ONDCP snags new PR chief from Newsweek

Raw Story reports "Rosanna Maietta, Newsweek’s Washington media relations manager leaves the magazine to join a public relations firm as Vice President for the White House's Anti-Drug campaign." She joins the PR firm Fleishman-Hillard, "an architect of the White House’s aggressive anti-drug campaigns, particularly with regard to marijuana."

The firm asserts they have successfully changed perceptions about marijuana, "providing a counter-point to the many pro-marijuana messages in the media." During a 2002 run, the proportion of stories favoring an anti-drug message increased from 26 percent to 78 percent, while the proportion of unfavorable stories decreased from 30 percent to just seven percent.

The campaign's leading messages include "the power of parents to prevent youth drug use," "outdated perceptions about marijuana contribute to increased use," "marijuana is addictive," and "marijuana is riskier than you think."

Glad I didn't just eat before reading that. Who do they think they're fooling?