Outrage Over Army Corps' $4.7M PR Contract

New Orleans Citizens Group Questions Army Corps Use Of Funds For Media Spin; Corps Denies Misuse

(CBS)  CBS News Investigative Producer Pia Malbran wrote this story for CBSNews.com.

---

A New Orleans citizens group is accusing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of inappropriately using much needed funding to spin a more positive image of the Corps in the media. The federal agency, however, disputes this change saying the money was allotted for necessary "public education."

The controversy was touched off this week after it was discovered that the small public relations firm, Outreach Process Partners (OPP), which has offices in Maryland and New Orleans, was hired to work with the Army Corps' New Orleans district in 2007. The company was awarded a three-year government contract worth a total of $4.75 million (having so far received $2.3 million of that money) and boasted on its Web site that it helped reduce negative news coverage that plagued the Corps following Hurricane Katrina.

“It’s a punch in the stomach," said Sandy Rosenthal, a citizen advocate who founded the watchdog Web site Levees.Org. "We do not feel that is the best way to spend [millions] of dollars."

Rosenthal said she discovered the OPP contract Tuesday online. One of the things that caught her attention was a chart that OPP posted on its Web site showing how negative media stories had dramatically decreased after the company was hired. The Web site stated: "OPP's media support has been a fundamental part of the transition from typically negative news coverage to more neutral and positive news coverage." The Web site also listed several local and national news organizations that the company claims to have "facilitated" and to have provided "media support."

"That sounds like spin," said Rosenthal who argues that the Corps' should in no way be spending precious taxpayer dollars trying to revamp its spotty public reputation but rather on trying to improve the levee system and protect New Orleans from another disaster.

The information about the media coverage was then removed from OPP’s Web site Tuesday within hours of Rosenthal sending a mass email alerting individuals who are part of her Web site’s listserve. (Click here to see what OPP’s Web site looked like earlier this week, and click here to see what it looks like now.)

"I can see why people would be upset about that," said Ken Holder, the Corps’ chief of public affairs for the New Orleans office. He told CBS News OPP was hired not to directly handle media inquires but to primarily develop "educational materials" and set up public meetings that the Corps is required by law to hold in order to get valuable feedback from residents about the Corps' projects. "It’s for public education," he said.

Right now, the Army Corps is in the mist of a major lawsuit that claims the agency is responsible for the flooding that drowned New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

Click here to see the contract between Outreach Process Partners and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District.

In addition, it is managing the largest civil engineering project in U.S. history to repair the damage that occurred after the 2005 storm at a cost of about $14.6 billion. Because of the size of the project, Holder said, "we've got to get this right and the best way to do that is to hear from the public."

In a phone interview with CBS News, the president of OPP, Janice Roper-Graham, said she is proud of the work her company has done for the Corps and offered a different perspective on her company’s relationship with the government agency from what had been posted on her company’s Web site.

"We are in a support role in helping [the Corps] with public education," she said. "And, we don’t want there to be any confusion about that.”

Roper-Graham says the media information was listed on the company’s internet page because she was "trying to reach out to other federal agencies, if they were having a hard time communicating” and she wanted to show "this measurable improvement" that her company could offer.

"We didn’t think through the Levees.org’s perspective on how our Web site would be viewed," she admitted. Furthermore, the information was removed from OPP’s Web site after Rosenthal’s email circulated because Roper-Graham said she "didn't want to give the impression that OPP was signally responsible" for the decrease in bad press. "We are proud of our contribution" she said but insisted her group was part of a team effort with big credit going to the Corps' desire to be more "open and transparent."

Roper-Graham said her company is in fact responsible for setting up public meetings for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Louisiana as well as other communications duties "behind the scenes." She also said her company was instrumental in overhauling the Corps Web site, making it more user-friendly. All of this is important, she added, because "communication is a key component to running a good project."

Late Thursday, Corps spokesman Holder had OPP remove all Army Corps references from its Web site until, he told CBS News, he has had a chance to review all the information.

[inachu1]

What?!?!?!?!

The Army did not use the OSP for propganda spin control?
This would have been free if they used the OSP.

[nolastan]

Azulene,

If you would like to leave us a comment, you may do so on any article on our blog (http://levees.org/blog). You may also contact us directly by e-mail (http://levees.org/contact), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/leveesorg), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/LeveesOrg/10971099726), Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/leveesorg) or Flickr (http://flickr.com/photos/24669697@N05/).

If there is anything I can do to make it easier to reach us, please let me know. You can find my email address under "Webmaster" on the contact page.

Thank you for your feedback.

Stanford Rosenthal
Webmaster for Levees.org
twitter.com/nolastan

[ray55--2008]

I dare CBS News to look at the IP addresses of all the posts here and count how many of the Corps defending posts come from the same IP address as the New Orleans District US Army Corps of Engineers.

[ray55--2008]

Azulene said, "It's interesting that the Levees.org website does not allow comments!!!! LMAO I sincerely doubt that this woman is a qualified engineer of any sort."

Are you implying that the USACE engineers that designed and built the New Orleans Outfall Canal floodwalls, which failed without even being overtopped were 'qualified engineers'?

Ms.Rosenthall is not and never claimed to be an engineer. She is a New Orleanian concerned about her city and its people and is fighting a very difficult fight to try to get reliable engineering built into the new flood control system. The USACE discredits critics (especially qualified ones) and gets them and their companies blacklisted from their industry. It is a shame so few Civil Engineers are brave enough to speak up about the desperate need for USACE reform.

We have no confidence in the Corp's abilities. They don't permit adequate oversight. A floodwall design safety factor of only 1.4 is being used by the Corps. We fear USACE will flood us again.

The Corps holds a sacred place in congress as an avenue from pork distribution. Whatchagonnado?

[ray55--2008]

"Perception is more important than the product?"

Corps management seems to believe in this philosophy when it comes to engineering structures. They demand and expect respect and trust regardless of performance. They discredit critics.

Why does the local New Orleans District of the Corps need a huge internal PR staff and a $1M+/yr. PR Contractor supplying six extra strategists?

This ain't at all about the money, but was this PR project "authorized" by Congress? -as the Corps likes to use as an excuse to do something they don't want to do?

Have you ever heard of another government agency's field office having a PR staff larger than 2 or 3? Do you think the USACE does not need reform? Do you think USACE's engineering can be trusted to competently rebuild New Orleans' flood control system? I'm paying my local cost share for the second time for flood 'risk reduction.'

Make no mistake. This is a typical by-the-book cover up. This is a blatent federal government conspiracy against New Orleanians. Albeit clumsy, it is working quite well.

[ray55--2008]

The Corps seeks to convince us they can be trusted to provide competent engineering, but they don't realize trust is earned. Trust is not earned through trickery, not twice anyway.

[ray55--2008]

people like sdemaggie are frequently Corps dependents and very likely posting their slander from a Corps computer on the government's clock. This is part of their standard operating procedures.

Did you know they even paid the president of the American Society of Civil Engineers to tour the country and give hundreds of presentations on the levee failures to engineering and civic groups where the presentations blame locals for the levee failuresand paint a picture of Corps competency bordering on heroic.

This really is a secret government conspiracy in an effort to cheat their victims. You don't have to believe it but it is true and there is a ton of evidence.

The Government did such an excellent job of slandering New Orleans that I bet CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, CNN and NPR could all run stories correcting Corps myths for a month straight and the public would still choose to believe the lies.

[ray55--2008]

"Are these the same outraged NO citizens that are sucking on the public teat" some stupid person said.

Sir, you are one of the believers of the PR slander by the feds against New Orleanians.

Did you know the Lower Ninth Ward is two square miles, but 140 square miles of New Orleans suffered flood damage from the levee and floodwall failures?

Did you know the floods did not discriminate (in death or damage) against any demographic other than age?

Did you know that about 2/3rds of New Orleanians had flood insurance?

Did you know the outfall canal floodwalls fell down like cheap movie props long before they were overtopped by storm surge waters? Did you know that all three levee & floodwall failure investigation reports, including the one by the US Army Corps of Engineers all indicate that the outfall canal floodwalls did not perform as required because of stupid engineering mistakes made by employees of the US Army Corps of Engineers?

You see, you think we are scum and do not deserve a recovery because of lies and myths spread by government conspirators whose goal is to minimize federal recovery spending at the expense of citizens damaged by the federal government. The slander is very disenfranchising.

This is why we are outraged about the PR contract. I wish we had a million dollars for PR to try to reverse the slander directed at US by this Federal agency.

The party responsible for our flooding is also responsible for much of the slander against New Orleans that attempts to cause outsiders to believe the floods were the fault of locals. The Corps claims immunity, but they won't even admit to themselves what they did and they won't even apologize to their victims.

The biggest reason for the PR firm is that Corps leadership ODES NOT WANT to reform as suggested in all of the three levee failure investigative reports. They are premeditated negligent homicide perpetrators.

[roghil]

The Corps only take on projects that are proposed by local authorities. Apparently, the folks of New Orleans didn't want to spend any money to repair the levees before Katrina, but they are plenty ready to now.

There is no problem with a PR firm contract. They happen all the time. These used to be Government employees, but those positions were eliminated to a great extent in favor of Contractors. There is a lot of work to do in order to get a Civil Works project approved and in place. PR people are the ones that set all that up.

It is a separate funding source from construction dollars, and at the value of this one, probably approved by Congress (Democratically controlled Congress). What's the problem?

[sdemaggie]

Are these the same outraged NO citizens that are sucking on the public teat for every cent they can get in the aftermath of Katrina, an act of God which We the people of the US are under no obligation at all to fund for the poor "victims " of NO? Are these the same outraged NO citizens sueing the Federal government (Corp of Engineers) for an act of God? A clear case of the pot calling the kettle black.

[excoachken]

To jggooo...: In principle, I agree with you, but it appears that most investment banks over the last 20 years disagree with you in favor of the Bernie Madoff business model. I think it is naive to think one necessarily has any real product, especially following Enron, GM, and the way that the Bush/Cheyney Crime Syndicate sold us a war against an idea and while getting rich in the process. And, I know that this concept was taught in the best MBA programs offered in the mid 80s.

[mutnauq4842]

RIGHT ON DUDE!

SURF'S UP , RIDE THAT WAVE MAN!
Posted by pythoncharly at 9:25 AM : May 9, 2009

Your habit of using multiple identities to agree with yourself and congratulate yourself is sick and pathetic. Get help you little weasel.

[carolhill814]

Why can't they tell the truth and give back the money for things that need to be done.

[yayadodo]

janem4, as far as I'm concerned this has nothing to do with conservative vs. progressive or GOP vs. Dem. There's enough blame to go around for what happened in New Orleans, but it is most certainly not because the people of the city are lazy, or want a government hand out. In fact, New Orleans successfully evacuated 95% of their citizens in record time, something no other sizable city had done to that point, or even up to now, I believe. The problem was the lack of contingency planning for those who fell through the cracks, mostly elderly and infirmed. I'm not denying that there were also a number of people who refused to plan for themselves, or just wouldn't leave their homes or businesses. Unfortunately, you're going to see that in any community and any disaster. In fact, we did see that in Galveston during Gustav. Previously, during hurricane Rita, Houston's evacuation plan fell flat, and left tens of thousands gridlocked and stranded on roadways like sitting ducks; thankfully they didn't get hit as predicted. So, you see, until you and your city has been through a historical disaster, like Hurricane Katrina, I urge you to keep your harsh, unreasoned criticisms to yourself, and pray that you never have to go through something so horrific.

In fact, a great deal of the blame does go to the Corps of Engineers and hence, the federal government, as does a good bit for the state and local administrations. Where things really went South, so to speak, was the pathetic response ... people on roofs for 4-5 days, children and elderly dying of thirst. What a great shame for our country.

The general point I was making was that the story is a good example of the sort of crap that shows up more and more in the mainstream media ... poorly researched, speculative, rush-to-press, damned-be-the-truth, let's sell some ad time

[excoachken]

To jgg000...: Are you saying that you never heard the statement that I quoted? I am not arguing that it is accurate or good, just that it was a popular mantra used at many business schools in the 80s and 90s, and therefore our economic disaster created by lousy corporate "leaders" should be no surprise!

[debinok1]

The Corp has had image problems for years. This is not the first time their inaction or even direct actions have caused problems. One of the worst floods in Oklahoma history was the direct result of the Corps actions. This is one area that needs major oversight and major reorganization.

[johndevinejr]

Funny she didn't speak out before 2005! Everyone has known for decades that those levees were toast in anything more than a Cat 3 Hurricane. Along came a Cat 5, there was no mystery about what such an event would do. NOW she complains!!! Why? For the money,of course.

People in New Orleans are almost as good as Obama at spending other peoples money for their benefit! They, along with Californians are the epitome of the VICTIM SOCIETY!

The reason they don't allow comments on their website is because they know everyone would tell them to shove it if they did.
Posted by azulene at 12:37 AM : May 9, 2009


Funding to repair and upgrade the levees in New Orleans was repeatedly rejected.


.

[txlakeside]

rowdy is a Po'ed reneck still mad that a black man is president! Dumb as dirt! The shape of New O has little to do with dems or CONS. It has to do with the haves and the have nots, poor and rich and southern social class struggles. Just because you have been to Mardi Gras or read a book about the corruption you really have no idea as to the bigotry, hate, social injustice that permeates the state! The white folks in LA make great republiCONs because they are dumb as dirt, bigots and hate anyone different than themselves! They do not make for good DEMs as they are haters, bigots and religious dogma palys a big role in their lives! Dumb as dirt really is the majority in LA!

[johndevinejr]

actaully, the stae gov't is responsible for setting the federal gov't in motion.
You might want to look at Blanco and Nagin as handsitters. And
Posted by jgg00000008 at 8:54 AM : May 9, 2009

I am aware of that. However,when a disaster of this magnitude is about to occur, the President of the United States can be the driving force in setting things in motion. Just because the local government was, and as far as I know still is, composed of liars thieves and idiots, doesn't mean that you have to sit by and let a disaster occur.

Bush has taken the hit for this disaster. He should have been aware that this would occur. Even if his actions were perfect, because of the size of this problem he should have been more proactive. I know hindsight is 20/20, but I am not the President and you can see that he has been held responsible.

You can support his actions as much as you want to. He is still taking the hit for it whether that is fair or not.

[johndevinejr]

what party governs Louisiana? And why has it taken 8 years to clean up after a hurricane? Why are people still living in trailers? Texas, even Indonesia recovered in months from equally disasterous storms.
Posted by jgg00000008 at 8:44 AM : May 9, 2009

At the time of this disaster the Democrats were in power in Louisianna. That doesn't change the facts that the Federal Governmnet totally screwed this up as did the State government.

The Bush Administration were advised of the size and nature of the disaster approaching and opted to do NOTHING. The President should LEAD not sit on his hands.

And the people are still living in trailers because the government in Louisiana is the most corrupt in the country. I don't care if they are Democrats, they are stealing everything that is not nailed down as has always been the case there.