States and got on the > > air." > > > > Then Mr. Brown read an e-mail message from the mother of a > > tank commander in the Seventh Cavalry, who wrote, "Thank > > you for allowing me to sit with my son as he crossed the > > desert in Iraq." Mr. Brown replied, "Rosemary, I'm glad we > > could show you your guy out there tonight." > > > > Mr. Rumsfeld approved the policy, devised last year by Ms. > > Clarke and others, in a sharp about-face from the system > > that prevailed in the first Persian Gulf war, when only > > about 180 reporters at a time had limited access to the > > front in a rotating system. That system was much criticized > > by most news media organizations and some military experts, > > as were comparable limitations during the Afghan campaign > > in 2001. > > > > The new policy "kind of evolved," through discussions > > between Pentagon officials and news organizations, said > > Bryan G. Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for > > media operations, who coordinated the system. > > > > "We recognized early on that we needed to make truth an > > issue should there be a military campaign, because Saddam > > Hussein was a practiced liar, a master of deception, and > > the way you mitigate that is to have objective third-party > > accounts from professional observers," he said. "We also > > believed Americans deserved to see exactly how well trained > > their military forces were, how dedicated and > > professional." > > > > The Pentagon's guidelines, signed by each attached > > journalist, allow reporting of general troop strength and > > casualty figures, confirmed figures of enemy soldiers > > captured and broad information about previous combat > > actions. Reporters are barred from divulging specifics > > about troop movements and locations, unless authorized. The > > identities of wounded or killed Americans may not be > > reported for 72 hours, or until next of kin can be > > notified, and local commanders may impose embargoes to > > protect operations. > > > > Evan Wright, a contributing editor for Rolling Stone, > > joined troops in the Persian Gulf about three weeks ago. > > Stu Zakim, a spokesman for the magazine, said Pentagon > > planners were aware not only of the magazine's long history > > of liberalism but also of its young readership. > > > > "They recognize the interesting logic of giving Rolling > > Stone access, considering that we're not exactly supportive > > of President Bush in anything he does," Mr. Zakim said. > > > > Steve Rubenstein, president of Rubenstein Communications, > > which has advised various foreign governments on how to > > deal with the American news media, called the policy "a > > brilliant idea." > > > > "It helps create empathy between the reporters and their > > subjects," he said, "and I think that in the end that will > > make it easier for the Pentagon to communicate what it is > > trying to do." > > > > Marvin Kalb, the veteran CBS News correspondent who is now > > a senior fellow at the Shorenstein Center for Press, > > Politics and Public Policy at Harvard, said: "I think the > > embedding strategy is a gutsy, risky call for Rumsfeld, and > > his fingerprints are all over it. He believes that one must > > enlist the support of the American people, and the way you > > get that is to get the media." > > > > The early reports have been unusually frank. Jason Bellini > > of CNN filed a painfully raw report at midweek about a > > young private named Polanco with the 15th Marine > > Expeditionary Force in Kuwait who complained of feeling > > faint, unable to carry his pack, and of missing his family. > > "He's just kind of having a hard time right now," a fellow > > marine explained. > > > > Not all the coverage has been glowing. As American networks > > showed the march of tanks Friday morning, a BBC > > correspondent was broadcasting an interview with a man in > > Jordan who is opposed to the war. The man described the > > solidarity that nearby protesters felt with their "brothers > > in Iraq" who they felt were being tortured. > > > > Robert J. Thompson, a professor of media and popular > > culture at Syracuse University, said, "When all is said and > > done, what the military has done with embedding has > > essentially cast the journalist into the drama of this war > > they are producing. > > > > "Just like you would pick people to be on your reality TV > > show. This is like `Real World Iraq.' " > > > > But Kenneth Bacon, the Pentagon spokesman in the Clinton > > administration, said: "How the public perceives the war > > can't really be affected by governmental spin. It's > > affected by results. If we do well, people will understand > > that, and if we do badly, people will understand that, > > too."> Reporters Respond Eagerly to Pentagon Welcome Mat > > > > March 23, 2003 > > By TODD S. PURDUM and JIM RUTENBERG > > > > > > WASHINGTON, March 22 - Last fall, the White House chief of > > staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., likened the Bush > > administration's drive to build support for the possible > > war with Iraq to a product-marketing campaign. That effort > > produced mixed results, but so far the war itself is > > selling like beer on a troopship, thanks in part to > > compelling news accounts from reporters bunking with > > frontline units. > > > > Carefully devised by the Pentagon to counter years of > > complaints by news organizations about restrictions on > > combat coverage, the new policy of "embedding" more than > > 500 reporters with invading troops has produced riveting > > images of fighter jets on carriers and tanks plowing across > > the Iraqi desert, accompanied by household faces like Ted > > Koppel of ABC's "Nightline," and of surrendering Iraqi > > soldiers with their hands held high. > > > > Like the most sophisticated Madison Avenue marketers, > > Pentagon planners have also reached out to diverse outlets > > where public opinion is shaped, by including reporters from > > MTV, Rolling Stone, People magazine and Men's Health, and > > foreign journalists running the gamut from Al Jazeera, the > > Arabic-language television channel, to Russia's Itar-Tass > > news agency. > > > > But for all the military's orchestration, news > > organizations have so far expressed satisfaction with the > > arrangements, which offer much greater access in exchange > > for relatively few restrictions. And the bulk of the > > coverage has been so positive as to verge on celebratory. > > > > Dave Sirulnick, the executive in charge of MTV News, whose > > correspondent Gideon Yago recently asked a young marine, > > "Dude, how was it to tell your wife that you were going off > > to the Iraqi border?" said he was not sure of the > > Pentagon's motivation. "But I do know that by allowing > > their soldiers to speak openly and freely to us, they are > > coming off a lot more credibly," Mr. Sirulnick said. > > "Instead of thinking of these guys as G.I. Joes and > > Robocops, you get to meet them and see they are young guys > > and girls just like the folks who are watching." > > > > Some reporters have been given extraordinary access, > > allowed to sit in on secret briefings, watching > > computerized maps of the battlefield with the latest > > satellite photos, in the middle of the Kuwait desert, for > > example. The cardinal rule: No reporting, not even any > > phone calls to their editors, that might divulge details of > > future operations, and no private satellite telephones, > > cellphones or sidearms. Showers are scarce, hot meals > > spotty, but reporters assigned to military units recount > > friendly, open conversations with G.I.'s, surgeons, > > drivers, dentists and communications experts, described by > > one correspondent as "quite talkative" and "extremely > > interested in what I do." > > > > The new policy has only begun to be tested in battle, and > > Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the allied commander in the Persian > > Gulf, was said by associates to have been upset to read too > > many details about planes and missiles in the war's > > opening-night raids in his morning newspaper. > > > > The Pentagon's chief spokeswoman, Victoria Clarke, warned > > editors in a conference call on Wednesday that some reports > > had already provided too much specific information about > > troop locations and movements, and that even if commanders > > on the scene divulged such information, it was up to news > > organizations to withhold it under detailed guidelines to > > which each agreed in exchange for the reporting berths. > > > > Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld delivered his first > > briefing on the war on Thursday in front of an image of a > > little girl in pigtails and the warning: "Don't kill her > > Daddy with careless words." > > > > But there have been no reports of serious disputes on the > > scene, and by the end of the week Mr. Rumsfeld went so far > > as to praise the robust reporting as "historic" and said, > > "I doubt that in a conflict of this type, there's ever been > > the degree of free press coverage as you are witnessing in > > this instance." > > > > The CNN anchor Aaron Brown made a similar point on the air > > as tanks sped across the desert late Thursday. "No matter > > how you slice this thing, this is an extraordinary picture > > of a moment in a war," Mr. Brown said. "This is not the > > kind of thing that has ever happened before. The last time > > American reporters had really good access to American > > troops was Vietnam, and by and large it would be two days > > before stories got back to the United States and got on the > > air." > > > > Then Mr. Brown read an e-mail message from the mother of a > > tank commander in the Seventh Cavalry, who wrote, "Thank > > you for allowing me to sit with my son as he crossed the > > desert in Iraq." Mr. Brown replied, "Rosemary, I'm glad we > > could show you your guy out there tonight." > > > > Mr. Rumsfeld approved the policy, devised last year by Ms. > > Clarke and others, in a sharp about-face from the system > > that prevailed in the first Persian Gulf war, when only > > about 180 reporters at a time had limited access to the > > front in a rotating system. That system was much criticized > > by most news media organizations and some military experts, > > as were comparable limitations during the Afghan campaign > > in 2001. > > > > The new policy "kind of evolved," through discussions > > between Pentagon officials and news organizations, said > > Bryan G. Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for > > media operations, who coordinated the system. > > > > "We recognized early on that we needed to make truth an > > issue should there be a military campaign, because Saddam > > Hussein was a practiced liar, a master of deception, and > > the way you mitigate that is to have objective third-party > > accounts from professional observers," he said. "We also > > believed Americans deserved to see exactly how well trained > > their military forces were, how dedicated and > > professional." > > > > The Pentagon's guidelines, signed by each attached > > journalist, allow reporting of general troop strength and > > casualty figures, confirmed figures of enemy soldiers > > captured and broad information about previous combat > > actions. Reporters are barred from divulging specifics > > about troop movements and locations, unless authorized. The > > identities of wounded or killed Americans may not be > > reported for 72 hours, or until next of kin can be > > notified, and local commanders may impose embargoes to > > protect operations. > > > > Evan Wright, a contributing editor for Rolling Stone, > > joined troops in the Persian Gulf about three weeks ago. > > Stu Zakim, a spokesman for the magazine, said Pentagon > > planners were aware not only of the magazine's long history > > of liberalism but also of its young readership. > > > > "They recognize the interesting logic of giving Rolling > > Stone access, considering that we're not exactly supportive > > of President Bush in anything he does," Mr. Zakim said. > > > > Steve Rubenstein, president of Rubenstein Communications, > > which has advised various foreign governments on how to > > deal with the American news media, called the policy "a > > brilliant idea." > > > > "It helps create empathy between the reporters and their > > subjects," he said, "and I think that in the end that will > > make it easier for the Pentagon to communicate what it is > > trying to do." > > > > Marvin Kalb, the veteran CBS News correspondent who is now > > a senior fellow at the Shorenstein Center for Press, > > Politics and Public Policy at Harvard, said: "I think the > > embedding strategy is a gutsy, risky call for Rumsfeld, and > > his fingerprints are all over it. He believes that one must > > enlist the support of the American people, and the way you > > get that is to get the media." > > > > The early reports have been unusually frank. Jason Bellini > > of CNN filed a painfully raw report at midweek about a > > young private named Polanco with the 15th Marine > > Expeditionary Force in Kuwait who complained of feeling > > faint, unable to carry his pack, and of missing his family. > > "He's just kind of having a hard time right now," a fellow > > marine explained. > > > > Not all the coverage has been glowing. As American networks > > showed the march of tanks Friday morning, a BBC > > correspondent was broadcasting an interview with a man in > > Jordan who is opposed to the war. The man described the > > solidarity that nearby protesters felt with their "brothers > > in Iraq" who they felt were being tortured. > > > > Robert J. Thompson, a professor of media and popular > > culture at Syracuse University, said, "When all is said and > > done, what the military has done with embedding has > > essentially cast the journalist into the drama of this war > > they are producing. > > > > "Just like you would pick people to be on your reality TV > > show. This is like `Real World Iraq.' " > > > > But Kenneth Bacon, the Pentagon spokesman in the Clinton > > administration, said: "How the public perceives the war > > can't really be affected by governmental spin. It's > > affected by results. If we do well, people will understand > > that, and if we
