Walter Pincus: Military To Spend $20 Mill For BETTER Iraqi Press Coverage

[kpete]

Positive Press on Iraq Is Aim of U.S. Contract

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 31, 2006; Page A20

U.S. military leaders in Baghdad have put out for bid a two-year, $20 million 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 as part of a program to provide "public relations products" that would improve coverage of the military command's performance, according to a statement of work attached to the proposal.

The request for bids comes at a time when Bush administration officials are publicly criticizing media coverage of the war in Iraq.

more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/30/AR2006083003011.html

[Orrex]

1. Feh. We spend that much in about 15 seconds over there anyway

What's a few dozen million more or less to this administration?

:sarcasm:

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Winning the hearts and minds... (nt)

[BOSSHOG]

3. We get the truth free

so the "conservative" government, the fiscally responsible government is paying 20 million for fake news. Keep your eye out for all the outrage about this which will no doubt be percolating from those comprising the bush base, just outraged at such rash spending. They are so easy to make fun of.

[Cha]

4. What "good news" in Iraq!?

In other words they need a $20 million contract to get some coverage to lie for them.

[Solly Mack]

5. Put a positive spin on all that senseless death!

A school has been built! (Let's leave out the part about the students getting blown to bits while on the way to school)
A hospital is up and running! (Let's leave out why the hospitals were not running and why there are just so many wounded)
Soldiers hand out beanie babies! and school supplies! (to the village they stormed last week, at the ruins of the school US bombing destroyed...but do put in that school will be rebuilt)



and while we're at it...let's keep those coffins of dead soldiers out of the press...



See how easy it is? Just leave off the death and destruction. Instant good news!

[Greeby]

6. $20 million is one expensive catapult

:eyes: