Does it seem that the corporate news media is filled with traitorous peaceniks who are coddling Saddam, bashing Bush, and opposing a first-strike attack on Iraq? No? Well, maybe you just aren't paying attention like Brent Bozell III and his Media Research Center. The Center sends e-mail alerts throughout the day to its list of over 11,000 followers who can then rain complaints onto ABC, NBC, CBS and other media that aren't toeing the correct line on Iraq and other issues. MRC Chairman Brent Bozell III draws a salary of over a quarter of a million dollars a year, and the MRC budget totaled more than $15 million a year in 2000 with grants over the years from the usual ideological sources including the Scaife, Bradley and Olin foundations.

Industry apologist Steven Milloy, formerly a tobacco lackey at The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition and currently a self-proclaimed expert on "junk science," is hiding behind yet another front group. StopLabelingLies.com claims to be dedicated to exposing "examples of false and misleading food and other product labels and their associated marketing campaigns," but its real mission is to attack organic foods on behalf of the biotech industry. As is usually the case with Milloy's web sites, StopLabelingLies.com does not disclose the identity of any of its staff members or financial supporters, but an Internet registry search shows that the domain name is registered to Citizens for the Integrity of Science, a paper organization that Milloy sometimes lists as the sponsor of his other web site, JunkScience.com. By way of content, StopLabelingLies.com prominently features "The Fear Profiteers," which first appeared on yet another, now-defunct Milloy Front Group called NoMoreScares.com, which we debunked in the 3rd Quarter 2000 issue of PR Watch.

Seeking to "create a favorable image for the country," Pakistan will pay $600,000 for a year of media relations work, O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports. The recently formed Sterling International Consulting Corporation, based in Lansing, Michigan, will "root out negative stories" and provide journalists with "background, response and clarification." The PR firm is to find Pakistani-Americans willing to speak out on behalf of Pakistan. "Those 'message surrogates' will be given talking points and media training by SICC. [The] firm will stimulate a grassroots campaign via e-mails, letters-to-the editor, one-on-one communications and newsletters," O'Dwyer's writes.

"Though many Arabs are receptive to America's propaganda theme of 'freedom and hope,' they are turned off by the message because of the strong U.S. support of Israel, said Rep. Christopher Shays [R-Conn] during his all-day Capitol Hill probe into this country's public diplomacy efforts," reports O'Dwyer's PR. Pollster John Zogby told the meeting "more than 90 percent of those polled in [Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and U.A.E] gave an 'unfavorable' rating for U.S. policy toward the Arab nations and toward the Palestinians."