Sk B1 Rollout Fdr- 12-4-03 Widmeyer Communications Memo Re Pr Strategy 511
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7/WIDMEYER
T YCOM MUNICATIONS
WASHINGTON
NEW YORK
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW
895 Broadway
Fifth Floor
Fifth Floor
Washington, DC 2O009
New York, NY 1 O003
P 202.667.0901
P 212.260.3401
F 202.667.0902
F 212.26O.34O2
www.widmeyer.com
MEMORANDUM TO:
Al Felzenberg
FROM: Scott Widmeyer DATE:
December 4, 2003
RE:
COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANCE FOR THE 9/11 COMMISSION
In just six short months, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States must complete its work and issue its report. Completing a thorough investigation and determining appropriate recommendations is a daunting challenge. And how the commission communicates about its work and the final report is equally important. Most citizens and government officials are unlikely to read the final report in its entirety. But their impressions of how well the commission fulfilled its mandate - indeed their understanding of what did and did not happen surrounding the attacks of September 11, 2001 - will be shaped by what they hear in the media and how others react to the report. Consequently, it's critical for the commission to use the next six months effectively. The panel must lay the groundwork to ensure the report is heard and understood. Doing so requires that the public believes the commission's integrity and independence is unquestioned, it has been thorough in considering all the facts and information, has been tough yet fair, and is being neither partisan nor overly concerned with the possible partisan fallout from its work. The public must understand how the commission operated and have faith in the quality and credibility of its work. And it must understand how the commission's analysis and findings differ from other reports - from congressional panels and the media - that have already been issued. This communications challenge is enormous. It requires telling a process story and emphasizing points related to the integrity of the commission's work. And it is and will be communicating in an emotionally and politically charged atmosphere. The September 11 attacks shocked the nation and the world, and the emotions ignited that day will be rekindled upon the release of the report. And various parties will seize on the report to validate their views or to throw stones. At the same time, the report will be complicated. It is unlikely to contain a simple answer - a silver bullet, or single gunman from a book depository, if you will - but present a blizzard of findings about what happened and why. Widmeyer Communications would welcome the opportunity to work with you and the commission to develop and implement the communications strategy the commission's mission demands. We recognize that a great deal of the work involved in this type of high-visibility work
PAGE 2
is handling the volume of inquiries and interest - to help you control the communications agenda as much as possible and meet the needs of the news media.
Major Communications Tasks and Assistance This memo outlines ways in which we can help you meet your communications objectives and fulfill day-to-day needs, especially as the focus on the commission heats up. We have divided the communications program into phases and briefly listed the types of tasks we can perform on your behalf. I.
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK (December - mid-April) FOCUS: Explaining the commission's role and addressing key controversies and events. This will be an important time to elevate awareness of the commission, underscore its mission, emphasize its integrity, and manage communications about specific issues. •
Develop an overall six-month-and-beyond strategic communications plan.
•
Provide support on responding to specific issues, such as getting documents from New York City and the White House.
•
Craft statements and news releases, as appropriate.
•
Provide background material focusing on how the commission is doing its work and underscoring the integrity and thoroughness of the process.
•
Begin sending periodic updates on the commission's work. (These should go beyond releases and statements that focus on specific or narrow issues and controversies.)
•
Showcase final public hearings, and orchestrate news coverage surrounding them.
•
Conduct regional media briefings - via conference calls - for major newspapers. (This will lay the groundwork for the release of the report, help set the tone for pre-release coverage, and give us a better sense of concerns and questions that will be raised outside of Washington and New York.)
•
Identify, prioritize, and contact (with background material) specialty publications that cover such issues as foreign policy, national security, aviation, law enforcement, and state and local government.
•
Identify and prioritize leading experts on the topics listed in the previous bullet, primarily at major universities and think tanks. (These are the experts who will be called upon to comment on the report.)
&w
PAGE 3
I •
Draft and place op-eds by the Chairman/Vice Chairman and commission members highlighting the importance of the commission's work.
II. PRE-RELEASE BRIEFINGS AND PREPARATION (mid-April - May) FOCUS: Previewing the report (not the content) and setting the stage for the release by providing indicators and directions on how the report should be covered. •
Update the media on the commission's work.
•
Conduct second round of regional briefings - via conference calls - adding a round of calls to editorial boards.
•
Conduct preview interviews via satellite with local TV news operations in major media markets. (We could also package video b-roll to be used with these interviews.)
•
Provide one-on-one briefings for top newspapers and networks.
•
Brief major nationally syndicated columnists.
•
Prepare for release (see elements below).
•
Seek opportunities to elevate the commission's profile in non-news outlets, such as Parade and People magazines, as well as the network morning shows.
•
Address conventions of the newspaper publishers and editors to provide a framework for coverage. (These organizations meet in Washington April 20-22.)
•
Consider presentation to the Radio-Television News Directors Association, meeting in Las Vegas April 19-21.
•
Inform Congress and agencies how the release will be handled and how they'll be informed.
•
Brief families and key stakeholders (such as organizations representing first-responders and law enforcement).
•
Schedule post-release appearances/events.
III. RELEASE OF REPORT (Late May) FOCUS: Promote key points/messages the commission wants stressed. •
Prepare compelling media materials and summaries.
PAGE 4
•
Hold major news conference with all commission members present.
•
Conduct special briefing for families.
•
Present the report, and brief, the President and Congress.
•
Execute strategy for briefing key federal government agency officials, including public affairs officers, as well as governors.
•
Conduct satellite media tour of local TV stations in major media markets, providing bipartisan pairs of commission members and reserving the top markets for the Chairman and Vice Chairman.
IV. POST-RELEASE COMMUNICATIONS (June onward) FOCUS: Emphasizing key points of the report and setting the record straight. •
Secure appearances on Sunday news programs, as well as network morning shows.
•
Begin series of regional town hall meetings.
•
Begin speaking engagements for Chairman on major platforms in large media markets, such as the Commonwealth Club of California, the Economic Club of Detroit, as well as the National Press Club, the World Affairs Council, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
•
Secure and promote formal report to Congress before a congressional hearing.
•
Participate in forum held by think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation, Brookings, etc., as well as some major universities.
### The memo provides a framework for a communications program and specific examples of ways in which we can assist you. In addition, we should discuss more specifically other tasks we could perform, such as the design and production of the commission report and other materials, as well as video products. We look forward to meeting with you and your colleagues next week.
T YCOM MUNICATIONS
WASHINGTON
NEW YORK
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW
895 Broadway
Fifth Floor
Fifth Floor
Washington, DC 2O009
New York, NY 1 O003
P 202.667.0901
P 212.260.3401
F 202.667.0902
F 212.26O.34O2
www.widmeyer.com
MEMORANDUM TO:
Al Felzenberg
FROM: Scott Widmeyer DATE:
December 4, 2003
RE:
COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANCE FOR THE 9/11 COMMISSION
In just six short months, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States must complete its work and issue its report. Completing a thorough investigation and determining appropriate recommendations is a daunting challenge. And how the commission communicates about its work and the final report is equally important. Most citizens and government officials are unlikely to read the final report in its entirety. But their impressions of how well the commission fulfilled its mandate - indeed their understanding of what did and did not happen surrounding the attacks of September 11, 2001 - will be shaped by what they hear in the media and how others react to the report. Consequently, it's critical for the commission to use the next six months effectively. The panel must lay the groundwork to ensure the report is heard and understood. Doing so requires that the public believes the commission's integrity and independence is unquestioned, it has been thorough in considering all the facts and information, has been tough yet fair, and is being neither partisan nor overly concerned with the possible partisan fallout from its work. The public must understand how the commission operated and have faith in the quality and credibility of its work. And it must understand how the commission's analysis and findings differ from other reports - from congressional panels and the media - that have already been issued. This communications challenge is enormous. It requires telling a process story and emphasizing points related to the integrity of the commission's work. And it is and will be communicating in an emotionally and politically charged atmosphere. The September 11 attacks shocked the nation and the world, and the emotions ignited that day will be rekindled upon the release of the report. And various parties will seize on the report to validate their views or to throw stones. At the same time, the report will be complicated. It is unlikely to contain a simple answer - a silver bullet, or single gunman from a book depository, if you will - but present a blizzard of findings about what happened and why. Widmeyer Communications would welcome the opportunity to work with you and the commission to develop and implement the communications strategy the commission's mission demands. We recognize that a great deal of the work involved in this type of high-visibility work
PAGE 2
is handling the volume of inquiries and interest - to help you control the communications agenda as much as possible and meet the needs of the news media.
Major Communications Tasks and Assistance This memo outlines ways in which we can help you meet your communications objectives and fulfill day-to-day needs, especially as the focus on the commission heats up. We have divided the communications program into phases and briefly listed the types of tasks we can perform on your behalf. I.
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK (December - mid-April) FOCUS: Explaining the commission's role and addressing key controversies and events. This will be an important time to elevate awareness of the commission, underscore its mission, emphasize its integrity, and manage communications about specific issues. •
Develop an overall six-month-and-beyond strategic communications plan.
•
Provide support on responding to specific issues, such as getting documents from New York City and the White House.
•
Craft statements and news releases, as appropriate.
•
Provide background material focusing on how the commission is doing its work and underscoring the integrity and thoroughness of the process.
•
Begin sending periodic updates on the commission's work. (These should go beyond releases and statements that focus on specific or narrow issues and controversies.)
•
Showcase final public hearings, and orchestrate news coverage surrounding them.
•
Conduct regional media briefings - via conference calls - for major newspapers. (This will lay the groundwork for the release of the report, help set the tone for pre-release coverage, and give us a better sense of concerns and questions that will be raised outside of Washington and New York.)
•
Identify, prioritize, and contact (with background material) specialty publications that cover such issues as foreign policy, national security, aviation, law enforcement, and state and local government.
•
Identify and prioritize leading experts on the topics listed in the previous bullet, primarily at major universities and think tanks. (These are the experts who will be called upon to comment on the report.)
&w
PAGE 3
I •
Draft and place op-eds by the Chairman/Vice Chairman and commission members highlighting the importance of the commission's work.
II. PRE-RELEASE BRIEFINGS AND PREPARATION (mid-April - May) FOCUS: Previewing the report (not the content) and setting the stage for the release by providing indicators and directions on how the report should be covered. •
Update the media on the commission's work.
•
Conduct second round of regional briefings - via conference calls - adding a round of calls to editorial boards.
•
Conduct preview interviews via satellite with local TV news operations in major media markets. (We could also package video b-roll to be used with these interviews.)
•
Provide one-on-one briefings for top newspapers and networks.
•
Brief major nationally syndicated columnists.
•
Prepare for release (see elements below).
•
Seek opportunities to elevate the commission's profile in non-news outlets, such as Parade and People magazines, as well as the network morning shows.
•
Address conventions of the newspaper publishers and editors to provide a framework for coverage. (These organizations meet in Washington April 20-22.)
•
Consider presentation to the Radio-Television News Directors Association, meeting in Las Vegas April 19-21.
•
Inform Congress and agencies how the release will be handled and how they'll be informed.
•
Brief families and key stakeholders (such as organizations representing first-responders and law enforcement).
•
Schedule post-release appearances/events.
III. RELEASE OF REPORT (Late May) FOCUS: Promote key points/messages the commission wants stressed. •
Prepare compelling media materials and summaries.
PAGE 4
•
Hold major news conference with all commission members present.
•
Conduct special briefing for families.
•
Present the report, and brief, the President and Congress.
•
Execute strategy for briefing key federal government agency officials, including public affairs officers, as well as governors.
•
Conduct satellite media tour of local TV stations in major media markets, providing bipartisan pairs of commission members and reserving the top markets for the Chairman and Vice Chairman.
IV. POST-RELEASE COMMUNICATIONS (June onward) FOCUS: Emphasizing key points of the report and setting the record straight. •
Secure appearances on Sunday news programs, as well as network morning shows.
•
Begin series of regional town hall meetings.
•
Begin speaking engagements for Chairman on major platforms in large media markets, such as the Commonwealth Club of California, the Economic Club of Detroit, as well as the National Press Club, the World Affairs Council, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
•
Secure and promote formal report to Congress before a congressional hearing.
•
Participate in forum held by think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation, Brookings, etc., as well as some major universities.
### The memo provides a framework for a communications program and specific examples of ways in which we can assist you. In addition, we should discuss more specifically other tasks we could perform, such as the design and production of the commission report and other materials, as well as video products. We look forward to meeting with you and your colleagues next week.
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