Propaganda, Homeland Style

A leaked draft public relations plan for the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection bureau suggested "repeating the message, in the weeks leading up to the presidential election, that America is safer," reports the Washington Post. The plan's objective is "to change perception through continuous, consistent and highly credible information." It suggests using "surrogates" to spread messages, and adopting a "theme of the month": "Border Patrol" in October, "Agriculture" in November, and "Trade" in December. The PR plan also proposed pitching stories to the Washington Times editorial board and "morning shows," with an exclusive "FOX 3-4 part series ... Geraldo or as backup Dr. Bob Arnot with MSNBC."