Research, Information and Communications Unit
This article is part of the Counter-Terrorism Portal project of Spinwatch. |
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This article is part of the Propaganda Portal project of Spinwatch. |
Home Office strategic communications unit within the Homeland Security Group (formerly OSCT); modelled in part on the Information Research Department; principal contractor for covert counter-narrative campaigns via Breakthrough Media/Zinc
| Research, Information and Communications Unit | |
|---|---|
| Type | Government unit / strategic communications |
| Logo | |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder(s) | |
| Dissolved | |
| Registration ID | |
| Status | Active (within Homeland Security Group) |
| Headquarters | 2 Marsham Street, London |
| Location | |
| Area served | |
| Services | |
| Registration | |
| Key people | |
| Website | |
| Remarks | Part of the UK intelligence community; uses arms-length contractors to produce deniable “products”; staff and contractors have described themselves as “the new IRD” |
The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) is a strategic communications unit within the UK’s Homeland Security Group (formerly the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism), based in the Home Office. Until 2011 it was also funded by and answerable to the Foreign Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government. It was created in 2007 to analyse how key audiences (principally Muslim communities) react to government messages and to produce more coherent counter-narratives to the ideology of Al-Qaeda and related groups. Officials have denied it is a propaganda department, though one conceded that “it does sound horribly cold war.” Leaked documents and subsequent reporting show it operates a system of arms-length contractors (notably Breakthrough Media Network, later Zinc Network) so that “campaign products are never directly attributed to RICU.”[1][2]
Creation and purpose
The unit emerged from the post-2006 rethink of Prevent after the alleged airline plot. The Home Office became the centre for a new strategic hub (OSCT), and RICU was established as its communications arm. Its task was described as building and promoting a counter-narrative without the appearance of government propaganda. Richard Mottram argued that this could be done “without it looking like government propaganda, because if it looks too much like government propaganda then I don’t think people are going to listen, nor should they.” RICU is part of the seven agencies and departments that form the UK intelligence community. It was modelled in part on the Information Research Department (IRD), the Cold War covert propaganda unit of the Foreign Office (1948–1977). Ian Cobain reported that some officials treated Frances Stonor Saunders’ Who Paid the Piper? as a manual rather than a warning, and that after the appointment of Richard Chalk as head in 2012 the unit became more closely modelled on the IRD. Staff and contractors have described themselves as “the new IRD.” Chalk had previously worked for Bell Pottinger on covert propaganda in Iraq under Pentagon and CIA contracts.[1][3][2]
Dr J. P. Macintosh (then of the Defence Academy’s Advanced Research and Assessment Group) is credited with catalysing the “war room” facility and being instrumental in the creation of OSCT and RICU. Steve Tatham (MoD strategic communications) and Jamie Macintosh (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory / ARAG) are also linked to the early development of the unit’s approach.[4][2]
Location, size, budget and structure
RICU is based at Home Office headquarters, 2 Marsham Street, London. Staffing grew rapidly: 3 (June 2007), 8 (Sept 2007), 10 (Dec 2007), 12 (Mar 2008), 17 (June 2008), 28 (Sept 2008), 33 including secondees (Dec 2008).
2008/09 programme budget: £2,172,610 (Home Office £660,000; FCO £810,073; DCLG £702,537). Administration: pay £806,138; non-pay £153,167. 2009/10 proposed programme budget: £5,700,000 (Home Office £1.2m; FCO £3m; DCLG £1.5m). Administration: pay £867,000; non-pay £154,000.
As of March 2009 the structure consisted of the Head of Unit and PA overseeing two branches:
- Audience Research & Knowledge (ARK) Branch: Research and Knowledge; Analysis; CONTEST communications; Strategic Development; Specialists (Digital Media, Audience Insight, Information).
- External Delivery Branch: Campaigns; Interventions; News Coordination; Local Communications.[5]
Activities and methods
Early work focused on audience research, language guidance and message testing. RICU issued guidance requiring civil servants to avoid phrases such as “Islamist extremism” or “jihadi-fundamentalist” in favour of “violent extremism,” “criminal murderers” and “thugs.” Projects (2007–2009) included Youth Segmentation, Online Behaviours, Media Consumption, Counter-Terrorism Message Testing, Estimating Network Size and Tracking Information Dissemination Amongst Islamic Blogs, The Language of Terrorism, Credible Voices, and multi-phase Audience Insight studies. Research was contracted to firms including Define Research, Connect Research, TNS and Turnstone, and to academics (including a secondment by David Stevens of Nottingham University).[5]
From around 2011 RICU shifted toward the production of deniable “products” delivered through contractors. Leaked documents describe a system of four levels of arms-length relations so that campaigns are never directly attributed to RICU. The principal contractor has been Breakthrough Media Network (later Zinc Network), which embeds in “moderate organisations” to influence online conversations and produces campaigns presented as grassroots initiatives. RICU retains contractual editorial control. A 2015 “theory of change” document submitted to the Swedish National Coordinator Against Violent Extremism states that supporting civil-society organisations improves their planning, delivery, funding and communications, thereby reaching more vulnerable young people, reducing radicalisation and promoting democratic values.[6][2]
Documented “RICU products” include:
- #MakingAStand (Inspire, led by Sara Khan) – women’s network in Prevent priority areas to transmit HMG counter-extremism messages; launched 2014 at RUSI with front-page support from The Sun. Listed in the OSCT March 2015 Prevent Strategy Local Delivery Best Practice Catalogue. Sabin Khan (Sara Khan’s sister) was Deputy Director of RICU.
- Families Matter (Families Against Stress and Trauma / FAST, led by Saleha Jaffer) – support campaign with videos; main film viewed over 162,000 times on YouTube by 2015. FAST received Home Office/OSCT funding 2007–2010 and continued close collaboration.
- Work with Faith Associates (mosque training, ImamsOnline.com, “Keeping Muslims Safe Online” with Facebook), Project Shanaz (ACPO women’s engagement project), and others such as Jan Trust and Active Change Foundation.
Breakthrough/Zinc presentations emphasise embedding within target communities via a network of moderate organisations. Groups are described as having been productised; funding and support are channelled so that direct government attribution is avoided. The Guardian reported in 2016 that RICU used Breakthrough for the “Help for Syria” campaign, advising on support for Syrian refugees without revealing government involvement.[3][6]
People
- Jonathan Allen – established and led RICU from 2007 to April 2009.
- Richard Chalk – Head of RICU (from around 2012); previously Bell Pottinger on Iraq covert propaganda.
- Matt Collins – Director of Prevent and RICU.
- Peter Wilson – Deputy Director / Head of RICU (circa 2017).
- Christopher Wainwright – Deputy Director, Strategic Communications (2010–2012).
- Stephen Rimmer – Director of Prevent and RICU (circa 2008–2009).
- Others named in FOI, conference lists or reporting: Andrew Garner, Paul Mott, Michael Nevin (FCO secondment), Paul Smith (ACPO secondment), Paul Drew, Sarah Moore, Debbi Gupta.
- Contractors and linked personnel: Scott Brown (Managing Director, Breakthrough; previously Bell Pottinger Special Projects in Baghdad and Mogadishu/Nairobi); frequent staff movement between RICU and Breakthrough/Zinc.
Journalists and academics in contact have included Frank Gardner (BBC) and David Stevens (Nottingham, secondment 2007–2008).[3][5][2]
See also
- Breakthrough Media Network / Zinc Network
- Horizon PR
- Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism / Homeland Security Group
- Prevent
- Information Research Department
- Conflict, Stability and Security Fund
- Inspire
- Sara Khan
External links
- Guardian, May 2016
- UK Column – network kept secret and deniable
- UK Column – astroturfed into products
- Home Office FOI responses (2009) on structure, budget and projects (Scribd archives)
- Intelligence and Security Committee reporting on the UK intelligence community
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gordon Corera, Don’t look now, Britain’s real spooks are right behind you The Sunday Times, 2 December 2007.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 UK Column, How the British Intelligence Network of Astroturfed Muslim Civil Society Groups Is Kept Secret and Deniable.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ian Cobain, Alice Ross, Rob Evans and Mona Mahmood, Inside Ricu, the shadowy propaganda unit inspired by the cold war The Guardian, 2 May 2016.
- ↑ Defence Academy biographical note on Dr J. P. Macintosh.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Home Office Freedom of Information responses to D. Miller, April 2009 (structure, staffing, budget, projects).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 UK Column, How Muslim Civil Society Groups Are Astroturfed into ‘Products’ by British Intelligence.