Media

Alhurra Controversies Grow

by Diane Farsetta — June 26, 2008 - 2:15pm

The U.S. government-funded Arabic news channel Alhurra "paid former Bush and Clinton administration officials, lobbyists and high-profile Washington journalists tens of thousands of dollars in U.S.

Main Source: 
ProPublica.org, June 24, 2008

The Swift Boating Begins in August

by Diane Farsetta — June 25, 2008 - 1:06pm

Saying "we believe the media whitewashed the candidate," the president of Regnery Publishing announced an August release for a book titled "The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate." The PR firm Creative Response Concepts (CRC) is promoting the book.

Main Source: 
Muckety.com, June 24, 2008

Same Old Dog and No New Tricks: Update on Messaging on Iran

by Sam Gardiner — June 20, 2008 - 1:28pm
  • Topics: Iran, Issue Management, International, Media, Propaganda, Think Tanks, U.S. Government, War / Peace

    • We know from Scott McClellan, the former White House Spokesman, in his recent book, What Happened, that President Bush insists on discipline in messaging. Although the publics on both sides of the Atlantic have gotten to the point of heavily discounting what he says, the President's desire for control can give us a sense of the thrust of policy. This is certainly true with respect to Iran.

    Jeff Gannon, National Press Club member

    by Diane Farsetta — June 19, 2008 - 4:16pm

    "If you ever wondered what happened to Jeff Gannon, the former conservative reporter whose questionable White House credentialing and ties to several sex Web sites forced him out of a job," he's an active member of the National Press Club.

    Main Source: 
    Editor and Publisher, June 19, 2008

    Weber Shandwick Bowls over the Army

    by Diane Farsetta — June 13, 2008 - 5:08pm

    How can you counter "daily stories and blog entries that portray the negative aspects of joining the military"? That was PR firm Weber Shandwick's job in the lead-up to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January 2008.

    Main Source: 
    PR Week, June 3, 2008

    A Jolly Bright Line for British Broadcasters

    by Diane Farsetta — June 12, 2008 - 3:50pm

    In his first major speech on broadcasting, British culture secretary Andy Burnham minced few words. "I think there are some lines that we should not cross," Burnham told a media industry meeting. "One of which is that you can buy the space between the programmes on commercial channels, but not the space within them. ...

    Main Source: 
    Financial Times (UK), June 11, 2008

    Shipshape Spin for Japan

    by Diane Farsetta — June 12, 2008 - 1:06pm

    Concerns about safety and the impact on the local fishing industry have led residents to protest the U.S. Navy's stationing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan. Some 48,000 residents called for a public referendum on the deployment of the USS George Washington, but the Yokosuka assembly rejected their plea.

    Main Source: 
    The Guardian (UK), June 5, 2008

    Pentagon Pundits, Media Reform and Talking Back to Bill O'Reilly

    by Diane Farsetta — June 10, 2008 - 1:21pm
  • Topics: Activism, Pundits, Video News Releases, Democracy, Ethics, Media, Propaganda, U.S. Government

    • As Paul Schmelzer wrote on the Minnesota Independent website, "There were two National Conferences on Media Reform in Minneapolis over the weekend: the one I attended and the one Bill O'Reilly, Juan Williams and Fox News talking head Mary Catherine Ham didn't."

    O'Reilly's show tried to manufacture controversy about the conference, which I and others from the Center for Media and Democracy attended. But before addressing that, how about some real news on a genuinely controversial issue?

    During Sunday's closing plenary, FCC Commissioner and fake news foe Jonathan Adelstein pledged to push for multiple thorough investigations of the Pentagon military analyst program. So far, the Pentagon's Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, have launched inquiries into the Defense Department's secret cultivation of military pundits. But those investigations aren't enough.

    What's Green on the Outside and Has a Hummer on the Inside?

    by Anne Landman — June 9, 2008 - 2:25pm

    Discovery Communications is spending $100 million to re-make its home television network into "Planet Green," the first television channel devoted entirely to environmentally-themed programming.

    Main Source: 
    CNBC Media Money, June 3, 2008
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