Chart shows the ebb and flow of media coverage on detainee abuse since January 2004.
Media Interest over Time
(Quantitative) 1 CENTCOM news release
5K
Pit360 2 CBS 60 minutes telecast, New Yorker article
3 President and SECDEF apologize, Senate hearings
4 SECDEF controversy over ghost detainees
5 Congressional hearings and DAIG report
6 PFC England Art. 32 hearing ''aa vv vvv
• -.o.o o.o.0.o 0
o.0 :0 -0. o.o
• fir..iz
o.0.-o•.:cr.,. .. o.o
•
From May 3 to May 12, prisoner abuse story averaged 800 mentions a day
as top DOD story in both print and broadcast media.
(Qualitative)
Story will continue, with focus shifting as new events take place; .
Anticipate future spikes resulting from release of Procedure 15 and
Congressional testimony
08/
This chart shows the ebb and flow of media coverage since January 2004.
Note the relative paucity of media interest when CENTCOM issued the first
news release on this topic.
Coverage exploded with the 60 Minutes story on April 28. From April 28 through the end of May, the average number of mentions, per day went from almost 800 down to about 40.
Subsequent spikes in media coverage occurred on June 14 with the Secretary of Defense's comments on secret prisoners; Congressional hearings on July 12; and the final spike in early August with the Article 32 hearing for PFC England at Fort Bragg.
(added info for clarity) Actual major media event dates are: -Jan 16 — CENTCOM issues News release
•
April 28 — CBS airs photos of Abu Ghraib abuse
•
May 6 - Bush apologizes to Arab World
•
May 7 — SECDEF testifies to Congress, apologizes for abuse
•
May 25 — SPC Sivits sentenced to year in jail for abuse -June 17 — SECDEF admits to "ghost detainees"
•
uly 22 — Army IG report testimony to Congress
•
Aug 3-7 - Hearing for PFC England in Ft. Bragg
016539
1
OPMG Document
DOD-048698
Future Interest / Timeline
•
Public Release of Reports:
•
16 - 20 AUG: Jacoby / Formica (CENTCOM release in theater by LTG Barno; quiet release on Formica)
•
23 — 24 AUG: 372nd MP pre-trial hearings in Germany
•
Tuesday, 24 AUG: Schlesinger report
•
Wednesday, 25 AUG: Procedure 15 public roll-out
•
TBD Church report released
•
9 SEP, am: Procedure 15 Congressional testimony
•
9 SEP, p.m: Church / Schlesinger Congressional testimony
•
TBD: Other ongoing Art. 32'/ 15 — 6s in theater
These are the events we believe will generate future media interest, although
we do not see a return to the post-60 Minutes level unless an investigation
named a senior civilian official as culpable.
On about AUG 17, CENTCOM will release the Jacoby Report. This will be a "low-key" release from theater; no press conference. The Formica Report will not have a public release associated with it.
The major event for the Army will be the public release of the Jones-Fay report on 20 AUG. I will discuss the events associated with the rollout on the next slide.
We will see a moderate level of media interest in the upcoming pre-trial .hearings of four 372nd MP at their hearings in Mannheim, German 23 — 24
AUG.
We anticipate the Schlesinger report will come out on Tuesday, 24 AUG; this new news story will relieve pressure on media coverage of the release of the Jones-Fay Report. VADM Church's report will be released o/a 25 AUG. There is some discussion of the SECDEF doing some kind of press event that day to say that this is the last of the Service or DOD-level investigations of detainee abuse.
Congressional testimony will occur on 7 SEP for Jones-Fay, and 8 SEP for Schlesinger. These testimonies will generate significant levels of media interest.
016540
2
OPMG Document
DOD-048699
Future Interest / Timeline
jones-Fay public rollout, 25 AUG:
•
Pentagon press conference: Lead: GEN Kern, LTG Jones, MG Fay; in support: MG Taguba
•
Brief to Foreign Press Center: GEN Kern, LTG Jones, MG Fay
•
Editorial boards: 26 AUG — USA Today, Wash Post, NY Times, Wall Street Journal
•
Senior leader interview: Wk of 30 AUG (Larry King, Nightline)
•
Post-testimony press op: 9 SEP with Hill leadership (the Hill's call)
016541
OPMG Document