[Media-watch] voices of iraq

Sat Nov 6 13:46:43 GMT 2004

http://cryptome.org/voi-who.htm

6 Novmeber 2004. 

A. writes: 

  1. Mark Bennett's employer, Manning, Selvage and Lee, is a P.R. firm employed by the Army: 
  http://www.mslpr.com/index.php?id=how_we_do/global_corporate/corporate_clients.htmlstate=ideasCorporateclients
  http://www.tmac.co.uk/people/michaelm.html
  http://www.first.army.mil/pao/2004_Articles/Nurse_Corps_Incentives.htm 

  2. "The U.S. Army account [is] one of the largest and most visible accounts at one of the world's leading PR shops" i.e. MS&L, from: 

  http://www.diversityinbusiness.com/dib2004/dib20404/Adv_NuTalent_SJhnsn.htm 

  3. MS&L's motto: "At MS&L, we have a new and higher purpose. We don't just change perceptions, because perceptions can be fleeting. What we do - in every sense of the words - is this: Change Minds." 

  4. They've recently won P.R. industry awards for their Army work: 

  http://www.publicity.org/trumpet2002winners.htm
  http://www.publicity.org/trumpet2003silver.htm
  http://www.prandmarketing.com/2003platinum_winners.htm 

  5. MS&L's website contains zero references to Iraq, perhaps due to the flash interface (I spidered the site through their sitemap, and in ~850 pages there is no tangible reference to Iraq.)  However, other folks have tracked some of MS&L's work in Iraq: 

  * "Oct. 14, 2004 / MS&L REPS OIL-FOR-FOOD CONTRACTOR" (the following page seems to have been htaccess protected in the last month, but it originally wasn't, just keep clicking Cancel, the authentication is for the images on the page)  So MS&L has been PRing for a subcontractor of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, another linkage. 

  http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:rCH-jlCIgFYJ:www.odwyerpr.com/members/1014oil_un.htm+selvage+iraqhl=en 

  * "The Home Depot, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army Begin Mobilization of $1 Million in Donated Tools and Materials to U.S. Military in Iraq" 

  http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2004/24/c8145.html 

  (released by Craig Hodges of Manning Selvage & Lee) (many more MS&L+(Iraq|Army) intersections available.) 

  6. One of MS&L's managing directors gave a seminar talk on April 9, 2003 entitled "Communications Surrounding the War in Iraq." (Joe Gleason, Managing Director of Manning Selvage & Lee PR firm, Washington.)  This indicates they were likely involved in the P.R. communications blitz surrounding the war, which started just a few weeks earlier. 

  http://www.elon.edu/academics/communications/connections/2003/april_03/board.asp 

  7. The film's producers put out press releases stating that the film was directed by Iraqis themselves.  However, their press releases say they sent out 150 cameras and received them back with 450 hours of footage - who edited the footage? What was their criteria for the footage selected and the ~448 hours left on the cutting room floor? 

  8. More ponderage: when you're handing out what has to be at least US$150,000 worth of mini-DV cameras and stock, you want to get that back. So you choose carefully.  It's just a guess that these cameras weren't handed to insurgents or poor folk, but to the educated class. 

  It's like GMail and Orkut: For predictable results, you invite those you know.  Just a guess. 

  9. Unclear, so far, is who paid for the cameras, stock, post-production, and distribution for the film.  That's a question for Mr. Bennett. 

5 November 2004. 

C. writes: 

  I just thought I would point out that Scott Ritter is also a 'former Marine'. This in and of itself has no meaning. 
S. writes: 

  Specifically the Production Contact : 
  Booya Studios, LLC
  Voices of Freedom, LLC
  11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13
  Studio City, CA 91604
  818-769-7558 

  Having lived in that area for a number of years, I somewhat familiar with the area. Be advised that quite a number of addresses on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, CA,  are mail drops. I searched GOOGLE on this: 

    11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13 
  Found this also... 

    "Boyfriend Cosmetics 11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13 Studio City, CA 91604" 
  Address appears to me as a "mail drop" as opposed to a "real" office. 

5 November 2004. Additional information on this video, its producers and representatives welcomed. Send to jya at pipeline.com 

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A. writes: 

I just finished watching a "documentary" called Voices of Iraq. 

  http://www.voicesofiraq.com/ 
It paints an unusually bright picture of the state of affairs in Iraq. I got the feeling that I was subjected to American propaganda so I did some investigating. The FAQ for the film states: 

  "How did the producers distribute 150 cameras to the Iraqi people? Archie Drury, one of the producers of Voices of Iraq and a former U.S. Marine, was on the ground in Iraq from April through September 2004. Archie distributed the cameras to Iraqis from all walks of life - children, mothers, taxi drivers - and of all pliitical opinions. The producers expected to pay people to return the cameras and recorded DV tapes." 
Hmm. "Former" Marine? The film is reportedly produced by Booya Productions and Voices of Freedom, LLC. The following are listed as contacts: 

Media Contact: 

  Mark Bennett
  Manning, Selvage and Lee
  mark.bennett at mslpr.com
  202-261-2872 
Production Contact: 

  Booya Studios, LLC
  Voices of Freedom, LLC
  11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13
  Studio City, CA 91604
  818-769-7558 
The DC area code (202) phone number for the media contact caught my eye. 

Then, there's this: 

  http://firstcasualty.com/index.php?articleID=3989&sectionID=111 
which states: 

  "For more information, please contact Mark Bennett by phone at (202) 261-2872 or (202) 256-8824, or Natalie Wyeth at (202) 261-2871 or (703) 403-3327 at Booyah Productions." 
More DC/VA numbers. Natalie Wyeth is named in this article: 

  http://www.wlextv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2392212 
as representing Cotecna Inspection, a UN contractor in the Iraqi Oil for Food Program. 

Finally, there's this from Google's cache: 

  http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:49B1i2WbBEYJ:www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m4PRN/2003_Jan_23/96764236/p2/article.jhtml%3Fterm%3D++(202)+261-2872&hl=en 
  "CONTACT: Mark Bennett, +1-202-261-2872, for the U.S. Army" 
Maybe someone else has more information. 

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