Public Relations

Herr Stauber In Der Spiegel

by Judith Siers-Poisson — May 15, 2007 - 9:35am
  • Topics: Iraq, Global Warming, Environment, International, Propaganda, Public Relations, U.S. Government, War / Peace

    • CMD Founder and Executive Director John Stauber has been in Germany, Austria and Belgium for the past two weeks speaking in major cities and discussing the publication of "Toxic Sludge Is Good For You" in German. On May 16 Vienna's daily paper Der Standard ran an interview with Herr Stauber that can be read in German by searching his name on their website. He was previously interviewed by Nils Klawitter for the German magazine Der Spiegel, and a translated portion of the interview is below. (Thanks to Orange-Press, publishers of the German edition of Toxic Sludge Is Good for You, for the translation.) If you would like to read the German interview in its entirety, please go to: http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,481658,00.html

    Shell Drills for Support in Virginia

    by Diane Farsetta — May 14, 2007 - 12:13pm

    As part of its crisis management strategy, in response to public anger over high gas prices and record-breaking profits for the oil industry, Shell Oil president John Hofmeister recently spoke to a small invite-only group in Richmond, Virginia.

    Main Source: 
    USA Today, May 11, 2007

    Lipstick on a Dictator

    by Sheldon Rampton — May 10, 2007 - 9:50pm

    Teodoro Obiang and Condoleezza Rice

    "On an unusually warm morning in Washington, D.C., last spring," writes Joshua Kurlantzick, "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stood before a pack of reporters for a briefing, one of Africa's most notorious dictators at her side." Th

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    Mother Jones, May 7, 2007

    Thailand Pays for a PR Coup

    by Diane Farsetta — April 30, 2007 - 5:51pm

    Thailand's unelected interim government, which was installed after a military coup in September 2006, is "increasingly unpopular at home" and "under attack abroad for overriding drug patents," reports Reuters. So, according to former army chief turned Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, Thailand will "spend $600,000 on a three-month public relations campaign" to improve the government's poor image. "The money isn't much, but we have to do what we have to do," said Chulanont.

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    Reuters, April 30, 2007

    Not-So-Revolutionary PR

    by Bob Burton — April 27, 2007 - 7:31pm

    In an interview with LobbyWatch, British journalist George Monbiot reviews the network of the key players from Living Marxism.

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    LobbyWatch, April 11, 2007

    Government Contractors: Not Your Average Corporate Evildoers

    by Diane Farsetta — April 27, 2007 - 3:52pm

    "Fearing increased oversight from the newly elected Democratic-controlled Congress, the Coalition for Government Procurement (CGP), a trade group representing government product and service suppliers, is planning a PR and marketing campaign to promote its members as responsible companies and not stereotypical 'corporate evildoers,'" reports Ted McKenna. The CGP is also forming a new group, the Council on Responsible Contracting (CORC).

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    PR Week, April 20, 2007

    New Participatory Project: Help Track PR Firms on SourceWatch

    by Diane Farsetta — April 24, 2007 - 3:44pm

    Exposing the activities and ethical shortcomings of public relations firms has been a focus of the Center for Media and Democracy's work since its founding in 1993. Now you can help, via our online collaborative encyclopedia, SourceWatch! The SourceWatch article on public relations firms links to entries on more than 200 PR firms. The trade publication O'Dwyer's maintains a list of the top-grossing U.S.

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    Public relations firms on SourceWatch

    Nigerian Power Politics in Washington DC

    by Diane Farsetta — April 24, 2007 - 3:10pm

    Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar may have lost his bid to become president (though Nigeria's recent elections were "marred by violence and alleged fraud, and results are not yet final"), but it's not for lack of trying. To increase his influence, Abubakar maintains a Washington DC lobbying presence "separate from the embassy, costing him roughly $200,000 over several years," reports The Hill. Abubakar retains Edward Weidenfeld for legal counsel and "support for free and fair elections in Nigeria," according to lobbying registration forms.

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    The Hill, April 24, 2007

    Nuclear Industry Pins Hopes on Subsidies

    by Bob Burton — April 23, 2007 - 4:13pm

    Around the world there are consultants, PR advisers and industry associations hyping nuclear power as a "solution" to global warming. However, they rarely mention the hidden costs. In a recent briefing for Wall Street analysts, the major U.S.

    Main Source: 
    Australian Broadcasting Corporation, April 22, 2007
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