{"id":2040,"date":"2016-06-10T17:20:15","date_gmt":"2016-06-10T17:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/?p=2040"},"modified":"2016-06-10T17:20:15","modified_gmt":"2016-06-10T17:20:15","slug":"azerbaijans-american-media-manipulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/?p=2040","title":{"rendered":"Azerbaijan\u2019s American Media Manipulation"},"content":{"rendered":"

By CASEY MICHEL
\nmedium.com<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Astrakhan,<\/a>
Astrakhan, Russia – September 29: Azerbaijan’s President Ikham Aliyev seen during a meeting at the Caspian Summit. Leaders of Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan , Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have gathered in Astrakhan for the IV-th Caspian Summit. (Photo by Sasha Mordovets\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The past two years have seen a flurry of analyses on Azerbaijan\u2019s moves to whitewash its dictatorial image for American audiences. Slathered in hydrocarbon profits, the autocratic government of Ilham Aliyev has unleashed spin-doctors<\/a>, duped reporters<\/a>, and led one of the most brazen pushes to abuse American lobbying loopholes<\/a> of any foreign government. All of this, while Azerbaijan\u2019s First Family has taken rank advantage<\/a> of offshore avenues and shell corporations<\/a> to bilk unknowing taxpayers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That said, now that Baku\u2019s coffers have begun to dry\u200a\u2014\u200anow that the oil price-gouge has led to Azerbaijan boasting the worst-performing currency of 2015 globally\u200a<\/a>\u2014 \u200ait\u2019d appear the government\u2019s attempts to launder its image are also slowing commensurately. That\u2019s not to say they\u2019re stopping, per se<\/em>; a recent report from Alex Raufoglu showed that Baku\u2019s still dipping its toes in DC\u2019s<\/a> lobbying tank. But the days of Gatsby-esque balls and unctuous bribery are, for the time being, over<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still, there are a couple aspects of Azerbaijan\u2019s attempts to massage its image over the past few years\u200a\u2014\u200aa couple innovations, if you will\u200a\u2014\u200athat remain relatively unknown, or at least relatively under-covered. These moves point, once more, to the ethical morass surrounding those who shill for foreign dictatorships. And while they may have stalled with the recent economic crunch, there\u2019s every likelihood that these innovations haven\u2019t been eliminated, but merely remain dormant.<\/p>\n

The primary phenomenon that has seen certain, cursory coverage deals with lobbyists on Azerbaijan\u2019s dole penning op-eds on Baku\u2019s greatness\u200a\u2014\u200aon its stability, on its secularism, on its propensity to provide energy security to a West scouring for non-Russian fuel sources. To be sure, there is, on its face, nothing of necessity wrong with lobbyists pushing op-eds. This remains their prerogative, so long as they can find an acquiescent editor.<\/p>\n

However, those lobbying on Azerbaijan\u2019s behalf\u200a\u2014\u200aand those with ties to Baku\u2019s state energy firm, SOCAR\u200a\u2014\u200ahave built up an impressive track record not simply of pushing their essays on Azerbaijan\u2019s appeal. Rather, they\u2019ve done so without any requisite reveal of their ties to Azerbaijan. Instead of disclosing their financial interests in enhancing Azerbaijan\u2019s reputation, they\u2019ve misled editors and readers alike, posing as disinterested observers instead of those paid to whitewash a country whose civil rights record<\/a> places it astride Sudan, Iran, and China<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some of these putatively impartial writers have been outed elsewhere. Former US Rep. Dan Burton, for instance, began serving<\/a> as the head of the Azerbaijan America Alliance (AAA) in early 2013. The AAA\u200a\u2014\u200afrom which Burton has since resigned<\/a>, citing a lack of payment\u200a\u2014\u200adescribed itself<\/a> as a \u201cnon-partisan, non-profit organization\u201d seeking to \u201cto foster an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect between the people of Azerbaijan and America.\u201d And in his time as AAA\u2019s head, Burton wrote at least three pieces on the wonders of Azerbaijan\u200a\u2014\u200aall while failing to highlight the fact that he had a pecuniary interest in pushing Baku\u2019s cause.<\/p>\n

In two instances\u200a\u2014\u200aone with the Washington Times<\/em><\/a> and one with Daily Caller<\/em><\/a>\u200a\u2014\u200aThe Washington Post<\/em>\u2019s Erik Wemple found Burton out. When finally confronted<\/a>, Burton erupted, calling Wemple a \u201cscandal monger\u201d and saying he had \u201cno desire to talk\u201d to Wemple. (As it is, I attempted to contact Burton and AAA multiple times, but never heard back.)<\/p>\n

When finally confronted<\/a>, Burton erupted, calling Wemple a \u201cscandal monger\u201d and saying he had \u201cno desire to talk\u201d to Wemple.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Last year, I spoke with the Washington Times\u2019<\/em>s then-editor, John Solomon, who took full responsibility for the oversight, saying the disclaimer on Burton\u2019s relationship was lost through a placement error. Solomon also noted that Burton\u2019s initial<\/a> Washington Times <\/em>article \u200a\u2014\u200ain which Burton wrote that \u201cfew places in the world\u00a0\u2026 are as welcoming to Americans as Azerbaijan\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200awould be updated to reflect Burton\u2019s relationship with Baku. But the piece, describing Burton solely as a former congressman, remains unchanged.<\/p>\n

Burton\u2019s actions, however, only scratch the surface. The man with the greatest litany of undisclosed, pro-Azerbaijan op-eds is Jason Katz, the \u201cfounder and principal\u201d of The Tool Shed Group, LLC. Katz started Tool Shed in 2008, per his LinkedIn profile<\/a>, to provide \u201cstrategic communications, public relations, [and] public affairs,\u201d among other services. According to Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) records<\/a>, Tool Shed began providing \u201cconsulting services related to business development, strategic communications and public affairs\u201d to Azerbaijan\u2019s Consulate General in 2009, the only foreign principal for whom Tool Shed works.<\/p>\n

Soon after his contract with Baku began, Katz began writing a series of articles in Huffington Post <\/em>on the wonders of Azerbaijan, including praise for Baku\u2019s \u201cdemocracy<\/a>\u201d and claims<\/a> that the country is \u201ca progressive, cosmopolitan, open, secular and Western-oriented society.\u201d (Azerbaijan has never held an election deemed free and fair<\/a> by the OSCE.) To his credit, Katz noted his relationship with Azerbaijan in every piece, describing himself<\/a> in his bio as \u201ca senior advisor to the Republic of Azerbaijan.\u201d Nonetheless, that disclosure didn\u2019t prevent Harper\u2019s <\/em>from designating<\/a> Katz\u2019s writing as a \u201cPR handout\u200a\u2014\u200aor blow job, to be less polite\u200a\u2014\u200afor his firm\u2019s client.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon, though, Katz dropped any pretense of disclosing his relationship with Azerbaijan\u200a\u2014\u200aand found a handful of outlets that failed to note his relationship with Baku. Since late 2013, Katz has penned at least nine op-eds\u200a\u2014\u200aincluding four with Roll Call <\/em>and three with The Hill<\/em>\u200a\u2014\u200athat have pushed Azerbaijani interests. His first with The Hill<\/em> focused on the apparent strength of Azerbaijani \u201cdemocracy<\/a>,\u201d while another managed to stake<\/a> that the \u201cU.S. can learn much from a nation like Azerbaijan.\u201d He also wrote a piece<\/a> in National Review <\/em>in early 2014, ostensibly about the death of scholar Alexandros Petersen\u200a\u2014\u200aa man whom I knew, and whose death I mourned<\/a>\u200a \u2014\u200athat ended up as a screed against Armenia, Azerbaijan\u2019s geopolitical rival, equating the Armenian government with the Taliban.<\/p>\n

In all nine pieces\u200a\u2014\u200ain every single instance of buffing Azerbaijan\u2019s image for an English-speaking audience\u200a\u2014\u200aKatz failed to point out the fact that Azerbaijan stands as Tool Shed\u2019s client.<\/p>\n

As it is, I obtained one of Katz\u2019s 2014 communiques to Capitol Weekly<\/em> Editor John Howard, when Katz reached out to about a potential piece on the California legislature\u2019s commentary on Armenia. \u201cI am writing, as I would like to submit to you the attached op-ed,\u201d Katz wrote. \u201cI wrote it and it concerns the Legislatures recent (and really odd) foray into U.S. foreign affairs [sic<\/em>].\u201d Katz identifies himself as only a member of Tool Shed\u200a\u2014\u200aand says nothing about his relationship with Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n

Capitol Weekly <\/em>declined the piece\u200a\u2014\u200abut it wasn\u2019t until I contacted the other outlets that corrections and clarifications, months later, arose. For his National Review<\/em> piece, Katz\u2019s bio now reads:<\/p>\n

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The Hill<\/em>, meanwhile, now carries a trio of corrections about Katz, noting specifically the lack of disclosure around Katz\u2019s relationship:<\/p>\n

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When contacted, Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack said via email, \u201cJason Katz didn\u2019t identify himself as representing Azerbaijan.\u00a0\u2026 We conduct independent research on the people who submit pieces to us. However, because we receive hundreds of op-ed submissions per month, the vetting process is thorough though not exhaustive.\u201d Still, for months, readers would have assumed Katz was yet another distant, unbiased writer, rather than someone on Azerbaijan\u2019s dime. Katz\u2019s pieces with Roll Call<\/em>, meanwhile, remain unchanged, and none of the editors contacted were willing to comment on-the-record. And this is all without discussing the impact of these op-eds, posited as neutral observations, leaking back into the Azerbaijani press<\/a>, improving the domestic image of the country\u2019s dictatorship.<\/p>\n

But Katz\u2019s involvement with media manipulation doesn\u2019t end with him. In mid-2014, a woman named Mallory Moss began penning a series of op-eds mirroring Katz\u2019s language. Unlike Katz, Moss managed to land a piece in Capitol Weekly<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>as well as an additional pair in The Hill<\/em><\/a>. All three pieces focused on Armenian fault during the war over Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed South Caucasus region. On its face, Moss maintains no discernible interest in the region, presenting her nursing background as sufficient credential for discussing post-Soviet territorial divides. One piece in The Hill<\/em><\/a> further identifies Moss as a \u201cnoted commentator and writer on humans and humanity,\u201d whatever that means.<\/p>\n

One piece in The Hill <\/em>further identifies Moss as a \u201cnoted commentator and writer on humans and humanity,\u201d whatever that means.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, a series of social media searches and domain backtracking reveals a pair of conspicuous facts. According to Katz\u2019s Facebook<\/a>, he is married to a woman named Mallory Moss. Additionally, a search through URL registries reveals that, since 2013, a \u201cMallory Moss\u201d pushed Azerbaijan-related material online<\/a>, including registering BakuWoman.com, which has since been re-registered in Katz\u2019s name. The registrant organization listed for Moss was The Tool Shed Group.<\/p>\n

According to the Department of Justice, there appears no record of Moss\u2019s name within any FARA registration. Likewise, unlike Katz, none of Moss\u2019s op-eds have been entered into the FARA database. \u201cIt certainly sounds as if Mrs. Moss should have filled out a Short Form [FARA] Registration as an employee of or consultant to Tool Shed,\u201d one lawyer familiar with FARA protocol told me. \u201cIn terms of materials, the op-eds should have been included in Tool Shed\u2019s regular filings.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I contacted Moss, she noted that she \u201cwrite[s] on various issues,\u201d and refused to respond to any questions on her relationship with Tool Shed and Katz. Likewise, Katz refused to answer any questions pertaining to his relationship with Moss, or about Moss\u2019s relationship with Tool Shed. When I informed Katz that his Facebook showed that he was married to Moss, he proceeded to block me on Facebook.<\/p>\n

As it is, Moss\u2019s pieces in The Hill <\/em>now include an editor\u2019s note noting her lack of disclosure:<\/p>\n

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When contacted, a representative from The Hill <\/em>confirmed that the \u201cfirm\u201d in question was Tool Shed.<\/p>\n

To be fair, Burton, Katz, and Moss aren\u2019t the first individuals tied to pushing Azerbaijani interests who now have corrections appended to their op-eds. Brenda Shaffer<\/a>, for instance, earned both an editor\u2019s note\/clarification<\/a> from The Washington Post <\/em>and The New York Times <\/em>about her relationship with SOCAR:<\/p>\n

NYT:<\/em><\/p>\n

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Washington Post:<\/em><\/p>\n

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All told, these op-eds\u200a\u2014\u200athis media manipulation\u200a\u2014\u200ais but one cog in the machine of Azerbaijan\u2019s attempts to launder its image for Western audiences, Western politicos, and Western investors. But while Baku\u2019s been forced to turn inward over the past twelve months to deal with domestic discontent, those who\u2019d helped Azerbaijan spin its dictatorship have pushed on, seemingly undeterred, ethically or otherwise, by their affiliation and track record in whitewashing the Caspian kleptocracy.<\/p>\n

For instance, Katz has since begun heaving pro-Macedonia pieces, writing amidst a stable of authors who have pushed similar op-eds in places like\u200a\u2014\u200aas with Azerbaijan\u2014 The Hill <\/em>and The Daily Caller<\/em>. As Balkan Insight <\/em>described<\/a>, Katz is a \u201cpublic relations professional\u201d with \u201cno previous profile on Balkan affairs[.]\u201d When contacted by reporters, \u201cKatz replied that his newfound interest stemmed from a \u2018geopolitical\/US foreign policy standpoint.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

As it is, these failures to disclose ties\u200a\u2014\u200aall to help soften the image of a government with dozens of political prisoners<\/a>\u2014seem to carry little professional repercussion. And that may have less to do with their personal prowess as PR specialists, and more from the fact that, in Washington, those who\u2019d push Baku\u2019s interests often maintain close ties with those hoping to enter the White House. For instance, Tony Podesta, one of the leading bundlers<\/a> for presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, is also the founder of one of the lead organizations linked to remarkably questionable activities<\/a> on Azerbaijan\u2019s behalf. Donald Trump, meanwhile, has pushed commercial deals with those close to Aliyev<\/a>, and his campaign\u2019s new national political director ran DCI Group, another lobbying outfit tasked with helping Azerbaijan<\/a>. Even those who\u2019d flamed out in the 2016 race had no compunction about working with those who\u2019d further Azerbaijan\u2019s aims. To wit, consultant Liz Mair inked a deal<\/a> in 2014 with Azerbaijan to \u201cimpact various U.S. government officials, as well as the U.S. general public\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200aadding to her body of prior work with former Texas Governor Rick Perry, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.<\/p>\n

To be sure, masquerading as an unbiased observer\u200a\u2014\u200aall while on a dictatorship\u2019s dole\u200a\u2014\u200ais not solely an Azerbaijani phenomenon; this malfeasance is why FARA was created<\/a> in the first place, after all. But Azerbaijan\u2019s track record of recruiting those who\u2019d forego ethical disclosures on American op-ed pages has seemingly surpassed all others over the past few years, at least within the realm of post-Soviet kleptocracies. And unless editors remain vigilant\u200a\u2014\u200aor readers are willing to contact the editors outright\u200a\u2014\u200athere\u2019s little reason to think this push, while momentarily on pause, won\u2019t pick up as soon as oil begins its eventual climb back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By CASEY MICHEL medium.com The past two years have seen a flurry of analyses on Azerbaijan\u2019s moves to whitewash its dictatorial image for American audiences. [more >>>]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-region","category-azerbaijan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2042,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040\/revisions\/2042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}