Politics

Ethical Bump or Just a Pothole?

by Sheldon Rampton — August 12, 2005 - 8:45pm

"It was intended as a picturesque public relations triumph," writes Carla Marinucci: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger backed by a blaring soundtrack of 'Takin' It to the Streets,' striding alongside an army of neon-clad street workers to tackle a 'critical' transportation problem—a San Jose pothole. But the photo op took more than a little doing, government documents show—a flurry of anxious e-mails from city officials, dozens of hours of planning on city time and considerable angst over details like location, location, location. ...

Main Source: 
San Francisco Chronicle, August 7, 2005

Democratic Disconnect on Iraq

by Sheldon Rampton — August 9, 2005 - 12:19am

"On the issue of the Iraq War, the disconnect between the Washington, D.C. Democratic Party establishment and political reality in America is growing by the day," writes David Sirota.

Main Source: 
Sirotablog, August 5, 2005

Liberal Money

by Sheldon Rampton — August 8, 2005 - 4:06pm

"Scores of the US's richest people have pledged $1 million or more towards a new attempt to reinvigorate the American left and counter the powerful Republican political machine," writes David Teather.

Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), August 8, 2005

Bid to Sink NZ Nuclear Warship Ban Backfires

by Bob Burton — August 3, 2005 - 7:30am

The prospects of the conservative New Zealand National Party opposition in the September 17 election may be doomed after revelations that it floated the idea of a U.S. think tank helping undermine support for the country's 1985 ban on nuclear armed and powered warships. In January 2004 the Leader of the New Zealand National Party, Don Brash, and its spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Lockwood Smith, met with the then Republican Senator for Oklahoma, Don Nickles. Brash allegedly told U.S.

Main Source: 
New Zealand Herald August 3, 2005

Top GOP Donor Favored As Next CPB Head

by Laura Miller — July 19, 2005 - 6:55pm

"A leading Republican donor who once suggested that public broadcasting journalists should be penalized for biased programs is the top candidate to succeed the controversial chairman at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting," the Washington Post reports. Bush-appointee Cheryl F. Halpern has sat on the CPB board for three years and is slated to replace Ken Tomlinson, a close ally, as the agency's head.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, July 15, 2005

Gosh, Here's a Shocker

by Sheldon Rampton — June 26, 2005 - 5:33pm

"President Bush has nominated as chief of enforcement for the Environmental Protection Agency a partner in a law firm defending W.R. Grace & Co. against criminal charges in a major environmental case," reports Andrew Schneider. "EPA employees were told late Thursday that Bush had nominated Granta Nakayama to lead the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. ... Nakayama, 46, a specialist in environmental law, is a full partner in Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Main Source: 
Baltimore Sun, June 25, 2005

The Campaign For The Bush Agenda

by Laura Miller — June 1, 2005 - 7:13pm

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman recently told NBC News' Elizabeth Wilner his assessment of the media's coverage of the White House.

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Washington Post, May 29, 2005

Labouring Under Illusions

by Diane Farsetta — May 24, 2005 - 2:14pm

Britain's Channel 4 documentary "Undercover in New Labour" includes footage from "a reporter wearing hidden cameras who volunteered to work on the party's election campaign and ended up being drafted to work at its national PR headquarters." The documentary shows Labour staff using "party supporters in key professions from medicine and the law to the armed forces and the police, who were prepared to appear on TV and in the papers and lie through their teeth that their support for this or that policy was entirely un

Main Source: 
Guardian, May 23, 2005

Democracy's Great, but the Elections Are Boring

by Diane Farsetta — May 2, 2005 - 2:43pm

In the lead-up to Thursday's UK national election, the Christian Science Monitor reports on "the growing insinuation of spin and professional marketing into British politics." The Independent publishes a wide-ranging interview with Sir Timothy Bell, the influential owner of

Main Source: 
The Independent, May 2, 2005

Getting Spin with a Little Help from Friends

by Diane Farsetta — April 19, 2005 - 6:22pm

"As House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) faces increasing scrutiny over various allegations of ethical lapses, a powerful cadre of friends and colleagues is stepping up to help protect his image," reports PR Week.

Main Source: 
PR Week (sub. req'd.), April 18, 2005
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