Children

'Tis the Season of Exploitation

by Judith Siers-Poisson — December 17, 2007 - 5:01pm

The National Labor Committee (NLC) has released a report on sweatshop conditions in China which pinpoints holiday items being made at Guangzhou Huanya Gift Ltd.

Main Source: 
Bloomberg News, December 12, 2007

Marketing, Marketing Everywhere

by Diane Farsetta — December 17, 2007 - 3:55pm

Major food companies are planning "to halt advertising junk food to children under 12 throughout Europe," but in the U.S., McDonald's has found "a nifty way to reach kids ...

Main Source: 
Advertising Age, December 5, 2007

SpinMaster's Disaster Blaster

by Sheldon Rampton — November 10, 2007 - 3:42pm

"Burson-Marsteller, the PR/lobbying firm run by Hillary Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, is handling crisis management for the owner of Aqua Dots, the bead toys with an adhesive coating that too easily turns into the date-rape drug, GHB," reports Marc Ambinder.

Main Source: 
The Atlantic, November 9, 2007

Product Safety Officials Get the Lead Out

by Diane Farsetta — November 5, 2007 - 2:37pm

After "several highly publicized recalls of Chinese-made toys that contained hazardous levels of lead," the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has come under increased scrutiny.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, November 2, 2007

Well-Connected Skeptics Behind UK Attack on Global Warming Film

by Diane Farsetta — October 15, 2007 - 4:43pm

The school governor who challenged the screening of Al Gore's climate change documentary in secondary schools was funded by a Scottish quarrying magnate who established a controversial lobbying group to attack environmentalists' claims about

Main Source: 
The Observer (UK), October 14, 2007

The Formula for Deceiving Mothers Online

by Bob Burton — September 19, 2007 - 1:56am

Peggy O'Mara, the editor of Mothering Magazine, reports that "in addition to the inaccurate information on breastfeeding" by the media, the "marketing practices of the formula companies continue to undermine breastfeeding." She notes the existence of several "stealth" websites "that appear to be grassroots advocacy sites, but are actually mouthpieces for the formula industry." One of the websites, MomsFeedingFreedom.com, is campaigning against proposed restrictions on the free bags of infant form

Main Source: 
Mothering Magazine, September/October 2007

Lobbying for Babykillers

by Sheldon Rampton — September 7, 2007 - 1:22pm

Babies that are not breast fed suffer higher rates of health problems including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes, lymphoma, leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, obesity, high cholesterol and asthma. Unfortunately, many parents are still unaware of these risks, thanks to the infant formula industry.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, August 31, 2007

McCarrott's?

by Bob Burton — August 9, 2007 - 4:08am

A survey of the impact of marketing on children's taste preferences has revealed the power of McDonald's. Sixty-three preschoolers from low-income families in California were presented with five samples of identical foods and beverages, one in McDonald's packaging and the other in unbranded packaging. They were then asked "to indicate if they tasted the same or if one tasted better." The results?

Main Source: 
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, August 2007

University Defends Using Hill & Knowlton

by Bob Burton — August 9, 2007 - 4:06am

The human rights group Friends of Maldives protests H&K

A local branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) representing University of California (UC) employees is protesting against UC management's hiring Hill & Knowlton to spin its labor reco

Main Source: 
PR Week, August 7, 2007
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