Headlines

Corporate Goodwill or Tainted Money?

by Sheldon Rampton — February 8, 2001 - 11:00pm

Philip Morris is spending more to publicize its good deeds than it's spending on the good deeds themselves. Last year, the company spent $115 million on charity and $150 million on these TV ads. So if Philip Morris is so concerned about giving back to the community, why doesn't it take the $150 million spent last year on ads and give that to charity?

Main Source: 
ABC News, February 8, 2001

Product Placement Replacing Old-Fashioned Ads

by Anonymous — February 7, 2001 - 12:00am

The old 30 and 60 second ads we know and love may be obsolete in the future, thanks to the miracle of product placement. We've all seen lingering, seductive shots of consumer products in movies...and in the future, "you probably won't know where the commercial stops and the programs begin," says Bob Kuperman, President of New York ad agency TBWA.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyers, February 7, 2001

GM Lobby Takes Root in Bush's Cabinet

by Sheldon Rampton — February 1, 2001 - 11:00pm

When Bill Clinton was president, it was an open secret that his government favoured agricultural biotechnology and actively promoted it. But the strength of the genetically modified food lobby in George Bush's new cabinet, and its links with the GM global leader, Monsanto, are greater than anything that came before. The secretaries of defence, health and agriculture, the attorney general and the chairman of the House agriculture committee all have links with the firm or the wider industry.

Main Source: 
The Guardian, February 1, 2001

A Dark Tale from TV Land

by Sheldon Rampton — January 23, 2001 - 12:00am

"Most people would probably agree that TV news anchors and reporters should have a strong determination to search for and report the truth no matter what the economic consequences to their station or network might be," writes former TV meteorologist Chris Shumway. "I bet they would also agree that it is a journalist's duty to expose and challenge bias or censorship within the news media.

Main Source: 
Common Dreams, January 23, 2001

Interior Department's Babbit and Hayes Join Latham & Watkins

by Laura Miller — January 22, 2001 - 11:00pm

Latham & Watkins, a top-rank law firm, has announced that the two highest-ranking former United States Department of the Interior officials are joining the firm. Bruce Babbitt, former Secretary of the Interior, and David J. Hayes, former Deputy Secretary of the Interior, are joining the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Secretary Babbitt joins the firm as counsel. Deputy Secretary Hayes is returning to Latham & Watkins as a partner. Hayes was previously a partner with Latham & Watkins from 1990 until he entered the Clinton Administration in March 1997.

Main Source: 
January 22, 2001 PRESS RELEASE

Rubenstein Volunteers to do PR for Israel

by Sheldon Rampton — January 17, 2001 - 12:00am

Rubenstein Assocs. has volunteered its PR savvy to help Israel present its side of the Middle East conflict to the media and opinion leaders.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, January 17, 2001

The Tobacco Industry's Successful Efforts to Control Tobacco Policy Making in Switzerland

by Sheldon Rampton — January 16, 2001 - 11:00pm

This study shows how the tobacco industry manipulated opinions in Switzerland, nurturing "controversy" over the link between smoking and disease using regular media briefings and scientific meetings with carefully chosen scientists who would publicly support the industry

Main Source: 
Chung-Yol Lee and Stanton Glantz, in Galen II, January 2001

School of the Americas Changes Its Name

by Sheldon Rampton — January 1, 2001 - 12:00am

The US Army School of the Americas has been the center of a storm of controversy for nearly two decades. Graduates from this training center for the Latin American military have been linked to nearly every major human rights violation that has occurred in Latin America since the schoolis inception 50 years ago. Last year the heat on Congress to stop funding the School of the Americas got so intense that the Pentagon decided to rename it as "the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation." Nothing else, however, has really changed.

Main Source: 
http://www.soaw-ne.org/TalkingPts.html

In NGOs We Trust

by Sheldon Rampton — December 18, 2000 - 11:00pm

This news release by Edelman PR explains the rationale for trying to encourage business "partnerships" with activist groups: "You've got an environmental disaster on your hands. Have you consulted with Greenpeace in developing your crisis response plan? Co-opting your would-be attackers may seem counterintuitive, but it makes sense when you consider that NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are trusted by the public nearly two-to-one to 'do what's right' compared with government bodies, media organizations and corporations."

Main Source: 
PR News, December 18, 2000

Tobacco Industry Sponsors British School of "Business Ethics"

by Sheldon Rampton — December 6, 2000 - 11:00pm

London's Nottingham University has been vigorously criticized for its

Main Source: 
The Guardian (London), December 6, 2000
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