US forces in Iraq seek boost from $20m PR contract
Proposals, due on September 6th, ask companies to show how they’ll “provide continuous monitoring and near-real time reporting of Iraqi, pan-Arabic, international, and US media,” according to the solicitation.
Contractors will also be evaluated on how they will provide analytical reports and customised briefings to the military, “including, but not limited to tone (positive, neutral, negative) and scope of media coverage.”
The winner of the contract will also be required to develop an Arabic version of the multinational force’s website.
The program comes during what has appeared to be a White House effort, before the fifth anniversary of 9/11 to take the offensive against critics at a time of doubt about the future of Iraq.
President Bush addressed the American Legion’s national convention in Salt Lake City on the issue on Thursday, stressing that a US pullout from Iraq would lead to its conquest by America’s worst enemies.
He continued a theme set by both Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when they spoke to the administration-friendly group earlier in the week.
The military last year was criticised for a public relations program in Iraq that included hiring a consulting firm that paid Iraqi news media to carry news stories written by US troops.
Pentagon officials have defended the program as a necessary tool in the war on terror.
