The war on Iraq won’t be remembered for how it was waged so much as for how it was sold. It was a propaganda war, a war of perception management, where loaded phrases, such as “weapons of mass destruction” and “rogue state” were hurled like precision weapons at the target audience: us.
The dismal state of the corporate print media.
Weapons of Mass Deception (tags)
In the year and a half since September 11 the Bush administration has been waging an aggressive military campaign against real and perceived enemies, coupled with a public relations campaign to win the "hearts and minds" of the world. In Afghanistan, at least, the military campaign has shown some success. The public relations campaign, however, has been an embarrassing failure.
THE WEEKLY SPIN, Wednesday, March 5, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------- sponsored by PR WATCH (www.prwatch.org) ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Bush's Arab and Muslim Propaganda Chief Quits (tags)
Bush's Arab and Muslim Propaganda Chief Quits CNN.com Monday 3 March 2003 U.S. official: 'She didn't do anything that worked'
Hundreds Are Detained After Visits to INS (tags)
From the LA Times.
Cold war cultural production returns (tags)
>The Bush administration has recruited prominent American >>writers to contribute to a State Department anthology and >>give readings around the globe in a campaign started after >>9/11 to use culture to further American diplomatic >>interests.
What do the Afghans need? Advertising! (tags)
If there was ever any doubt about the U.S. government's ties to global capitalism, this new strategy should put it to rest. Longtime ad executive Charlotte Beers, the State Department's new chief of public diplomacy (i.e. advertising and marketing) is considering running advertisements on Al Jazeera to let the Afghans know how we really feel. Clearly the bombs seem to have given them the wrong impression.