Event: Influence and Propaganda Conference

The Information Operations Institute, in partnership with the MountainRunner Institute, invites you to attend the Influence and Fighting Propaganda Conference.

Identifying and countering propaganda and misinformation through dissemination that avoids the label of propaganda will be the key themes of the event. Discussions will explore who, how and why can people or groups be influenced, and difference between engagement from the lowest to the highest levels of leadership.

Russ Rochte, retired US Army Colonel and now faculty member at the National Defense Intelligence College, and I will co-moderate a panel on the media exploring the tension between “Media as an instrument of War” and the journalist’s traditional obligations to the truth, objectivity, informing the public, and verification. What is the impact on the media’s relationship with itself, its readers, and its sources as the media struggles for mind-share and relevance in a highly competitive environment of diminished resources, intensified news cycles, and direct audience engagement by news makers, and pressure to de-emphasize journalistic ethics. What constitutes the media and how does an organization like Wikileaks change the environment? How does this show in the natural conflict between the government and the media and how is it exploited by America’s adversaries?

This will be a two-hour panel, October 14, 10a-12p, with:

  • Wally Dean, Director of Training, Committee of Concerned Journalists (confirmed)
  • Jamie McIntyre, Host: “Line of Departure”, Military.com (confirmed)
  • Dana Priest, Washington Post investigative reporter (invited)
  • Bill Gertz, reporter for The Washington Times (confirmed)

The agenda for the conference is below.

Event website is here
Date: October 13-15 (2.5 days)
Location: Turning Stone Resort, Verona, New York (map)
Registration Fee: Students/Faculty: free; Government: $50; Military: $25; Corporate/Industry: $200
Registration: online or PDF

CONFERENCE AGENDA

October 13th, Wednesday

9 AM – Keynote Speaker – Coca Cola
10 AM – Commercial Aspects of Influence – Mr. Ted Tzavellas, VP, S4 Inc, Moderator

Commercial approaches to influence are different from academic, government and military methods, tools and philosophy.  Training, preparation are highly intensive and available tools can perhaps serve as a model for others in influencing others as a part of their profession.

  • Dr. Garth Jowett, Professor of Communications at the University of Houston
  • Mr. Steve Shaker, Executive Vice President, Globimus
  • Mr. Bob Bevelacqua, Vice President Strategic Communications, Leonie Industries
  • Mr. Adam Pechter, President, Pechter Middle East Polls

12 PM – Lunch, COL Michael Dominique, “US Army Inform and Influence Activities”

1 PM – Nazi Propaganda – Dr. Steve Luckert – US Holocaust Memorial Museum

2 PM – Soviet Propaganda – Dr. J. Michael Waller

3 PM – Military Perspectives on Influence – Glenn Ayers, COL, USA (Ret) – Moderator

  • COL Glenn Connor, USA, Commander, 1st Information Operations Command
  • Dr. Steven Livingston, Professor of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
  • COL Dorothea Burke, Commander, Joint Military Information Support Command
  • Maj Cliff Gilmore, USMC, Public Affairs Officer, Office of Vice Chairman of the JCS

5 PM – End

5:30 PM – Social (To be sponsored)

October 14th, Thursday

9 AM – Keynote Speaker – Secretary James Glassman, former US Undersecretary of State, Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy (invited)

10 AM – Panel on Media – Moderators – Matt Armstrong, President, MountainRunner Institute and Russ Rochte (LTC, USA Retired), Faculty Member for Info Ops at the National Defense Intelligence College. Washington, DC

  • Wally Dean, Director of Training, Committee of Concerned Journalists (invited)
  • Jamie McIntyre, Host: “Line of Departure”, Military.com (invited)
  • Dana Priest, Author: The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace With America’s Military (invited)

12 PM – Lunch, Colin Masterson, Dale Carnegie Training

1 PM – Keynote Speaker – Dr. Nancy Snow: “Influence and Propaganda: What We’re Doing Wrong”

1:45 PM – Keynote Speaker – Dr. J. Michael Waller

2:30 PM – Academics on Influence – Dr. Nancy Snow – Moderator

  • Dr. Amy Zalman, Advanced Analytics & Linguistics Operations, SAIC
  • Dr. Cori Dauber, University of North Carolina
  • Dr. Carol Winkler of Georgia State University (invited)

4 PM – James Farwell, JD, DCLS, Political Strategist, The Farwell Group:  “Politics and the Power of Jihadi Video”

October 15th, Friday

9 AM – Keynote Speaker – Ambassador Brian Carlson– VP at Intermedia Inc.

10 AM – – “Shifting The Paradigm” – Moderator: Dr. Evan Mitchell Stark, Owner at Message Science Inc.

  • Dr. John Foxe, Director, CUNY City Colleges graduate Cognitive Neuropsychology Program (invited)
  • Dr. Bob Cialdini, Author:  Influence: Science & Practice, Co-author: Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive (invited)

2 thoughts on “Event: Influence and Propaganda Conference

  1. Propaganda meaning the creation of terrorists. Zawari….check CV on FBI early eighties father ambassabor to Italy from Egypt…. No Sadat would never appoint a Muslem Brotherhood family…..Statistical Probability
    9/11 all these people knowing each other
    dead 8/11/2001
    June Verrochi ( daughter Kennedy Babysitter, friend of….)
    Ruth Clifford McCourt
    Ron Clifford (Brother of Ruth) survived towers
    Paige Farely Hackel (mother good friend of former presiden USA Jimmy Carter check out pages husband Allan Hackel)
    Tita Populo ( husband business partner of June Verrochi)
    NYMA
    Mayor Rudi Guiliani
    reported dead 9/11
    Noel Foster
    Donald Trump “if I had built those towers”
    I have more on propaganda……is any this what will be discussed?

  2. @Anon, it’s not clear that you wrote anything on propaganda. At best, it seems you’re suggesting a conspiracy, but even that’s unclear. However, one could label your comment as propaganda: fact (assuming you gave facts above) combined with ambiguity to lead an audience to an intended conclusion. In other words, “more” implies an additional amount of material, but you haven’t supplied any evidence of propaganda, so please expand your comments.

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