Through September 7, 2006, Slate.com is offering daily excerpts of The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón. Using actual passages from the 9/11 Commission’s report and with a forward by Commission Chair Thomas H. Kean and Vice-Chair Lee H. Hamilton, the book’s message is powerful and accessible. The duo brings a long history in graphic novels and the comics industry to the project. Sid Jacobson was the managing editor and editor in chief for Harvey Comics, where he created Richie Rich, and was executive editor at Marvel Comics. Ernie Colón has worked at Harvey, Marvel, and DC Comics. At DC, he oversaw the production of Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Blackhawk, and the Flash and at Marvel, Spider-Man. An interview with Colón and Jacobson on NPR’s Talk of the Nation is available here.

"Agencies across government are under increasing pressure to sway public opinions -- either to win funding from Congress, to satisfy customers, to recruit new employees, to educate the public about new programs, to minimize fallout from controversial policies," writes Mollie Ziegler. With more U.S. federal agencies "applying sophisticated public relations tools and tactics," government spending on PR and marketing services skyrocketed from $39 million in 2001 to more than $400 million for 2006 to date. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration "hired a PR consultant last year to help it put a more positive face on its decision to outsource 2,500 jobs, the biggest outsourcing deal yet by an agency." The Defense Department hired consultants to survey college students, to improve their branding and recruiting materials. And agencies are still putting out video news releases, though the Government Accountability Office ruled that segments that don't make their government source clear are illegal covert propaganda.

Joseph Turow summarizes how marketers are using new technologies to make it "harder than ever for audiences to escape, and resist, their advances." One practice, "seeding," blends "publicity, product placement, and public relations." Seeding can involve hiring actors for "clandestine campaigns that 'may consist of seeding chat rooms, blogs and forums with paid-for messages,'" as one marketer explained. A Weber Shandwick executive described the goal as to "enlist, equip and harness the power of trusted, informed and credible messengers." Another tool, "behavioral targeting," allows marketers to customize online ads, depending on Web pages visited and searches performed. Soon, "registration data, your movements on their site, and even information about you that they've purchased from a third party" will also be available to marketers. Offline examples of behavioral targeting include customizable cable TV commercials and convenience store coupons.