Of Terrorists and TV Stations

Qorvis Communications, a PR firm under investigation by the FBI, "is promoting the first Counter-Terrorism International Conference on behalf of client Saudi Arabia." More than 50 countries will be represented at the invite-only event in Riyadh, which will feature workshops on "relationships between terrorism, money laundering, arms and weapons, and how to promote international cooperation in combating terror." O'Dwyer's also reports that the government of Qatar "has hired Barbour Griffith & Rogers to a $300K pact to smooth relations with the Bush Administration." The New York Times recently reported that pressure from U.S. officials over its sponsorship of the TV news station Al Jazeera has resulted in Qatar "accelerating plans to put Al Jazeera on the market."