PRW Staff's News Articles

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Syngenta PR’s Weed-Killer Spin Machine: Investigating the Press and Shaping the "News" about Atrazine

by PRW Staff — February 7, 2012 - 10:33am
  • Topics: Journalism, Atrazine Exposed, Corporations, Public Relations

    • - By Beau Hodai and Lisa Graves

    Documents obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy, recently unsealed as part of a major lawsuit against Syngenta, reveal how the global chemical company's PR team investigated the press and spent millions to spin news coverage and public perceptions in the face of growing concerns about potential health risks from the widely used weed-killer "atrazine."

    This story is part of a new series about this PR campaign to influence the media, potential jurors, potential plaintiffs, farmers, politicians, scientists, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the midst of reviews of the weed-killer's potential to act as an endocrine disruptor, over the past decade or so.

    Dealing with Meddlesome Reporters

    Two years ago, on March 2, 2010, Huffington Post Investigative Fund (HuffPo) reporter Danielle Ivory contacted Syngenta Corporation Director of Corporate Communications-North America Paul Minehart and asked, as reporters do, a few questions.

    Little did she know her questions to Syngenta—which reported sales of over $11 billion that year, almost half of which, $5 billion, was profit—would provoke the creation of a secret dossier on her.

    News

    ALEC's Influence in Ohio Runs Deep

    by PRW Staff — February 6, 2012 - 5:37pm
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy, Labor, Politics

    • The influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Ohio runs deep, according to a new report released by Progress Ohio, together with the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), People for the American Way, and Common Cause. The report shows how Ohio's legislators are working in tandem with corporate leaders to deregulate key industries, privatize education and dismantle unions.

    Op-Ed

    ALEC Exposed, for 24 Hours

    by PRW Staff — February 2, 2012 - 11:08am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy, Lobbying, Politics, U.S. Government

    • A guest post by Nick Surgey from Common Cause, originally posted on Common Blog.

    When Florida Rep. Rachel Burgin (R- 56) introduced a bill in November calling on the federal government to reduce taxes for corporations (HM 685), she made an embarrassing mistake.

    Op-Ed

    Right to Work in Indiana – Will This Battle Impact 2012 Super Bowl?

    by PRW Staff — January 21, 2012 - 10:47am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Democracy, Labor, Politics, Wisconsin Protests

    • A guest post by Bob Sloan; read more from this author at the Daily Kos.

    Indiana Republicans, who hold solid majorities in the state House and Senate as well as the governor's mansion, have once again taken up "Right-To-Work." Indiana tried passing anti-union legislation last year but the effort stalled amidst public outcry. Despite this, Right-to-Work legislation was one of the first pieces taken up by the GOP majority in the 2012 session.

    News

    Events Marking Second Anniversary of "Citizens United"

    by PRW Staff — January 18, 2012 - 12:55pm
  • Topics: Activism, Election 2012, Corporations, Democracy, Politics, U.S. Government

    • January 20 marks the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's disastrous decision in Citizens United v. F.E.C., where a narrow majority of the Court asserted that the Constitution prevents Congress from limiting the amount of money that can be spent influencing our elections. A series of events are planned this week to mobilize opposition to the decision and to generate support for a constitutional amendment to reverse it.

    Guest Contributor

    ALEC-Linked Group Revealed As Major Secret Donor In Referendum On Maine Voting Rights

    by PRW Staff — December 30, 2011 - 8:30am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Democracy, Politics

    • by Scott Keyes

    This article was originally published by Think Progress. The Center for Media and Democracy is cross-posting it as part of our ongoing efforts to expose the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its attempts to disenfranchise voters across the country.

    Last month, Maine voters delivered a major rebuke to Gov. Paul LePage (R) and the Republican-held legislature when they approved a referendum restoring election day voting registration rights in the state. Earlier this year, state legislators passed a bill repealing the state's 38 year-old law allowing citizens to register at the polls on election day.

    Guest Contributor

    Colvin on How to Choose a Constitutional Amendment

    by PRW Staff — December 22, 2011 - 8:45am
  • Topics: Corporations, Democracy, Election Protection, Politics, U.S. Government

    • This is a guest post by Greg Colvin, partner at the firm Adler and Colvin, originally published at OurFuture.org.

    There is a growing movement of people fed up with corporations-as-persons, money-as-speech, elections-for-sale in America. They are ready to amend the US Constitution as the only sure way to reverse the Supreme Court's decisions in Citizens United v. FEC and Buckley v. Valeo. But what's the best amendment? Sanders/Deutch or Udall/Sutton? Move To Amend or Free Speech for People?

    News

    Upcoming American Petroleum Institute 'Vote 4 Energy' TV Campaign Disrupted by Undercover Activists

    by PRW Staff — December 21, 2011 - 9:00am
  • Topics: Front Groups, Corporations, Public Relations

    • This report exposing the deceptive tactics of the American Petroleum Institute was originally posted at Greenpeace.

    Recently, Greenpeace got a rare look behind the curtain at how Big Oil stages citizen support for huge oil companies, when activists got inside a TV commercial shoot in Washington DC. The American Petroleum Institute(API), and their PR firm Edelman, were filming a new series of TV commercials that we learned API plans to air nationally on CNN starting in January. The ads, aimed at the 2012 elections, will aim to demonstrate authentic citizen support for the oil industry's agenda.

    New York Should Become the First State to Ban Fracking

    by PRW Staff — December 9, 2011 - 12:36pm

    Adelaide Park Gomer, president of the Park Foundation based in Ithaca, New York, received the Advocacy Award from Common Cause for her work fighting fracking. Ms. Gomer is known as a knowledgeable and passionate defender of independent media, environmental sustainability, and higher education, as well as of democratic and transparent governance.

    She and the Park Foundation have been among the staunchest supporters of the antifracking movement in New York, as the gas industry is poised to allow more of this dangerous, dirty, and destructive practice throughout much of the state, should Governor Andrew Cuomo give it the green light-which could happen soon despite the overwhelming evidence that fracking poisons air, water, soil, and food supplies, endangering public health.

    Guest Contributor

    Who's Wrecking America? Meet Your 1% Nominees

    by PRW Staff — November 22, 2011 - 12:37pm
  • Topics: Activism, Corporations, Democracy

    • This is a guest op-ed by Robert Greenwald, president of the Brave New Foundation, and was originally published in Truthout.

    The Occupy movement has drawn attention to how too many in the 1% get to play by their own rules while exploiting the 99%. But who's doing the most to damage our economy and democracy?

    You tell us.

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