Voices Of Iraq, U.S. propaganda machine w/ more info - Crytpome

[neomonkey]

From: http://cryptome.org/voi-who.htm

6 Novmeber 2004.

A. writes:

1. Mark Bennett's employer, Manning, Selvage and Lee, is a P.R. firm employed by the Army:
http://www.mslpr.com/index.php?id=how_we_do/global_corporate/corporate_clients.htmlstate=ideasCorporateclients
http://www.tmac.co.uk/people/michaelm.html
http://www.first.army.mil/pao/2004_Articles/Nurse_Corps_Incentives.htm

2. "The U.S. Army account one of the largest and most visible accounts at one of the world's leading PR shops" i.e. MS&L, from:

http://www.diversityinbusiness.com/dib2004/dib20404/Adv_NuTalent_SJhnsn.htm

3. MS&L's motto: "At MS&L, we have a new and higher purpose. We don't just change perceptions, because perceptions can be fleeting. What we do - in every sense of the words - is this: Change Minds."

4. They've recently won P.R. industry awards for their Army work:

http://www.publicity.org/trumpet2002winners.htm
http://www.publicity.org/trumpet2003silver.htm
http://www.prandmarketing.com/2003platinum_winners.htm

5. MS&L's website contains zero references to Iraq, perhaps due to the flash interface (I spidered the site through their sitemap, and in ~850 pages there is no tangible reference to Iraq.) However, other folks have tracked some of MS&L's work in Iraq:

* "Oct. 14, 2004 / MS&L REPS OIL-FOR-FOOD CONTRACTOR" (the following page seems to have been htaccess protected in the last month, but it originally wasn't, just keep clicking Cancel, the authentication is for the images on the page) So MS&L has been PRing for a subcontractor of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, another linkage.

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:rCH-jlCIgFYJ:www.odwyerpr.com/members/1014oil_un.htm+selvage+iraqhl=en

* "The Home Depot, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army Begin Mobilization of $1 Million in Donated Tools and Materials to U.S. Military in Iraq"

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2004/24/c8145.html

(released by Craig Hodges of Manning Selvage & Lee) (many more MS&L+(Iraq|Army) intersections available.)

6. One of MS&L's managing directors gave a seminar talk on April 9, 2003 entitled "Communications Surrounding the War in Iraq." (Joe Gleason, Managing Director of Manning Selvage & Lee PR firm, Washington.) This indicates they were likely involved in the P.R. communications blitz surrounding the war, which started just a few weeks earlier.

http://www.elon.edu/academics/communications/connections/2003/april_03/board.asp

7. The film's producers put out press releases stating that the film was directed by Iraqis themselves. However, their press releases say they sent out 150 cameras and received them back with 450 hours of footage - who edited the footage? What was their criteria for the footage selected and the ~448 hours left on the cutting room floor?

8. More ponderage: when you're handing out what has to be at least US$150,000 worth of mini-DV cameras and stock, you want to get that back. So you choose carefully. It's just a guess that these cameras weren't handed to insurgents or poor folk, but to the educated class.

It's like GMail and Orkut: For predictable results, you invite those you know. Just a guess.

9. Unclear, so far, is who paid for the cameras, stock, post-production, and distribution for the film. That's a question for Mr. Bennett



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More Mark Bennett background info (links):

http://www.kfsm.com/Global/story.asp?S=2454145

http://www.mediawatch.co.nz/default,459.sm