Rapid Response Is The New Black

By: Hillary Profita
Topics: Media Issues

(AP Photo)

The White House Communications Office's latest strategy – rebutting news coverage with its "Setting The Record Straight" press releases -- mirrors the "rapid response" methods used in campaigns. And now it appears that the Pentagon is employing similar tools to address negative publicity. In response to questions about the new strategy, Pentagon press secretary Eric Ruff invoked the same language, saying that the program "will help the department 'set the record straight' and provide accurate, timely information," wrote the Associated Press.

The AP obtained a memo from Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Dorrance Smith describing the program. The Pentagon press office will be expanding its operations to include "new teams of people [who] will 'develop messages' for the 24-hour news cycle and 'correct the record,'" writes the AP. The plan also includes dispatching "surrogates" who would speak on behalf of the Pentagon and a focus on "new media," such as blogs. The changes have apparently "been in the works for months," and construction of offices for the expanded staff commenced Friday.

According to Ruff, the program was not initiated to respond to sagging support for the war or to aid in next week's elections. Instead it's a response to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's criticism of how the Pentagon communications department is working to combat the messages that terrorists are effectively sending to the world. For months, Rumsfeld has been speaking publicly about such agitation, including a recent speech during which he said that terrorists had been successful in "manipulating the media." Months before that, he was addressing publicly his frustration with what he called an overemphasis on negative information about the war in the press. He wrote in a Los Angeles Times editorial this summer: "Consider that a database search of the nation's leading newspapers turns up 10 times as many mentions of one of the soldiers punished for misconduct at Abu Ghraib than of Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, the first recipient of the Medal of Honor in the global war on terror. … With examples like these prevalent in the world media, I do worry about the lack of perspective in our national dialogue — a perspective on history and the new challenges and threats that free people face today. Those who know the truth need to speak out against the myths and distortions being told about our troops and our country."

Indeed, this seems to be an effort to address something that has clearly been irking Rumsfeld for some time. As the strategy unfolds, it should be interesting to see whether the public tunes in or tunes out.

5 Comments Have Your Say
Email Story Send to a Friend
Share This Tell Your Friends
Tweet This Tweet This
More Share It

Add a Comment


by mattcat25 November 2, 2006 5:33 PM EST: The actual truth stands tall, propaganda and spin lies low. This Administration doesn%u2019t want the truth to be known even though most Americans and the rest of the World know contrary to what is being spewed out each and every day by this White House through their press releases, right wing-nut radio and Fox News. Why so much deceit? If the Bush Administration and the GOP Congress would work for positive results for the American People then, there would be no question of honesty and delivery of reports.; Reply to this comment


by pendragon679 November 2, 2006 4:36 PM EST: centralcal:

...and your point would be? Believe it or not, some of us still receive our news from the mainstream media. And, being the grandson of a man who spent most of his life working for newspapers, I STILL consider the daily newspaper a reliable source. Unfortunately, however, I live in a state where most of those dailies are mouthpieces for the conservative Right. That's why I choose to form opinions based on independent and intelligent observation of the world around me. No, newspapers & broadcast media aren't perfect; but neither is the internet.; Reply to this comment


by centralcal-2009 November 1, 2006 5:41 PM EST: pendragon679

Have you not seen the declining circulation numbers of the print press? Have you not followed the steady ratings decline of broadcast media?; Reply to this comment


by pendragon679 November 1, 2006 5:02 PM EST: Hmm...here's a thought. Let's repeat the phrase, "liberal mainstream media" over and over and over again. If we say it enough times, people might start to believe it.

War is Peace
Ignorance is Truth
Freedom is Slavery

These have become the mantras of the current administration. We should all be very, very afraid.; Reply to this comment


by one_american November 1, 2006 3:42 PM EST: The Pentagon has to have SOME means to refute the blatant lies of Democrats and the liberal MSM.

I mean, the liberal MSM has a spin-machine megaphone at its disposal on a daily basis. The Pentagon has to rely on the liberal MSM to get its message out. And knowing the liberal MSM, this will never happen.

Good for Don Rumsfeld.; Reply to this comment