Report: DOD may award PR contract for America Supports You

[unhappycamper]

Report: DOD may award PR contract for America Supports You
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, February 10, 2008

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Defense Department could award a contract of up to $6.5 million for a public relations firm to promote America Supports You, according to the magazine PR Week.

The move comes as the Defense Department Inspector General’s Office is conducting an audit looking at how Stars and Stripes was used as a conduit to transfer money from American Forces Information Service to a public relations firm hired to promote the newspaper and America Supports You.

American Forces Information Service and Stars and Stripes fall under the purview of Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for internal communications and public liaison.

Barber also runs America Supports You, a Defense Department Program that gives publicity to nonprofit groups that support U.S. troops.

In the article, Barber said that while the use of Stars and Stripes as a vehicle for funding ASY might have created the appearance of conflict for the paper, none of its actual budget was used.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52340