Religion

News By The Grace Of God

by Laura Miller — April 27, 2003 - 11:00pm

"The U.S. government this week launched its Arabic language satellite TV
news station for Muslim Iraq. It is being produced in a studio -- Grace Digital Media -- controlled by fundamentalist Christians who are rabidly pro-Israel," Washington D.C.-based journalists Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman report. According to its web site, Grace News Network is "dedicated to transmitting the evidence of God's presence in the world today. ...

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Corp-Focus, April 28, 2003

Self-fulfilling Prophecies?

by Sheldon Rampton — February 20, 2003 - 12:00am

As the nation marches toward war in the Middle East, millions of Americans believe in Biblical prophecies of Armageddon that predict war and mass slaughters of Jews and Muslims. "Genocide, in short, becomes the ultimate means of prophetic fulfillment," writes historian Paul Boyer. "Without close attention to the prophetic scenario embraced by millions of American citizens, the current political climate in the United States cannot be fully understood. ...

Main Source:

AlterNet.org, February 20, 2003

Christian Coalition Sponsors Anti-Islam Speakers

by Laura Miller — February 19, 2003 - 12:00am

At a Christian Coalition symposium on Feb. 15, Don Feder, a syndicated columnist for The Boston Herald for 19 years, and Daniel Pipes, New York Post columnist and director of the right-wing Middle East Forum, agreed that militant Islamists are the real enemies of the U.S., reports O'Dwyer's PR Daily. Feder "railed against U.S. leaders who insist Islam is a religion of tolerance and compassion and charity," O'Dwyer's writes.

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O'Dwyer's PR Daily, February 19, 2003

Why Can't We All Get Along?

by Sheldon Rampton — January 23, 2003 - 12:00am

The Council of American Muslims for Understanding, an organization created by the U.S. State Department, has been trying to impress Muslims abroad with glowing portrayals of religious diversity and tolerance in the United States. Unfortunately, the Bush administration's supporters in the Christian Coalition of America (CCA) have been sending a different message.

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O'Dwyer's PR Daily, January 23, 2003

US Unveils "Muslim-as-Apple-Pie" Ad Campaign

by John Stauber — October 30, 2002 - 12:00am

The US government is using The Rendon Group, advertising whiz Charlotte Beers and others to develop PR and ad campaigns to sway Muslim opinion toward the US. The first ads are being "greeted with skepticism," according to the New York Times. "Rawia Ismail, ...her head covered with an Islamic head scarf, appears in a US government video that will have its first public showing this week on national television here in [Indonesia]... 'I didn't see any prejudice anywhere in my neighborhood after Sept.

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New York Times, October 30, 2002

More PR Help for Catholic Sex Abuse

by Sheldon Rampton — October 29, 2002 - 12:00am

Guthrie/Mayes PR is helping the Archdiocese of Louisville handle its sex abuse crisis. Eight of the Archdiocese's 182 priests have been "permanently removed" from their ministries. Other clients of Guthrie/Mayes include Philip Morris, Toyota, Eli Lilly and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

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O'Dwyer's PR Daily, October 29, 2002

Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammo

by Sheldon Rampton — September 25, 2002 - 11:00pm

KCSA PR Worldwide, whose clients include the Zionist Organization of America, is doing PR for the Christian Coalition to support the war in Iraq. The Christian Coalition is organizing a "Christian Solidarity for Israel Rally" and is urging its members to pray for the Iraqi people while we bomb them. Some PR counselors see a conflict of interest and problems down the road when Jewish and fundamentalist Christian agendas collide.

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O'Dwyer's PR Daily, September 26, 2002

Don't Touch the Priests

by Sheldon Rampton — June 5, 2002 - 11:00pm

Tom Fox, publisher of the National Catholic Reporter, explains why it took more than a decade before journalists exposed the Catholic priest sex scandal. "We were seeing cases of this pedophilia stuff in a number of dioceses in a number of cities," Fox says. "The secular press wouldn't touch it because they didn't want to be seen as anti-Catholic, and the Catholic [press] wouldn't touch it because they weren't independent."

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Pitch Weekly, June 6, 2002

L.A. Archdiocese Hires Sitrick

by Sheldon Rampton — May 29, 2002 - 11:00pm

"After months of headlines about abusive priests, the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has engaged Sitrick & Co., a prominent and expensive public relations firm specializing in high-profile clients with big troubles," reports the Los Angeles Times.

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Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2002

Leaked Catholic E-mails Discuss Priest Scandal

by Sheldon Rampton — April 5, 2002 - 1:00am

The email correspondence of Los Angeles' Roman Catholic cardinal as he struggled to contain a scandal over child-molesting priests was broadcast across the city after copies of his correspondence was leaked to radio station KFI-AM's popular talk show hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou.

Main Source:

Reuters, April 5, 2002