Astroturf

Astroturf Expert Forms NIMBY Campaign

by Diane Farsetta — June 16, 2009 - 2:11pm

The new Virginia-based group "Citizens for a Safe Alexandria" describes itself as a grassroots group, but its founder works for a public relations firm that specializes in "'grassroots' and 'grasstops' media strategies." Citizens for a Safe Alexandria's Sara Raak has appeared on local television news, urging the Obama administration not to "put

Main Source: 
The Washington Independent, June 11, 2009

Hot Air from the Firm Behind "Clean Coal"

by Diane Farsetta — June 3, 2009 - 2:28pm

"The advertising firm behind the heavily-aired 'America's Power' campaign, R&R Partners - Advertising, has come out with its own brag-sheet detailing the ad work it did for the coal industry's main front group," the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), reports Kevin Grandia.

Main Source: 
DeSmogBlog, June 1, 2009

FreedomWorks Behind Tax Day Tea Party Protests

by John Stauber — April 14, 2009 - 6:53am

Who makes up the Tea Party movement? The Tax Day Tea Party protest movement is not as spontaneous as its organizers would like you to think. Chris Good writes, "Here is the organizational landscape of the April 15 tea party movement, in a nutshell: three national-level conservative groups, all with slightly different agendas, are guiding it.

Main Source: 
Atlantic.com, April 13, 2009

Stealth Campaign for Stealth Fighter Jets

by Diane Farsetta — February 4, 2009 - 5:16pm

From PreserveRaptorJobs.comPreserveRaptorJobs.com is "a one-page site that urges visitors to write President Obama in support" of the F-22 Raptor, a $340 million stealth

Main Source: 
Wired.com blog "Danger Room," February 3, 2009

Radioactive Grassroots

by Bob Burton — September 29, 2008 - 2:51pm

In an opinion column, former Greenpeace activist turned PR consultant Patrick Moore waxes lyrical about a proposal by Luminant to build two new reactors at its Comanche Peak nuclear power station in Texas.

Main Source: 
Dallas Morning News, September 29, 2008

A Climate Change Skeptic and His Supporters

by Bob Burton — September 11, 2008 - 1:51am

Sammy Wilson, the Northern Ireland Minister for Environment, is an avowed climate change skeptic who claims that "there is no conclusive evidence that greenhouse gases are a major cause of

Main Source: 
The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), September 10, 2008

Another Ghost-Written Op/ed Traced to LMG

by Diane Farsetta — August 14, 2008 - 11:18am

If there's a questionable opinion column promoting a corporate viewpoint, chances are the secretive Washington DC public affairs firm LMG -- also known as LawMedia Group -- is involved. As the Center for Media and Democracy reported previously, LMG helped place a column attributed to the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which he didn't write and which criticized some SCLC donors. Now, it appears LMG is behind another column.

Main Source: 
CNET News, August 14, 2008

Armey's Angry Renters

by Sheldon Rampton — May 21, 2008 - 3:05pm

"AngryRenter.com looks a bit like a digital ransom note, with irregular fonts, exclamation points and big red arrows -- all emphasizing prudent renters' outrage over a proposed government bailout for irresponsible homeowners," writes Michael M. Phillips. In fact, however, "the people behind AngryRenter.com are certainly not renters.

Main Source: 
Wall Street Journal, May 16, 2008

Where There's PR Smoke, There's Grassfire.org, Dude

by John Stauber — May 9, 2008 - 11:06am

Columnist Dimitri Vassilaros received a news release about a grassroots "petition to stop climate alarmism" and attacking Al Gore's work.

Main Source: 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 9, 2008

Featured Participatory Project: Outing Front Groups

by Bob Burton — April 16, 2008 - 2:00am

Often readers and citizen journalists will come across a name of a group that seems a little at odds with the policy message they are promoting. Some of these names were added to the SourceWatch page on front groups with the intention of returning to create an article on that at a later date.

Main Source: 
Sourcewatch, April 16, 2008
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