Front Groups

"Equal Protection" Suit: A Tired Last Gasp for Tobacco Industry Allies in Nevada

by Anne Landman — December 8, 2006 - 2:36pm

The tobacco industry’s buddies in the bar and gambling businesses are at it again, suing to try and stop Nevada's new smoke-free law, which voters approved November 7 by a margin of 54% to 46%. The law bans smoking in bars that serve meals, slot machine sections of grocery and convenience stores, in video arcades, shopping malls, schools and day-care centers. Bar and casino owners are claiming the law is unconstitutional, and saying that it will hurt their businesses, while offering no proof that it has.

Main Source: 
Las Vegas Sun, December 5, 2006

New York City Becomes First Big City to Ban Trans Fats

by Jonathan Rosenblum — December 6, 2006 - 8:13am

Bucking intense restaurant industry opposition, New York City has banned all added trans fats in restaurant food. The ban was passed by the city's Board of Health on December 6, 2006, and takes effect in July 2007. Donut makers get a one-year reprieve in order to find a substitute oil for the deep-fried dough. The board's action also included a requirement that restaurant chains post nutritional information.

Main Source: 
Alternet, December 6, 2006

Fast Food Nation Interview: Eric Schlosser On Obesity, Kids, and Fast Food PR

by Jonathan Rosenblum — November 17, 2006 - 5:08pm
  • Topics: Crisis Management, Obesity, Front Groups, Children, Health, Public Relations

    • When PR Watch most recently caught a cell phone signal from Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation and the new Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food, Schlosser was rushing from car to car in New York City, after London, which was just after Berkeley, where he was giving students a preview of the indie film version of "Fast

    Energy Economics 101 for Nuclear Industry's Patrick Moore

    by Bob Burton — October 22, 2006 - 2:15pm

    In an interview with the Toronto Star, veteran energy policy analyst Amory Lovins said that he had spoken with former Greenpeace co-founder turned nuclear power promoter Patrick Moore and concluded that "he's not well informed about energy alternatives." Earlier this year, the Nuclear Energy Institute established a front group, the

    Main Source: 
    Toronto Star (Canada), October 22, 2006

    Roche's Cancer Front Group Flounders

    by Bob Burton — October 22, 2006 - 3:52am

    Cancer United, a cancer patient group created and launched by the PR firm Weber Shandwick with funding from the drug company Roche, has got off to a rocky start. On its website the group states that it aims to run an 18-month-long campaign for more uniform cancer treatments across the European Union.

    Main Source: 
    Guardian (UK), October 20, 2006

    Wal-Mart / Edelman, Part Two: Will the Real Bloggers Please Stand Up?

    by Diane Farsetta — October 20, 2006 - 4:05pm

    O'Dwyer's has more revelations about the multifaceted fakery engaged in by Wal-Mart and its PR firm, Edelman.

    Main Source: 
    O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), October 20, 2006

    Front Group's Fake Blog Just One of Wal-Mart's Recent Woes

    by Diane Farsetta — October 20, 2006 - 2:39pm

    Richard Edelman, the CEO of the Edelman PR firm, "issued an apology for his agency's role in creating a blog for client Wal-Mart that did not properly disclose its origins or funding," notes PR Week.

    Main Source: 
    PR Week (sub req'd), October 18, 2006

    Unmasking Fossil Fuel Lobby Groups

    by Bob Burton — September 27, 2006 - 9:26am

    George Monbiot argues that journalists and media outlets routinely fail to ensure adequate disclosure of the funding sources when including interviewing staff from think tanks on global warming.

    Main Source: 
    Guardian (UK), September 26, 2006

    Corporate Spin Can Come in Disguise

    by John Stauber — September 10, 2006 - 1:09pm

    "If McDonald's makes the case that fast food is nutritious or ExxonMobil argues against higher taxes, it looks like simple self-interest. But when an independent voice makes the case, the ideas gain credibility. So big corporations have devised a form of idea laundering, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to seemingly independent groups that act as spokesmen under disguise.

    Main Source: 
    St. Petersburg Times (Florida), September 10, 2006

    Wal-Mart Front Group Loses Front Man

    by Diane Farsetta — August 18, 2006 - 2:50pm

    Andrew Young, the former civil rights leader turned chair of the front group Working Families for Wal-Mart, resigned from the pro-Wal-Mart group, after making remarks he now calls "demagogic" and "racist shorthand." During an interview with the Los Angeles Sentinel, Young said Wal-Mart should cause small local stores to go out of b

    Main Source: 
    Los Angeles Times, August 18, 2006
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