Third Party Technique

Dewey Square Caught Astroturfing Again

by Diane Farsetta — April 1, 2009 - 3:15pm

The Halifax-Plympton Reporter received a letter to the editor urging "that people contact their congressman about the Medicare Advantage program," a "sort of privatized health plan paid for via the recipient's Medicare. Reportedly, there's some interest in doing away with the program." The actual, physical letter was in the name of a local resident, but it didn't mention any of the local Congressional delegation, which the newspaper's editor, Matthew Nadler, found strange.

Main Source: 
Halifax-Plympton Reporter (Marshfield, Massachusetts), March 27, 2009

Lots of Opinion, Not Much Disclosure

by Bob Burton — March 31, 2009 - 11:34pm
  • Topics: Nuclear Power, Third Party Technique, Pharmaceuticals

    • The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) have more in common than being major industry lobby groups.

    Getting Consumers to Pay Now for Nukes Later

    by Bob Burton — February 25, 2009 - 2:40am

    Georgia Power, a subsidiary of the energy utility Southern Power, has mounted an intensive lobbying campaign for legislation that would allow it to bill customers now for as much as $2 billion of the $14 billion price tag of two new nuclear reactors proposed for the Vogtle power station.

    Main Source: 
    Associated Press, February 23, 2009

    Patrick Moore on Drugs

    by Diane Farsetta — January 21, 2009 - 12:22pm

    It is "inevitable that a small amount of ingested pharmaceuticals will eventually show up at trace levels in wastewater," Greenpeace activist turned industry PR consultant Patrick Moore writes in an op/ed.

    Main Source: 
    The Seattle Times (Washington), January 20, 2009

    Penn's Pakistan Project

    by Diane Farsetta — January 5, 2009 - 3:56pm

    Until March 2008, the major public relations firm Burson-Marsteller counted among its clients the Pakistan People's Party, as the Center for Media and Democracy previously reported. Burson-Marsteller promised to influence U.S.

    Main Source: 
    Politico.com, December 29, 2008

    Dead Celebrities Promoting Products From the Grave: Too Creepy?

    by Anne Landman — December 30, 2008 - 3:42pm

    People are questioning the propriety of a new TV and Internet ad that resurrects the voice and image of murdered Beatle John Lennon to promote the nonprofit One L

    Main Source: 
    Advertising Age, December 29, 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

    The Pentagon's Pundits

    In early 2002, the Pentagon began cultivating retired military officers who frequently serve as media commentators, so that they would help make the case for invading Iraq.

    Nuking the Media

    by Bob Burton — July 15, 2008 - 1:27am

    Two years ago, an editorial in the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) referred to the dream run that Patrick Moore and Christine Todd Whitman were getting in the media representing the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition.

    Main Source: 
    Jay Hancock's blog, Baltimore Sun, July 12, 2008

    Meet the Nuclear Power Lobby

    by Diane Farsetta — July 1, 2008 - 3:47pm
  • Topics: Front Groups, Nuclear Power, Third Party Technique, U.S. Congress, Corporations, Lobbying, Politics

    • The following article appeared in the June 2008 issue of The Progressive magazine.

    The nuclear power industry is seeing its fortunes rise. "Seventeen entities developing license applications for up to thirty-one new [nuclear] reactors did not just happen," boasted Frank "Skip" Bowman. "It has been carefully planned."

    Bowman heads the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the main lobbying group for the industry. His remarks (PDF), at a February gathering of more than 100 Wall Street analysts, were part of a presentation on "reasoned expectations for new nuclear plant construction."

    Bowman knew it was important to impress his audience of wary potential investors. "We are where we are today because this industry started many years ago on a systematic program to identify what went wrong the last time," he said, "and develop ways to eliminate or manage those risks."

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