20 MILLION FOR BETTER PR OUT OF IRAQ

I got news.....there isn't enough money in the world to make the news coming out of Iraq good!!! If it ain't there......it ain't there.

U.S. offers $20 million for better PR on Iraq

The Washington Post
Published August 31, 2006


WASHINGTON -- U.S. military leaders in Baghdad have put out for bid a two-year, $20million public-relations contract that calls for extensive monitoring of U.S. and Middle Eastern media in an effort to promote more positive coverage of news from Iraq.

The contract calls for assembling a database of selected news stories and assessing their tone, according to a statement of work attached to the proposal.

The proposal, which in part calls for extensive monitoring and analysis of Iraqi, Middle East and U.S. media, is designed to help coalition forces understand the "communications environment."

Its goal is to "develop communication strategies and tactics, identify opportunities and execute events . . . to effectively communicate Iraqi government and coalition's goals and build support among our strategic audiences in achieving these goals," according to the statement of work that is publicly available.

A public-relations practitioner who asked for anonymity because he may be involved in a bid on the contract said military commanders "are overwhelmed by the media out there and are trying to understand how to get their information out. They want it [news] to be received by audiences as it is transmitted [by them], but they don't like how it turns out."

As an example, he said, there are complaints that stories from Iraq sometimes quote Shiite cleric and militia leader Moqtada Sadr more than military commanders.

The proposal calls for monitoring "Iraqi, pan-Arabic, international and U.S. national and regional markets media in both Arabic and English," including broadcast and cable television outlets, the Pentagon channel, two news services and three U.S. newspapers -- The Washington Post, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

Question Girl