Activism

'Anti-Chemical' = Pro-Public Health

by Laura Miller — March 23, 2004 - 11:00pm

"Industry officials are expressing grave concern that a growing alliance between environmentalists and patient advocacy groups to link exposure to harmful pollution with chronic diseases and life-long disabilities could add credibility to activists' calls for stricter environmental requirements," Inside EPA reports.

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Inside EPA, March 24, 2004

Silencing Save the Children

by Sheldon Rampton — November 27, 2003 - 11:00pm

The British wing of the Save the Children charity was ordered to stop critizing the U.S.-led coalition's military occupation of Iraq, after it issued a statement saying that "lack of cooperation from the coalition forces is a breach of the Geneva conventions and its protocols, but more importantly the time now being wasted is costing children their lives." Kevin Maguire reports that the incident exposed "tensions within an alliance that describes itself as 'the world's largest independent global organisation for children' but which is heavily reliant on governments and big business for cash."

Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), November 28, 2003

The War on Dissent

by Laura Miller — November 25, 2003 - 11:00pm

"It's popular to say that corporate globalization is war by other means, but what went down in Miami during the FTAA skipped the part about other means," Rebecca Solnit writes for tomdispatch.com. "And though it was most directly ...

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Alternet, November 26, 2003

Chemical Industry Wages War on Environment & Health

by John Stauber — November 19, 2003 - 11:00pm

A news release from the Environmental Working Group reveals that "the chemical industry plans to conduct a covert campaign attacking the growing movement in California for more chemical safety testing, with tactics including the creation of phony front groups and spying on activists, according to an internal American Chemistry Council (ACC) memo. ...

Main Source: 
Environmental Working Group, November 20, 2003

Brits Won't Let Bush Shoot Them

by Sheldon Rampton — November 15, 2003 - 11:00pm

The British government has refused a diplomatic request from the United States for "shoot-to-kill" immunity for armed American special agents and snipers who will be travelling to Britain as part of President Bush's entourage this week, which means that if they accidentally kill a protester, they'll have to stand trial for it. The Brits are also balking at the Bush team's demand that they shut down parts of London's Tube (subway) system and that they create a "sterile zone" around the President to keep the public at bay. The U.S.

Main Source: 
Observer (UK), November 16, 2003

US Officials Want Ban On British Protests

by Laura Miller — November 11, 2003 - 11:00pm

When George W. Bush visits London next week, U.S. officials want to keep protesters out of sight, demanding a rolling "exclusion zone" around the President. "The Stop The War Coalition said yesterday that it had been told by the police that it would not be allowed to demonstrate in Parliament Square and Whitehall next Thursday - a ban it said it was determined to resist," the Independent reports.

Main Source: 
Independent (UK), November 12, 2003

Miami Police "Embed" Journalists For Trade Protests

by Laura Miller — November 9, 2003 - 11:00pm

Miami police will be "embedding" reporters with police squads during next week's protests against trade negotiations.The Associated Press reports, Police Chief John Timoney said his embedding plan would place journalists on the front lines during the Free Trade Area of the Americas talks taking place in Miami. Police expect tens of thousands of demonstrators. "The news organizations invited to participate in the embedding include The Associated Press, NBC, Reuters, The Miami Herald, CNN, Fox and several TV stations.

Main Source: 
Editor & Publisher, November 10, 2003

'By-Passing the Media Filter' on the Iraq War

by John Stauber — November 2, 2003 - 11:00pm

As part of its PR strategy to 'by-pass the media filter' that it claims is distorting public perception of the Iraq war with too much negative reporting, the Bush administration has been granting interviews to smaller, more friendly media. A 'media by-pass' tactic of a different sort is being used by critics of the war who, as we've documented in our book Weapons of Mass Deception, have been locked out of mainstream media coverage.

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Alternet, November 3, 2003

Chemical Industry PR to Counter Health Activists

by John Stauber — October 29, 2003 - 11:00pm

Monique Harden and Nathalie Walker, two public interest lawyers, report that they attended "the recent conference of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), called 'Communicating in a Volatile World.' ACC is the trade association for the 180 largest manufacturers of chemicals in the U.S. Until recently, ACC was known as the Chemical Manufacturers Association. The ACC conference was a real eye-opener. It revealed the ACC's genuine fears about the accomplishments of environmental health activists.

Main Source: 
Rachel's Environment & Health News, October 30, 2003

"Propagandist" Gets Solitary Confinement

by Sheldon Rampton — July 3, 2003 - 10:00pm

Veteran peace activist William "Bud" Combs recently spent 90 days in jail for protesting against Fort Benning's Western Hemisphere Institute of Security Cooperation (aka the School of the Americas). "What the veteran peace activist didn't know was that he would spend eight days of his sentence in solitary confinement," writes Bill Berlow. "His apparent offense: receiving and sharing with other inmates what federal authorities consider disruptive, if not subversive, political literature.

Main Source: 
Tallahassee Democrat, July 4, 2003
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