Astroturf

Astroturf Ethics

by Sheldon Rampton — January 17, 2003 - 11:00pm

After a recent article in the British Medical Journal detailed drug company sponsorship of medical meetings on "female sexual dysfunction," a PR firm with clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry has launched a global campaign to "counter" the BMJ report. Michelle Lerner of the HCC De Facto PR firm said it would "violate ethical guidelines" to disclose the identity of her client.

Main Source: 
British Medical Journal, January 18, 2003

PR Watch Banned From Corporate Grassroots Confab

by John Stauber — January 17, 2003 - 3:09pm

Every February the powerful Public Affairs Council (PAC) holds its annual National Grassroots Conference for Corporations and Associations in some lovely southern location. PR Watch wanted to attend and report on this year's confab in Key West. We covered the 1997 conference and uncovered a goldmine of hidden information on how corporations wage powerful campaigns at the grassroots to promote their special interest agendas.

Bonner Beats Rap for Astroturf Lobbying

by Sheldon Rampton — December 18, 2002 - 11:00pm

PR Watch has reported in the past on the questionable tactics of Bonner & Associates, which specializes in "astroturf" (artificial grassroots) organizing for corporate clients. Earlier this year, Jack Bonner was charged with ethics violations in Maryland, but the Maryland State Ethics Commission has cleared him of charges that he used deceptive tactics on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry.

Main Source: 
Baltimore Sun, December 19, 2002

Astroturf Groups Give Drug Industry Even More Clout

by John Stauber — November 20, 2002 - 11:00pm

"Having spent more than $30 million to help elect their allies to Congress, the major drug companies are devising ways to capitalize on their electoral success by securing favorable new legislation and countering the pressure that lawmakers in both parties feel to lower the cost of prescription drugs, industry officials say.

Main Source: 
New York Times, November 21, 2002

'Astroturf' Lobbying for Lawn Pesticides

by Sheldon Rampton — May 25, 2002 - 10:00pm

A year after the Canadian Supreme Court's landmark ruling allowing municipalities to ban the use of lawn pesticides, the chemical industry is fighting back. "In many cases they have been successful in out-organizing the local communities," says Alex Cullen, a member of the Ottawa City Council. In Toronto, for example, public meetings last week on a proposed pesticide ban were overwhelmed by representatives from lawn-care companies sporting T-shirts, handing out pamphlets and offering quick comebacks to any question.

Main Source: 
Canada.com, May 26, 2002

CLEAR for Launch

by Sheldon Rampton — March 29, 2002 - 12:00am

For years, the Clearinghouse for Environmental Education, Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) did yeoman's work researching the financial ties and extremist rhetoric of the corporate-funded anti-environmental movement. Until recently a project of the Environmental Working Group, CLEAR recently spun off to become independent.

Main Source: 
http://www.clearproject.org/

Andersen Holds "Spontaneous" PR Stunt

by Laura Miller — March 22, 2002 - 12:00am

A flashy publicity stunt outside a Houston federal courthouse accompanied accounting firm Arthur Andersen's not guilty plea to Justice Department obstruction charges. "As Andersen pleaded not guilty inside the courtroom, outside the firm launched a public relations blitz designed to portray government prosecutors as overzealous and heartless to the plight of its 28,000 U.S. employees," USA Today's Greg Farrell reports.

Main Source: 
USA Today, March 21, 2002; O'Dwyer's PR Daily, March 22, 2002

Ethics Complaint Filed Against PHRMA

by Laura Miller — March 20, 2002 - 12:00am

"The Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative has filed a seven-page complaint on March 18 with the State Ethics Commission about the hardball lobbying tactics employed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and its grassroots firm, Bonner & Assocs.," O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports. "The non-profit group is an advocate of universal healthcare and a backer of a Maryland bill that would lower the cost of prescription drugs for Medicaid patients and the uninsured. PhRMA opposes the bill.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, March 20, 2002

Astroturf Used By Drug Companies To Kill Bill

by Laura Miller — March 9, 2002 - 12:00am

The Baltimore Sun reports that Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) hired Washington-based lobbying firm Bonner & Associates to kill legislation that would lower the cost of prescription drugs for Maryland's Medicaid program and for lower-income residents who have no medical insurance. According to the Sun, Bonner & Associates recruited a small Michigan-based nonprofit group called the Consumer Alliance to front for PhRMA. "By joining with Bonner & Associates, the Consumer Alliance gets money and organizational help to spread its message," the Sun writes.

Main Source: 
Baltimore Sun, March 9, 2002

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
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