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NATIONAL COMMISSSION ON
TERRORIST ATTACKS UPON THE UNITED STATES

PRESS ROLLOUT PROPOSAL

Two of the major objectives of the Commission are to ensure the widespread
dissemination of our final report to the American people and to build support for the
implementation of our policy recommendations. A comprehensive and vigorous press
schedule is central to achieving these objectives.

To this end, we have formulated a proposed press schedule for the first week of the
rollout, based on Thursday, July 22, 2004, as the release date for the report. Discussion
of the schedule and relevant issues follows the timeline.

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Proposed Timeline L~- 7
June 30 (Wed.) Submit for Pre-Publication Review (DC)

July 14 (Wed.) Submit Manuscript to Publisher (DC)

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July 20 (Tues.) Release Embargoed Exec. Summary (DC) ^^-

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July 21 (Wed.) Family Preview Meeting (DC) -ft*

July 22 (Thurs.) taff Reporfollout (DC)

. Statement, Report Posted ^OA
• Reading Room w/ staff '

Official Govt. Rollout (DC) / / ft /V\ 'J?

• Introduction Speech — potf-sJt o\ Present Report to Congress
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• Present Report to President

-? r?^ -Congressional Hearing (DC)

. • Intel/Homeland Security/Govt. Reform Committee(s) Hearing

Evening Press RoIlou

• Uro3.dc^st livening r> cws j
• Evening Cable Iiilerview Show
• Televised Town hall
July 23 (Fri.) "I Morning Press Rollout (NYC)
• Morning Cable Shows
• Morning Radio, Local and Nat'l. 4PW»^" 2~ I ~
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I Introduction Speech (NYC)

Evening Press Rollout (NYC)

• Evening News Shows
• Evening Interview Shows

July 24 (Sat.) University Speech (DC, NJ, NYC)

Long-form Daily and Periodical Interviews (DC, NYC)

July 25 (Sun.) Sunday Press Rounds (DC)

• Network Policy Talk Shows
• Broadcast Newsmagazines

Constraints
The timeline is constrained by many factors. Congress begins its August recess Friday,
July 23. The Democratic National Convention begins in Boston, Monday, July 26. The
Commission has set an aggressive schedule to draft, edit, declassify and publish the
report; our schedule is not completely our own.

Basic Schedule
As the timeline attests, we are planning to schedule a few major events, to be attended by
all 10 Commissioners, during the first few days of the release. These events will be
structured to create news that will further drive the coverage of the report. National
television and radio interviews will be scheduled in blocks around these events.

The major event will be the introductory speech and press conference. As mandated by
legislation, the Commission would then present the report to Congress and the President.
Commissioners would then appear before one or two relevant Congressional hearings to
discuss policy recommendations. All of these are separate events, with separate visuals
and story lines.

The Chairs will preview the report on all five major morning network shows and review
the Commission's findings on the three evening network news programs. All 10
Commissioners will tape a public town hall-style question and answer program before
fanning out across the wide spectrum of evening network and cable interview shows.
The Commission has already received requests from these shows for a Commission
presence on the day of the report's release.
A similar schedule will be repeated the next day in New York City, with an increased
focus on local press and fewer responsibilities to present the report to government bodies.

The overall schedule will be particularly intense for all 10 Commissioners because there
is a limited window during which the report can capture the national attention before the
convention and the campaign take precedence.

Release date
Moving the release date a few days earlier, such as to Monday, July 19, would
significantly increase the breadth and detail of press coverage afforded the report. At this
time, a date earlier than July 22 does not look possible, based on the review and
production processes.

Such a shift would be beneficial for a few reasons. First, it would allow more time for
the Commission to dominate the news before the slow Friday and Saturday cycles. An
earlier release date would be further away from the convention, which would lessen the
partisan linkage. Such a move would also give time for the Commission to schedule
hearings before the relevant Congressional Committees before Congress heads to recess,
allowing the Commission significant opportunities to press our policy recommendations.

Sunday talk shows

A Thursday release would make the Commission and our report more relevant to the
Sunday talk shows. However, the Commission's place on the Sunday shows is already
compromised by the convention. Each network show will likely broadcast from the
convention site in Boston. The Commission will certainly be invited to appear, but only
for a limited segment. Questions linking the report with the campaign would likely
dominate the segment.

The Sunday shows the week prior to the release, on July 18, would give the Commission
a much more prominent place. Some would likely schedule the entire show to focus on
the Commission. However, we will not be in a position to make any news until the
release date.

Newsmagazines
The current release date of July 22 makes it unlikely for the Commission to be featured
on the cover of Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report, or any other
newsmagazine, though we will be covered prominently, possibly with a preview bar on
the cover.

During the past three presidential election cycles, the nominee was featured on every
major newsmagazine cover on the first Monday of the convention. Therefore, we can
expect the Democratic nominee to appear on the covers of all three major newsmagazines
on Monday, July 26, with a dateline of August 2. We would likely be featured on the
Monday, July 19, covers if our report were released with an embargo on July 19 or
without an embargo on July 15 or 16. However, as mentioned earlier, such a shift is
unlikely.

Embargo
The press has repeatedly complained about the difficulty of digesting our material. While
the final report is designed to be accessible, it will be difficult for the press to summarize
it quickly and accurately. A short embargo of 1-2 days would help alleviate that problem
and ensure that press reports accompanying the release of the report are accurate and
detailed. Our past four staff statements were embargoed. This appeared to enhance the
detail and accuracy of press reports without harming the level of coverage.

The positives of an embargo have been countered thus far by two particular risks. One,
information from the report could be leaked before the rollout. Two, press reports filed
on the morning of July 22 could pre-empt the public release of the report and render our
introductory presentation less important and newsworthy.

Edit Boards
Most of the major newspapers have requested that the Chairs meet with their editorial
boards and those reporters who cover national security and homeland defense issues.
They would like to meet before the report is released, so that they can adequately plan
their coverage.

Presently, no edit board meetings are scheduled on the timeline, because too many
questions surround the timing.

A two-day embargo would allow time for meetings with the bare minimum of edit boards
- probably two in Washington and two in New York City - before the rollout. Another
option would be to hold meetings after the rollout. However, meetings on the first two
days of the rollout would severely cut into the press and public schedule. The following
week would likely be unavailable, as many of the relevant reporters and board members
will be attending the convention.

The final option is to meet with boards throughout the last month before the rollout.
While this would allow the widest schedule of meetings, the Chairs would not be able to
answer many of the questions regarding final judgments and recommendations.

The edit board meetings again highlight the release date and embargo questions. We
want the press to be able to act on our behalf, by accurately disseminating our findings
and recommendations in detail, to the largest possible audience. We should consider the
proper release date and embargo strategy to achieve these aims.