Shared Values Initiative

The Shared Values Initiative was a public relations campaign created by the U.S. State Department and directed by Charlotte Beers, a former Madison Avenue advertising executive, to persuade viewers to be more aware, open and accepting of America by dispelling myths about the treatment of Muslims.

[2][3] The campaign was divided in phases; the first of which consisted of five mini-documentaries for television, radio, and print with shared values messages for key Muslim countries.

[5] $5 million of commercial airtime was purchased with the consent of the government in carefully considered Middle Eastern and Asian countries during Ramadan.

The campaign also created a promotional website, www.opendialogue.com, that claimed to feature genuine thoughts and stories from Muslim Americans living as immigrants.

Christopher Simpson attributed the campaign's failure to Beers' lack of PR experience: "selling a product is simply not the same as promoting a belief."

A print flier created for the Council of American Muslims for Understanding, a press relations front group created and funded by the US State Department.