Laura Miller's News Articles

The Victory of Spin

by Laura Miller — December 7, 2005 - 10:16am
  • Topics: Crisis Management, Iraq, Public Diplomacy, Video News Releases, U.S. Government

    • More examples of the Bush administration's manipulation of news spilled out into U.S. newspapers last week. Raising further questions about how the White House continues to spin its "War on Terror," the Los Angeles Times reported on November 30 the U.S. military "is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S.

    Academic Freedom Ain't What It Used to Be

    by Laura Miller — October 24, 2005 - 4:49pm
  • Topics: Right Wing, Education, Think Tanks

    • This summer the Wisconsin-based staff of the Center for Media and Democracy had the pleasure of working with Molly Riordan, an Ithaca College student, who came out to Madison to be our intern. A smart and politically engaged student, Riordan quickly took to our work, adding and editing numerous articles on SourceWatch, our collaborative online encyclopedia of the people, issues and groups shaping public opinion and public policy.

    Students for Academic Freedom logo

    I suggested that she write an article on something of interest to her. What resulted was the cover story for the third quarter issue (now available online) of our award-winning quarterly publication PR Watch. In her article "Academic Freedom Takes a Step to the Right," Riordan takes a look at Students for Academic Freedom, a conservative organization with over a hundred campus chapters that claims to promote "academic diversity." Closer examination of SAF reveals its close affiliation with "Marxist-turned-conservative activist" David Horowitz and a pattern of only identifying cases involving conservative students resisting alleged "leftist indoctrination."

    ABA's School Vending Policy Fizzes On Obesity Prevention

    by Laura Miller — August 24, 2005 - 12:27am
  • Topics: Obesity, Children, Health, Public Relations

    • The American Beverage Association scored PR points recently when they unveiled a new voluntary "school vending policy." The trade association for soft drink manufacturers says it is encouraging beverage producers and school districts to provide "lower-calorie and/or nutritious beverages" to schools and limit the availability of soft drinks in schools. ABA's announcement snagged positive news stories across the country, but public health advocates questioned the group's commitment to preventing childhood obesity.

    America Supports You ... Kind Of: Bush's Support of Troops Misleading

    by Laura Miller — July 2, 2005 - 3:03pm
  • Topics: Iraq, Public Relations, U.S. Government

    • "In this time of testing, our troops can know: The American people are behind you," George W. Bush said in his national address last Tuesday night at Fort Bragg. "This Fourth of July, I ask you to find a way to thank the men and women defending our freedom -- by flying the flag, sending a letter to our troops in the field, or helping the military family down the street. The Department of Defense has set up a website -- AmericaSupportsYou.mil. You can go there to learn about private efforts in your own community. At this time when we celebrate our freedom, let us stand with the men and women who defend us all."

    Nuclear Energy's Green Glow

    by Laura Miller — May 24, 2005 - 7:26pm
  • Topics: Nuclear Power, Public Relations

    • "Several of the nation's most prominent environmentalists have gone public with the message that nuclear power, long taboo among environmental advocates, should be reconsidered as a remedy for global warming," the New York Times' Felicity Barringer reports. And while environmentalists who support nuclear power as a supposedly "emission-free" alternative to fossil fuels are not representative of the larger movement, the buzz about them is mushrooming. "Their numbers are still small, but they represent growing cracks in what had been a virtually solid wall of opposition to nuclear power among most mainstream environmental groups," writes the Times.

    FCC Commissioner Adelstein Issues Fake News Challenge

    by Laura Miller — May 17, 2005 - 2:29am
  • Topics: Activism, Media

    • "We need to fight one of [media consolidation's] most pernicious symptoms, I think, which is the increasing commercialization of media," the Federal Communications Commission's Jonathan Adelstein t

    How Green is Camouflage?

    by Laura Miller — April 22, 2005 - 5:56pm
  • Topics: Environment, War / Peace

    • The U.S. Army celebrated Earth Day this year with a special campaign called "Sustaining the Environment for a Secure Future." The effort's website features links to an Army Earth Day message, an Army Earth Day video promo, computer screen wallpaper, and a commemorative poster.

    The Fix Behind Fixing Social Security

    by Laura Miller — March 8, 2005 - 5:48pm
  • Topics: Right Wing, Lobbying

    • In late February, deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove, National Economics Council director Al Hubbard, and Barry Jackson, a special assistant to the president who is handling Social Security reform, met with administration-friendly lobbyists for a "rah-rah" cheerleading session on Social Security privatization. According to The Hill, representatives from the conservative 60 Plus Association, the business funded Coalition for the Modernization and Protection of America's Social Security(COMPASS), America’s Community Bankers, the National Retail Federation, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Business Roundtable heard the trio reiterate George W. Bush's commitment to "reform" Social Security. "Karl Rove talked about its importance to the president's agenda, and Al Hubbard talked about its importance to the economy," a spokesperson from the Roundtable told Bloomberg News.

    Exposing the Echo Chamber Behind Social Security Privatization

    by Laura Miller — February 25, 2005 - 6:54pm
  • Topics: Right Wing, Politics, Public Relations

    • The Bush administration ventriloquists are out in full force these days, breathlessly hyping "Personal Retirement Accounts" as a way to save Social Security by destroying it. For the average voter, getting a handle on what the Bush administration is proposing to do to Social Security is quite a challenge. The dozens of bobbing heads and clicking fingers, holding forth on cable news programming and the Internet is enough to make anyone's head spin.

    Thanks for the (False) Memories: the 2004 Falsies Awards

    by Laura Miller — December 28, 2004 - 6:11am
  • Topics: Media, Public Relations

    • This year marks the beginning of a new tradition for the Center for Media and Democracy. To remember the people and players responsible for polluting our information environment, we are issuing a new year-end prize that we call the "Falsies Awards." The top ten finalists will each receive a million bucks worth of free coupons, a lifetime supply of non-fattening ice cream, an expenses-paid vacation in Fallujah, and our promise to respect them in the morning. The winners of the Falsies Awards for 2004 are:

    1. I'm Karen Ryan, reporting

    Let's hear it for video news releases finally getting a smattering of the public scrutiny they deserve. A video news release or VNR is a simulated TV news story. Video clips paid for by corporations, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations are commonly passed off as legitimate news segments on local newscasts throughout the United States. VNRs are designed to be indistinguishable from traditional TV news and are often aired without the original producers and sponsors being identified and sometimes without any local editing.

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