Pentagon rapid response operation: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
XTheBedrockX (talk | contribs) removed Category:Iraq War and the media; added Category:Propaganda in the Iraq War using HotCat |
||
| (19 intermediate revisions by 9 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
The '''Pentagon rapid response operation''' was |
The '''Pentagon rapid response operation''' was a [[public relations]] initiative by the [[United States Department of Defense]] to "quickly respond to news media stories critical of ... the [[Iraq War]], as well as other stories the Defense Department leadership doesn't like."<ref name="CNN">[http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/31/pentagon.pr/index.html Pentagon boosts PR arsenal], CNN (October 31, 2006).</ref> |
||
|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/31/pentagon.pr/index.html |
|||
|title=Pentagon boosts PR arsena |
|||
|publisher=CNN |
|||
|date=2006-10-31}}</ref> |
|||
==History== |
|||
A Pentagon memo seen by the [[Associated Press]] news agency said the new unit would "develop messages" for the [[24-hour news cycle]] and aim to "correct the record".<ref name=BBC>{{cite web |
|||
An October 3, 2006 memo written by Dorrance Smith, the [[Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs|assistant secretary of defense for public affairs]],<ref name="CNN"/> obtained later by the Associated Press, described the team's role.<ref name="Serrano">Alfonso Serrano, [http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-to-expand-pr-operation/ Pentagon To Expand P.R. Operation], Associated Press (October 31, 2006).</ref> The memo envisioned that the team would "'develop messages' for the [[24-hour news cycle]] and 'correct the record'" in a way similar to [[political campaign]] operations, such as [[Bill Clinton presidential campaign, 1992|Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign]].<ref name="Serrano"/> Smith also set forth four branches of the operation: "[[New Media]]" (for [[Web site]]s, [[podcast]]s, and [[YouTube]]); "Rapid Response" (for [[letters to the editor]]); "TV and Radio Booking" (for booking civilian and military guests on [[cable news]] and radio); and "Surrogates" (for "analysts who speak publicly, often on behalf of the Pentagon").<ref name="CNN"/><ref name=BBC>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6100906.stm|title=Pentagon boosts 'media war' unit: The US defence department has set up a new unit to better promote its message across 24-hour rolling news outlets, and particularly on the internet|publisher=BBC News|date=October 31, 2006}}</ref> During the brief life of the "'rapid response cell," a "team of [[Public affairs (military)|public affairs officers]] working behind closed doors ... churn[ed] out e-mail messages, press releases, opinion pieces and corrections to perceived inaccuracies or biased reporting worldwide."<ref name="ShankerMazzetti">Thom Shanker & Mark Mazzetti, [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE1DB1031F931A25750C0A9619C8B63&pagewanted=all New Defense Chief Eases Relations Rumsfeld Bruised], ''New York Times'' (March 12, 2007).</ref> |
|||
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6100906.stm |
|||
|title=Pentagon boosts 'media war' unit: The US defence department has set up a new unit to better promote its message across 24-hour rolling news outlets, and particularly on the internet |
|||
|publisher=BBC News |
|||
|date=2006-10-31}}</ref> The unit would reportedly monitor media such as [[Blog|weblogs]] and would also employ "surrogates", or top [[politician]]s or [[lobbyist]]s who could be interviewed on TV and radio shows.<ref name=BBC/> |
|||
The Pentagon rapid-response unit was a priority of [[U.S. Secretary of Defense]] [[Donald Rumsfeld]], and some congressional [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] criticized the initiative as excessively focused on Rumsfeld's personal reputation, rather than the reputation of the [[U.S. armed forces]].<ref name="ShankerMazzetti"/> Soon after being sworn in as secretary of defense in 2007, Rumsfeld's successor [[Robert Gates]] disbanded the unit.<ref name="ShankerMazzetti"/> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
The new operation will have four branches, According to an Oct. 3 memo from [[Dorrance Smith]], the new operations will have four branches. The branches, according to the memo, are<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/31/pentagon.pr/index.html?_s=PM:US</ref>: |
|||
*New Media: Covering the Internet, podcasting, DVDs and Web sites, including You Tube. |
|||
*Rapid Response: Covering letters to the editor. |
|||
*TV and Radio Booking: Covering civilian and military guests for cable network and radio programs. |
|||
*Surrogates: Covering analysts who speak publicly, often on behalf of the Pentagon. |
|||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
*[[Public affairs (military)]] |
|||
*[[Pentagon military analyst program]] |
*[[Pentagon military analyst program]] |
||
*[[Propaganda in the United States]] |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
*[[U.S. Military Television Network]] |
*[[U.S. Military Television Network]] |
||
| Line 28: | Line 16: | ||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
*[http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2006/11/10/publiceye/entry2172915.shtml David Martin |
*[http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2006/11/10/publiceye/entry2172915.shtml David Martin on the Pentagon's 'Quick-Reaction Squad'] CBS News, November 10, 2006 |
||
{{Iraq War}} |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pentagon Rapid Response Operation}} |
|||
[[Category:United States Department of Defense]] |
[[Category:United States Department of Defense]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Presidency of George W. Bush]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Propaganda in the Iraq War]] |
||
{{US-stub}} |
|||
Latest revision as of 19:03, 27 December 2023
The Pentagon rapid response operation was a public relations initiative by the United States Department of Defense to "quickly respond to news media stories critical of ... the Iraq War, as well as other stories the Defense Department leadership doesn't like."[1]
History[edit]
An October 3, 2006 memo written by Dorrance Smith, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs,[1] obtained later by the Associated Press, described the team's role.[2] The memo envisioned that the team would "'develop messages' for the 24-hour news cycle and 'correct the record'" in a way similar to political campaign operations, such as Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign.[2] Smith also set forth four branches of the operation: "New Media" (for Web sites, podcasts, and YouTube); "Rapid Response" (for letters to the editor); "TV and Radio Booking" (for booking civilian and military guests on cable news and radio); and "Surrogates" (for "analysts who speak publicly, often on behalf of the Pentagon").[1][3] During the brief life of the "'rapid response cell," a "team of public affairs officers working behind closed doors ... churn[ed] out e-mail messages, press releases, opinion pieces and corrections to perceived inaccuracies or biased reporting worldwide."[4]
The Pentagon rapid-response unit was a priority of U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and some congressional Democrats criticized the initiative as excessively focused on Rumsfeld's personal reputation, rather than the reputation of the U.S. armed forces.[4] Soon after being sworn in as secretary of defense in 2007, Rumsfeld's successor Robert Gates disbanded the unit.[4]
See also[edit]
- Pentagon military analyst program
- Propaganda in the United States
- Information warfare
- U.S. Military Television Network
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Pentagon boosts PR arsenal, CNN (October 31, 2006).
- ^ a b Alfonso Serrano, Pentagon To Expand P.R. Operation, Associated Press (October 31, 2006).
- ^ "Pentagon boosts 'media war' unit: The US defence department has set up a new unit to better promote its message across 24-hour rolling news outlets, and particularly on the internet". BBC News. October 31, 2006.
- ^ a b c Thom Shanker & Mark Mazzetti, New Defense Chief Eases Relations Rumsfeld Bruised, New York Times (March 12, 2007).
External links[edit]
- David Martin on the Pentagon's 'Quick-Reaction Squad' CBS News, November 10, 2006
