Front Groups

PR Attack Dog Berman Dishes It Out, But Can't Take It

by John Stauber — May 19, 2002 - 10:00pm

Tobacco PR lobbyist Rick Berman runs a lucrative business smearing public interest groups through his industry-funded fronts such as ConsumerFreedom.com and Activistcash.com. Berman can dish it out, but apparently he can't take it, nor stand the truth. He is threatening to sue food safety activist Jeff Nelson of VegSource for revealing that Berman lines his own pockets from his "non-profit" enterprises. According to Nelson, "Berman claims he wants to 'expose' funding sources of non-profit activist organizations.

Main Source:

VegSource Interactive News Release, May 20, 2002

Berman's Food Industry Front Group Attacks 'Mad Cow USA,' Yet Again...

by John Stauber — May 1, 2002 - 11:00pm

Rick Berman, the tobacco lobbyist who runs Consumer Freedom.com (which he started with $900,000 from Philip Morris) condemns us for "fearmongering" about the dangers of mad cow-type diseases in the US. Berman uses a combination of false claims and misinformation to smear us and our 1997 book Mad Cow USA. Berman's operation is funded by food and booze interests such as Philip Morris, the world's largest tobacco company and the largest food conglomerate in the US.

Main Source:

UPI, May 2, 2002

Berman Floats to the Top

by Sheldon Rampton — April 30, 2002 - 9:56pm

Tobacco, booze and restaurant industry lobbyist Rick Berman is sending around a news release crowing about being included in this year's list of "star rainmakers" in Hill magazine, a publication for Washington insiders "aimed at the 100 senators, 435 House members, 40,000 aides and tens of thousands in the influence industry whose work affects the lives of all Americans." Berman has also received two "pollie" awards from the American Association for Politica

Main Source:

http://www.thehill.com/032002/rss_top.shtm

ActivistCash.com Picked for USA Today Hot Site

by Laura Miller — April 22, 2002 - 11:00pm

Tobacco, booze, and restaurant industry front-group website ActivistCash.com received "hot site" status in USA Today. "In the Internet age, all secrets are open secrets. With gleeful abandon, ActivistCash.com reveals the diverse and oftentimes surprising sources currently funding nonprofit activist organizations. From Mothers Against Drunk Driving to Greenpeace," USA Today writes. What's missing is ActivistsCash's own funding sources.

Main Source:

USA Today, April 23, 2002

Flacking for Vermont Yankee

by Sheldon Rampton — March 8, 2002 - 12:00am

When Marty Jezer got a letter and survey in the mail from "Citizens Against the Shutdown of Vermont Yankee," he guessed right away that the group was a front for his local nuclear power plant. "Vermont Yankee has always presented its side of the nuclear story with vigor," he says. "They have a public relations staff trained to do that job. So why the front group? Why the transparently ridiculous attempt to show grassroots support?"

Main Source:

TomPaine.com, March 8, 2002

Global Climate Coalition Melts Down

by Laura Miller — February 27, 2002 - 12:00am

The Global Climate Coalition, a front group for the auto, oil, coal and other industries responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions that are changing the climate, recently announced that has disbanded, explaining that it "has served its purpose by contributing to a new national approach to global warming.

Main Source:

O'Dwyer's PR Daily, February 27, 2002

"ConsumerFreedom" Attacks Greenpeace in Newsweek

by John Stauber — January 21, 2002 - 1:58pm

Tobacco lobbyist Rick Berman began his Guest Choice Network with $600,000 from Philip Morris. This month he renamed his tobacco front group "ConsumerFreedom.com" and under that name is running a full page ad on the back cover of today's Weekly Standard attacking the animal rights group PETA. Another full page ad in the January 28 issue of Newsweek attacks Greenpeace.

Main Source:

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/peta_ads.cfm

ActivistCash.com Exposed as Tobacco Front Group

by Sheldon Rampton — January 4, 2002 - 12:00am

The Wall Street Journal recently gave a plug to ActivistCash.com, a new website that claims to expose where "activists get their money." ActivistCash.com attacks environmental, health and animal rights activists as "nannies," "anti-choice zealots" and "hypocrites" who pretend to represent grassroots citizens while taking money from foundations.

Main Source:

http://www.prwatch.org/improp/ddam.html

Booze/Tobacco Lobbyist Attacks Foundations, Grantees

by John Stauber — December 13, 2001 - 5:08pm

DC-based lobbyist Rick Berman runs the Guest Choice Network, a front group funded by tobacco, booze and food companies. Now, with much

Main Source:

http://www.activistcash.com/

"Anti-Terrorism" Becomes a Bludgeon Against Activists

by John Stauber — November 26, 2001 - 9:51am

A well-funded business front group, the Washington Legal Foundation, is one of many using September 11th to condemn the patriotism of public interest activists.

Main Source:

http://www.wlf.org/Communicating/