The State Department on Wednesday defended its decision to send Secretary John Kerry to Hollywood on Tuesday to ask movie studios how best to counter the propaganda of the Islamic State.
Spokesman Mark Toner said he didn’t want to get into the specifics of the discussion, but said the meeting was helpful to the State Department, which is trying to improve the way it fights the terrorist group’s message to the world.
“He had a chance to meet with a number of senior executives in the entertainment industry,” Toner said. “These are the people, I think, widely recognized who are some of the best communicators out there, and they run a highly profitable industry that is expert at conveying messages to a worldwide audience.”
Variety reported that Kerry’s meeting was held at Universal Studios, and lasted about an hour and a half.
Great convo w studio execs in LA. Good to hear their perspectives & ideas of how to counter #Daesh narrative. pic.twitter.com/AGhesmg1zK
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) February 17, 2016
“He sought their perspectives and input about how the United States and the rest of the … anti-Daesh coalition can better counter the propaganda that’s being put forward by ISIL,” Toner said of Kerry’s meeting. “A lot of it was a discussion, you know, a give and take on what they think works and what doesn’t work. And I don’t want to get into the details because it was just an introductory meeting.”
“It’s important that they’re part of this conversation,” Toner added.
“They have, you know, more so than diplomats and even public diplomacy professionals like myself, I freely admit that, you know, folks in Hollywood and Silicon Valley who are really experts in conveying messages, whether it’s through film or through entertainment, are worthwhile to listen to,” he said. “And we should be seeking their advice on how we can do our job better.”
