Le gouvernement canadien veut faire comme PETA et autres

[Animal 0]

Federal government posts job ad for someone to monitor seal hunt chatter on Internet
By Jennifer Ditchburn (CP) – 4 days ago

OTTAWA — Canada's Olympic mascots are meant to be cute and cuddly, but visit one anti-sealing website and you'll see Quatchi angrily wielding a club and blood dripping from Miga's snarling jaws.

The federal government is getting antsy about the beating it's taking on sites such as www.Olympicshame2010.com, run by animal-rights group PETA, so its looking for its own social media guru to protect its reputation.

Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs posted a $75,000 contract for a "Social Media Reputation and Online Issues Management" adviser on the seal hunt.

The winning applicant would analyze what's out there on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and other sites, as well as examine what techniques anti-seal hunt groups use to maximize their profile on search engines.

On Facebook alone, a search of the terms "seal hunt" comes up with more than 500 hits, some of them groups with thousands of members with titles such as "Stop the Canadian Seal Hunt." Pictures or links to YouTube feature footage of seals being clubbed or their bloody corpses in the snow.

The department would like to "gauge the nature of discussions, the positive to negative percentage of dialogue and be positioned, if possible, to correct misinformation," says the contract description.

The request for bids specifically mentions how "anti-sealing groups plan to leverage the visibility of the 2010 Winter Games."

"We already have in place rigorous animal welfare standards - legislation, regulations and licence conditions - to ensure that the seal hunt is humane," said Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Simone MacAndrew.

"The project goal is to allow the government to provide additional information including: correcting false information and dispelling myths about the Canadian the seal hunt."

Sheryl Fink, a senior researcher with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), said she's not convinced the federal government will have much luck if it tries to insert itself into the digital dialogue on the seal hunt.

"Facebook and Twitter, those things really are grassroots, and generally when a government or corporation tries to play that game they haven't been very successful because people see it for what it is, which is communications propaganda," said Fink.

But Andres Restrepo of Montreal's Ressac Media says organizations concerned about their reputations ignore the "game changing" social media phenomenon at their peril.

They must monitor what's out there, figure out whether it's having a significant impact, and then respond quickly at the source before letting a negative discussion snowball into a public relations disaster, he said.

"There is a lot of content online that is commented on, reviewed and shared, so average people become editors of what's going to become important on the media scene," said Restrepo.

"With the seal hunt, the whole conversation, the point of view that is most exposed, is of those who are against the seal hunt ... so the goal of the government with that contract is to win more of the market share of the conversation so we have another point of view."

Copyright 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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[Animal 0]

Ottawa to counter online sealing opposition
Foreign Affairs to correct what it says is misinformation about seal hunt

Last Updated: Thursday, December 24, 2009
CBC News

The federal government plans to step up its efforts to fight opposition to
the Canadian seal hunt by countering the online campaigns created by
anti-sealing groups.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has posted a request for proposals on the
contract tendering site MERX.

The public tender listing describes the contract as "social media reputation
and online issues management of the seal hunt."

It says anti-sealing groups are using digital communications and
technologies to "great advantage," which the federal government wants to
counter.

"Organized opposition to the seal hunt has been increasing internationally
since the government of Canada announced a five-year management plan in
2006," the listing says.

"Tactics also include posting videos, images and other details Š on
platforms like YouTube and Flickr where sharing and viewership are
maximized."

Foreign Affairs says the information is "frequently incorrect or
disingenuous."

Simone MacAndrew, a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs, said in an email to CBC
News that "Canada goes to great lengths to ensure a humane, well-regulated
and sustainable seal hunt."

MacAndrew said the contract would be a pilot project to help deliver that
message and to counter the negative publicity surfacing on some online
sites.

Some of objectives listed for the project include a plan to:

* Monitor, measure and counter the inaccurate claims online of
anti-sealing groups.
* Provide balanced viewpoints and correct misinformation.
* Establish foundations and recommendations for future programs and
campaigns to identify, activate and engage a supportive community of digital
influencers online through education and dialogue.
* Complement government of Canada communications activities,
domestically and internationally, online.

"The project goal is to allow the government to provide additional
information, including correcting false information and dispelling myths
about the Canadian seal hunt," MacAndrew said in her email.

The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates the value of the work is between
$50,000 and $100,000.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/12/24/nl-seal-hunt
-241209.html