Corporations

Painful Flame Broiling "Empowers" Burger King Marketers

by John Stauber — October 5, 2001 - 11:00pm

The Associated Press in Miami reports that "a dozen Burger King marketing department employees suffered first and second degree burns on their feet when they walked barefoot over a strip of glowing, white-hot coals as part of a corporate bonding experience." At least one was hospitalized. But pain didn't stop a burned Burger King marketer from putting the best spin on the cultish training she helped organize. "'It was a great experience for everyone,' said Dana Frydman, vice president of product marketing... Although Frydman was one of those injured, she said she has no regret.

Main Source: 
Associated Press in the Miami Herald, October 6, 2001

Where Have All the Muckrakers Gone?

by Sheldon Rampton — October 3, 2001 - 12:20pm

Investigative reporting used to be the sexiest part of the news business, and the most respected. Danny Schechter laments its decline, and tells the story of how ABC News spiked an investigative report on GE's dumping of PCBs in the Hudson River.

Main Source: 
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/rarebreed.shtml

Improper Lab Partners

by Sheldon Rampton — October 3, 2001 - 11:04am

In the last 20 years, corporate funding in the fields of information technology and biotechnology has grown faster than support from any other source, and there is growing concern over possible corporate interference and industrial pressures that could inappropriately influence the direction, interpretation, and outcome of research. This past summer, several organizations took measures to examine and address this situation.

Main Source: 
http://news.bmn.com/hmsbeagle/111/notes/feature2

The Wartime Opportunists

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

Corporate interests and their proxies are looking to exploit the September 11 tragedy to advance a self-serving agenda that has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with corporate profits and dangerous ideologies. Fast track and the Free Trade Area of the Americas. A corporate tax cut. Oil drilling in Alaska. Star Wars. These are some of the preposterous "solutions" and responses to the terror attack offered by corporate mouthpieces.

Main Source: 
TomPaine.com, October 2, 2001

Heritage for Sale

by Sheldon Rampton — September 16, 2001 - 5:24pm

Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lawrence Small has embraced commercialism and shifted the Smithsonian's mission from "the increase and diffusion of knowledge" to acting as an auxilliary megaphone for corporate marketing and public relations efforts. "Mr. Small, a mortgage banker by profession, is much better suited to the promotion of SUVs or hamburgers than to the management of our nation's most important cultural institution. Mr.

Main Source: 
http://www.commercialalert.org/smithsonian/index.html

PR Watch Examines How Corporate PR Defeats Environmentalism

by John Stauber — September 16, 2001 - 10:22am

Supporters of the Center for Media & Democracy have just been mailed the third quarter 2001 issue of PR Watch. It examines the strategies employed by corporations such as Philip Morris and BP/Amoco, and their PR firms such as Burson-Marsteller, to defeat environmental activism through partnerships and co-optation. Articles include "Keep America Beautiful: Grassroots Non-Profit or Tobacco Front Group?" by Walter Lamb; "Corporations 'Get Engaged' to the Environmental Movement" by Andy Rowell; and, "Endangered Wildlife Friends Are Here" by John Stauber.

Main Source: 
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/2001Q3/index.html

P&G Admits to Dumpster Diving

by Laura Miller — August 30, 2001 - 11:00pm

Procter & Gamble admitted that a company working on its behalf went through the garbage of rival company Unilever in an attempt to find out more about its hair-care business. According to the Financial Times, the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals in Alexandria, Virginia, however, wrinkles its nose at the mention of rifling through a competitor's rubbish in search of corporate secrets. "It's not professional," says Bill Weber, executive director of the society, which represents 6,000 corporate intelligence gatherers in 45 countries.

Main Source: 
Financial Times, August 31, 2001

Drug Firms Pay for AMA's Ethics Campaign

by Sheldon Rampton — August 29, 2001 - 11:00pm

The American Medical Association is mounting a $1 million campaign to educate doctors about its ethics guidelines against accepting gifts from drug companies -- with most of the funding for the effort coming from drug companies.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, August 30, 2001

UK's Labour Party Looking For Corporate Sponsorship

by Laura Miller — August 29, 2001 - 11:00pm

The UK's Labour Party is offering "branding opportunities" to corporations during its annual meeting set for the end of September. A Party brochure obtained by the Guardian offers a price list for placement of corporate logos and messages to reach the conference's "captive audience". Up for sale were spots on ambulance service, relaxation zone, phone service, video screens, recycling bins, and gala dinner flower arrangements. McDonalds ponied up

Main Source: 
The Guardian Unlimited, August 30, 2001

Dead People Support Microsoft

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

Earlier this year, Utah State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff received two letters from dead people requesting that the state go easy on Microsoft. As it turns out, the letters are part of the computer giant's nation-wide astroturf campaign, targeting the offices of 18 attorneys general who have joined the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit. The Los Angeles Times reports that in recent weeks, Microsoft has been refining its letter writing strategy so that no two letters are identical. The giveaway, however, is in the phrasing.

Main Source: 
Los Angeles Times, August 23, 2001
Syndicate content