Propaganda

Grrrrrreenwash

by Bob Burton — August 6, 2007 - 5:26am

The New South Wales Greens have complained to the Australian corporate regulator that Saab's "Grrrrrreen" advertising campaign makes deceptive claims and is greenwashing.

Main Source: 
Sydney Morning Herald, August 2, 2007

Rumsfield Vague on War Media Management

by Bob Burton — August 2, 2007 - 8:15pm

Asked by Congressman Dennis Kucinich whether the Rendon Group was involved in a Department of Defense media management strategy on the war in Iraq, the former Secretary of Defense,

Main Source: 
Truthout, August 1, 2007

Military Takes Aim at U.S. Propaganda Ban

by Bob Burton — July 31, 2007 - 5:36am

In preparing its marketing study commissioned by the U.S. military, the RAND Corporation sought the advice of PR advisers including Burson-Marsteller, Weber Shandwick, J.D.

Main Source: 
PR Week, July 30, 2007

Terrorism Hype Backfires

by Bob Burton — July 25, 2007 - 3:38am

The detention and subsequent charging of an Indian-born doctor, Mohamed Haneef, under draconian anti-terrorism laws has turned into a PR nightmare for the Australian government. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) charged Haneef with providing support to a terrorist organization, claiming that he had provided a mobile phone SIM card to a relative who had it with him when he recently crashed his car into Glasgow airport terminal. The AFP subsequently conceded that the SIM card was with another relative hundreds of kilometers away at the time of the airport attack.

Main Source: 
Sydney Morning Herald, July 23, 2007

PR vs. PR on Climate Change

by John Stauber — June 30, 2007 - 5:12pm

James Hoggan, a long time Canadian PR pro, represents a slew of big corporations and trade associations. But Hoggan is also the chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, a leading environmental organization, and he has been using his DeSmogBlog to heap shame and ridicule upon his colleagues in the PR business over the issue of global climate change.

Main Source: 
DeSmogBlog, June 28, 2007

Has the Internet Changed the Propaganda Model?

by Sheldon Rampton — May 22, 2007 - 2:50pm
  • Topics: Activism, Internet, Iraq, Democracy, Human Rights, International, Media, Politics, Propaganda, U.S. Government

    • In their groundbreaking 1988 book, Manufacturing Consent, professors Ed Herman and Noam Chomsky not only explained, but documented with extensive case studies, how mass media and public opinion are shaped in a democracy. Twenty years later, can their "propaganda model" still be used to explain modern media distortions? That was one of the main questions discussed last week at a conference in Windsor, Ontario, titled "20 Years of Propaganda?" Organized by Dr. Paul Boin, the conference drew hundreds of scholars and activists including myself, and more than 1,000 people attended a closing speech by Chomsky on May 17.

    U.S. Think Tank Calls for More Troops, More Propaganda

    by Diane Farsetta — May 18, 2007 - 6:31pm

    "A new security study released by the Third Way, a Democratic-leaning think tank," and authored by two former Clinton administration officials, discusses how to rebuild U.S. credibility overseas.

    Main Source: 
    The Hill, May 18, 2007

    Herr Stauber In Der Spiegel

    by Judith Siers-Poisson — May 15, 2007 - 9:35am
  • Topics: Iraq, Global Warming, Environment, International, Propaganda, Public Relations, U.S. Government, War / Peace

    • CMD Founder and Executive Director John Stauber has been in Germany, Austria and Belgium for the past two weeks speaking in major cities and discussing the publication of "Toxic Sludge Is Good For You" in German. On May 16 Vienna's daily paper Der Standard ran an interview with Herr Stauber that can be read in German by searching his name on their website. He was previously interviewed by Nils Klawitter for the German magazine Der Spiegel, and a translated portion of the interview is below. (Thanks to Orange-Press, publishers of the German edition of Toxic Sludge Is Good for You, for the translation.) If you would like to read the German interview in its entirety, please go to: http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,481658,00.html

    War vs. Democracy: Untold Stories from the Lynch / Tillman Hearing

    by Diane Farsetta — May 11, 2007 - 10:50am
  • Topics: Journalism, Democracy, Human Rights, International, Propaganda, U.S. Government, War / Peace

    • What does it mean to be a nation at war? Is it possible to exercise democratic control over a wartime government that dismisses honest criticism as unpatriotic? What should citizens do when members of their military not only commit crimes -- as happens during every war -- but also rely on propaganda to hide mistakes and to embellish or even create victories, as happened in the cases of Army Ranger Pat Tillman and Private Jessica Lynch?


    Jessica Lynch testifies

    Those are big questions, but a few things are clear. One is that the secrecy, deception and constraints sought by wartime administrations are anathema to the transparency, accountability and freedom necessary to democracy. As James Madison warned, "Of all the enemies of public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other."

    Another truism is that citizens retain the right to receive information and provide guidance to their government during wartime. The last is that, while security concerns may legitimately restrict what information can be shared when, maintaining civilian oversight of war operations helps ensure that human rights standards are upheld.

    Perhaps the most important effort to provide oversight of ongoing U.S. wars was the April 24 Congressional hearing on battlefield misinformation.

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