Difference between revisions of "Qorvis"
m (→Affiliations) |
m (→Affiliations) |
||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
==Affiliations== | ==Affiliations== | ||
| − | ==People== <ref name="people"> [http://qorvis.com/an-influential-firm/people People], Qorvis website, accessed 28 March 2011 </ref> | + | ==People== |
| + | <ref name="people"> [http://qorvis.com/an-influential-firm/people People], Qorvis website, accessed 28 March 2011 </ref> | ||
*[[Chuck Conconi]] - Chairman | *[[Chuck Conconi]] - Chairman | ||
*[[Nader Ayoub]] - Vice-chair | *[[Nader Ayoub]] - Vice-chair | ||
| − | *[[Michael Petruzzello]] -Managing Partner & CEO | + | *[[Michael Petruzzello]] -Managing Partner & CEO<ref name="people"/> |
===Partners=== | ===Partners=== | ||
| Line 39: | Line 40: | ||
*[[John Reid]] - partner and managing director for the Middle East at DC based [[Qorvis Communications]] | *[[John Reid]] - partner and managing director for the Middle East at DC based [[Qorvis Communications]] | ||
*[[Esther Thomas Smith]] - founding partner | *[[Esther Thomas Smith]] - founding partner | ||
| − | *[[Karen Vahouny]] | + | *[[Karen Vahouny]]<ref name="people"/> |
| − | <ref name="people"/> | ||
===Senior Consultants=== | ===Senior Consultants=== | ||
| − | *[[Abdenbi Abdelmoumen]] | + | *[[Abdenbi Abdelmoumen]]<ref name="people"/> |
===Managing Directors=== | ===Managing Directors=== | ||
Revision as of 10:26, 30 March 2011
|
This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch. |
Qorvis is 'one of Washington's best-known lobbying and public relations firms'.[1]
Contents
Activities
In March 2011 The Huffington Post reported that "in the last two months, more than a third of the partners at Qorvis have left the firm to start their own lobby shops, partly because of the firm's work on behalf of such clients as Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea, say former employees".[1]
Online Reputation Management
According to the Huffington Post:
- One of the methods used by Qorvis and other firms is online reputation management -- through its 'Geo-Political Solutions' (GPS) division, the firm uses '"black arts" by creating fake blogs and websites that link back to positive content, "to make sure that no one online comes across the bad stuff," says [a] former insider. Other techniques include the use of social media, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Recently, Qorvis helped frame the kingdom's crackdown on protests by highlighting statements made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in which she emphasized America's commitment to Bahrain and affirmed its "sovereign right" to invite security forces from other countries. Clinton's comment that the government is "on the wrong track," however, was omitted, notes the Sunlight Foundation's Paul Blumenthal.[1]
Saudi Arabia entered into a $14 million a year contract with Qorvis shortly after 9/11 to clean up its image. Qorvis's PR blitz "helped reduce the number of anti-Saudi articles and speeches"... "which allowed the Bush administration to keep ties to the kingdom close", says Kevin McCauley, editor of O'Dwyer's Public Relations, the leading PR trade publication in the US.
- Qorvis launched a TV campaign with ads on political talk shows featuring a procession of Saudi royals appearing alongside U.S. presidents, to highlight Riyadh as a close ally. Other TV spots, which ran in 14 American cities, touted the "shared values" of the United States and Saudi Arabia. The firm also shuttled Saudi officials on whirlwind tours of major media outlets, and broadcast ads promoting the 9/11 Commission finding that there was "no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded [Al Qaeda]"—while omitting the report's conclusion that "Saudi Arabia has been a problematic ally in combating Islamic extremism." "[2]
Views
Affiliations
People
- Chuck Conconi - Chairman
- Nader Ayoub - Vice-chair
- Michael Petruzzello -Managing Partner & CEO[3]
Partners
- Stan Collender
- Sam Dealey - former Editor of The Washington Times
- Ron Faucheux - President of Clarus Research Group
- Greg Lagana - formerly senior vice-president for communications and marketing at DynCorp International
- Matt J. Lauer
- Rich Masters
- John Reid - partner and managing director for the Middle East at DC based Qorvis Communications
- Esther Thomas Smith - founding partner
- Karen Vahouny[3]
Senior Consultants
Managing Directors
Jennifer Baskerville | Carrie Blewitt | Lisa Bushey | Cassie Elliot | Jennifer Haber | Karen Hanretty | Michael Hillegass | W. John Moore | Stefan Nagey | Seth Thomas Pietras [3]
Clients
- Yemen[1]
- Bahrain[1]
- Embassy of Great Britain
- Equatorial Guinea
- Government of Mexico
- Kingdom of Saudia Arabia
- National Democratic Party of Egypt
- Republic of Cyprus
- Royal Academy of Jordan
- Sri Lanka
- The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq
Defense/Government Contractors
Health care
- Abbott Labs
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
- Fairfax Radiological Consultants
- Kennedy Krieger Institute
- Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
- Magellan Health Services
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
- Revolution Health
Consumer
- AAMCO
- Adobe
- Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc.
- Feld Entertainment
- George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens
- The Washington Post
- Virginia Lottery
- Washington Kastles
- Smithsonian Institute - Smithsonian Latino Center
Publications, Contact, Resources and Notes
Publications
Contact
- Address:
- Phone:
- Email:
- Website:
Resources
- Sourcewatch Qorvis Communications
