Obama Launches War of Words Against al-Qaida

WASHINGTON (CN) – President Barack Obama ordered the newly formed Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications to integrate and coordinate the arsenal of words the United States uses to combat terrorism around the world.      The work group is supposed to make sure the messages put out by different federal agencies are consistent and to conduct baseline research on the characteristics of the target audience of the messages.     The president’s executive order also asks the group to include expertise from outside the government in developing strategies for digital as well as traditional communications.     Obama also ordered the Secretary of State to form a steering committee composed of senior representatives of departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury as well as the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Agency for International Development and the Broadcast Board of Governors.