Bahrain Propaganda 101: Former Times Editor, Turned PR Man, Tries to Sell the Regime's Grand Prix (Hardigree)

David CracknellAn extract from an article by Matt Hardigree, writing for Jalopnik, "How Bahrain Spends Millions To Spin The Press":

David Cracknell [is] the former Political Editor of The Sunday Times and current PR consultant for the Government of Bahrain. His company, Big Tent Communications, is one of many hired either directly or through other companies by the Bahraini government to "correct inaccurate reporting" on the situation. 

Cracknell's first email to me came on January 11th, completely unsolicited and "on background" in a chummy tone of one journalist talking to another — despite being a consultant paid for by the government....His assessment of the situation was that Bahrain is overwhelmingly peaceful, that scuffles are on par with the rioting in London, and wants journalists to more thoroughly question reports that opposition leaders like Nabeel Rajab are fabricating the tales of abuse that end up in the Western press. Here's part of the email below, though you can few the full one (as well as another email quoted) in the gallery included in this piece.

I wanted to reassure you that the grand prix in April will go ahead as planned and there is not nearly as much trouble in the country and the opposition PR machine would have the world believe. Yes, there are few nightly scuffles/attempts by a few vandals to cause trouble with the police, (just as rioters did in London last summer) but if you came to Bahrain yourself you would see that 99 per cent of the time it is safe and peaceful

The e-mails sent to me — and other motoring journalists — are filled with statements attempting to delegitimize reports of torture and protests that attempt to paint Bahrain as safe. At the same time, Cracknell highlights what he describes as attacks on police. Reading his emails it's as if there are two Bahrains that exist simultaneously; one filled with violent, evil anti-government protestors who rage against the police and another that's mostly peaceful.

Contrast the above statement to this one just two weeks later:

An official at the Ministry of Interior (MOI) confirmed that Public Security forces faced extensive violent attacks across the Kingdom yesterday (24 January). By 10:00 PM there were reports of at least 41 significant injuries among police, with two of them requiring critical care at the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) Hospital, including one with severe burns.

Police were met by masked and armed men and women, as well as children in some cases. The worst clashes were centered in Duraz, Sanabis, Dair and Al-Ekr, with attackers hurling metal rods, rocks, bottles and petrol bombs directly at the riot police. The nature of the attacks reflected a serious escalation in the violent tactics of groups and individuals supporting the political opposition.

The opposition we spoke with disagreed with his assessments, as does Amnesty International's representative for the region. Said Boumedouha, an Amnesty Researcher who has worked in Bahrain, says the situation is far from stable as the government portrays it....

After weeks of communicating on this story with Cracknell, he approached me on Sunday to tell me that he was no longer going to work for the Bahraini government as soon as the race was over and sent me the following statement:

I worked for the Government of Bahrain because I believe in the progressive agenda of the King and Crown Prince.

Bringing in human rights experts to do a thorough independent investigation – and that independence has never been seriously questioned – was a brave and unique initiative. They have tried to implement all 26 recommendations and that is laudable. Other countries in the region don't even allow democratic protest; this Government does.

I was never asked simply to spin the Government out of trouble. I was employed to give them constructive advice on presenting their reform agenda to the widest possible audience. As a senior journalist who has worked for several respected titles, I was invited by Bahrain to give them a hard-edged international perspective on its reputation. I always say that good PR comes from doing the right thing; and by and large they took that advice.

I just hope, as in Northern Ireland, people in Bahrain can come together and put their differences aside.

I worked for a Government that believes in democracy; not theocracy. I hope the former prevails.

Cracknell is but one small cog in a machine whose job it is to turn the critical press towards a perspective the government finds more palpable. His decision not to renew this account probably won't change much. With all the money Bahrain is spending, there are others doing the same job. Someone else likely will replace him.