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Commissioners table proposed NUP Media agreement after concerns about 'topic framing' on county platforms
Summary
A proposed contract with NUP Media to provide proactive messaging and storytelling services was tabled after commissioners and commenters raised concerns that the deliverables could amount to agenda-setting on government channels.
Pulaski County commissioners on Jan. 30 voted to table a proposed agreement with NUP Media after at least one commissioner and multiple public commenters objected to contract language describing services such as "proactive issue framing," "initiative storytelling" and leadership messaging.
One commissioner told colleagues that county government pages and the county website should be limited to informational content (agendas, department notices, recycling schedules) and not used for persuasive framing or to build support for initiatives. The same commissioner said she checked references for comparable counties and found limited examples of such storytelling on official county pages; research indicated that Huntington County posts routine items without storytelling and that other counties cited had no payments or full-county contracts with the company.
After discussion, the board made and seconded a motion to table the contract for additional review. Public commenters later criticized the contract’s possible monthly cost (a commenter cited $5,750/month) and said the purchase lacked transparency; the commissioners directed staff to research peer-county usage and provide more detailed deliverables or an RFP for review.
