Senators John Kerry and Frank Lautenberg introduced the Truth in Broadcasting Act; a Senate Commerce committee hearing is expected in early May. The bill would require "all pre-packaged news stories produced by Executive Branch agencies to contain a continuously visible disclaimer stating 'Produced By the U.S. Government'," when aired on U.S. television stations. The bill does not require disclaimers from broadcasters. The disclaimer would not be required for reports from government-supported news agencies like PBS and NPR, or for international broadcasts, "since the U.S. government has no prohibition on exporting propaganda." Broadcasting & Cable suggests the bill "has a good chance of becoming law," given the overwhelming support for a similar measure authored by Senator Robert Byrd.

The U.S. Army Reserve 7th Psychological Operations (Psyops) group "is offering soldiers a crash course in Iraqi community relations intended to help them defuse potentially hostile situations when they arrive in the region." Over the past year, the group has trained more than 300 Army Reservists at three locations in California, using "simulated Iraqi towns populated by Arab-Americans hired by outside contractors to play the role of curious, sometimes disgruntled Iraqi citizens." Exercises include "simulated meetings with local tribal leaders," "attempts to enforce crowd control" and soldiers "coming under attack while traveling between towns." Lt. Col. Steve Goto said of the Psyops unit, "We're the military's version of Madison Avenue."

A National Cancer Institute study found that "workers exposed to average levels of benzene" were four times more likely to develop cancer. Benzene is a component of gasoline, so tighter regulations would have "an impact on gasoline production," said a former Mobil Oil toxicologist. So, BP, Chevron Texaco, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and Shell Chemical raised $27 million to carry out their own benzene study, under the American Petroleum Institute. Although their research won't be completed until 2007, information from "depositions, proposals to oil companies and other documents collected by a Houston law firm in unrelated lawsuits" suggests "the results of the study already have been predicted." An independent toxicologist called parts of the oil companies' study "scientifically inappropriate" and said the researchers seemed to be "promising a result in advance." The data could also be quashed, at the request of two-thirds of the funding oil companies.

"A case study posted on the website of [Washington] DC-based Glover Park Group (GPG) has caused a PR snafu," reports PR Week. The case study describes how GPG (along with Dewey Square Group and Grassroots Enterprise, Inc., as reported earlier on SourceWatch) worked "to combat the rollout of new Nielsen TV viewership technology," on behalf of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. News Corp. is concerned the technology might affect its advertising rates. The PR firms organized a "grassroots coalition" called Don't Count Us Out, which claims the technology would undercount communities of color. After discovering GPG's case study, Nielsen Media Research released a statement saying GPG "is admitting for the first time that it created, organized and directed the activities of the Don't Count Us Out organization at the behest of News Corp." A spokesperson for Don't Count Us Out said, "Nielsen is trying to change the topic."

"Direct-to-consumer advertising - on which pharmaceutical companies spend roughly $3 billion a year - can trump medical need in influencing how doctors prescribe drugs," concludes a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. For the study, actresses posed as patients with mild depression and either asked about a specific antidepressant, based on TV ads; asked about medications in general; or just described their symptoms. Doctors "were five times more likely to write them prescriptions," if the patient asked for a specific drug. However, patients received the best care when they asked about medications in general. In response, the industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America stated that drug ads increase "patient awareness, allowing more people to get proper diagnoses and drugs."

In its "PR Toolbox" section, PR Week asks how audio news releases (ANRs) can avoid "the recent controversy that's surrounded video news releases." Ryan McKenna of the radio PR firm North American Network suggests not using the word "reporting," for starters (advice the USDA's Broadcast Media & Technology Center doesn't follow). "Most likely, your narrator is a voice talent, not a reporter. ... Just don't use that word." McKenna also suggests making the ANR "journalistically viable," with an objective, factual tone. At the same time, he says "your spokesperson can and should be an advocate for the story," but should be "a clearly identified, real person" using their real name. But McKenna perpetuates a major problem with "fake news" by saying ANRs should be structured "like a news report you'd hear on the radio."

Perhaps due to the Vioxx and teen antidepressant scandals, "the Food and Drug Administration is pelting drugmakers with letters warning that they have run afoul of promotional regulations." Advertising Age writes that the FDA's actions are "threatening to tip the $4 billion direct-to-consumer industry into a full-blown crisis." The FDA has warned nine companies so far in 2005, compared to 12 in 2004 and five in 2003. "DTC ads account for nearly a third of the advertising on the major broadcast network's nightly news programs," notes AdAge. "This is not a crackdown, it's enforcement," said Thomas Abrams, the head of FDA's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communication. "We're prepared to take whatever action necessary to stop misleading promotion."

Following similar interest from media moguls and PR firms, the consulting firm Issue Dynamics, Inc. "has launched a formal Blogger Relations Practice and a companion website, http://www.bloggerrelations.com." According to its press release, IDI has already provided "blogger relations" services to "Fortune 50 corporations, national trade associations, advocacy groups and political party committees." Journalist and blogger Dan Gillmor noted that, "as eWeek reported in February, a subsidiary of the firm issued a report denouncing municipal wireless installations without making clear that big telecom firms, which vehemently oppose municipal wireless systems, are among the firm's chief funders. ... Readers need to know who's behind the opinions, so they can make better judgments about what - and whom - they can trust."

The Center for Consumer Freedom, an industry-funded front group, launched a $600,000 ad campaign decrying the "hype" around obesity. CCF's Mike Burita, who admitted that restaurant chains "are predominant sources of funding for us," said the group hopes the ads will put "pressure on the leadership of the CDC." A recent Centers for Disease Control study estimated 25,814 annual obesity-related deaths in the United States, down from earlier estimates of 365,000. "The science around computing mortality associated with obesity is still evolving," said a CDC spokesperson, adding that the two estimates "really can't" be compared. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that food industry lobbyists are "putting a full-court press on state legislatures and Congress to stop lawsuits that claim plaintiffs' weight problems are linked to the food they ate at a particular restaurant." These so-called "cheeseburger bills" have been enacted in 16 states, with 26 more considering similar measures.

The Federal Communications Commission's warning that broadcasters should disclose the origin of some video news releases (VNRs) has the fake news business in a lather. Kevin Foley, the president of KEF Media, told PR Week that "the government has no business sticking its nose into news or communications as we practice it here ... The FCC has no jurisdiction over news and news content." Richard Edelman, the president and CEO of the PR company Edelman, conceded that disclosing government VNRs "in some way" was reasonable. However, Edelman draws the line at labeling corporate VNRs, the bulk of those produced. "I do not believe in the need for government to put a black box on any VNR that's produced for a company," he said.

"When the government creates a cable channel that reminds viewers of a news network, down to the live Pentagon briefings and interviews with Washington big shots, is it a form of propaganda or just a savvy way to communicate with the troops?" the Christian Science Monitor asks, about the Pentagon Channel. Launched last May with $6 million in taxpayer funds, the Pentagon Channel is broadcast on military bases, public cable and the Internet. While "military-sponsored news reports are hardly anything new," the Pentagon Channel is widely available, "ostensibly so reservists and military families can watch it." Senior producer Scott Howe says, "We are an advocate of the Department of Defense and its voice. We obviously don't air speculation out in the civilian media that questions what the department is doing or its motives." To communications professor Ralph Begleiter, "They're not journalists. They're salesmen."

The British government "is drawing up secret plans to create a new generation of nuclear power stations." However, "Tony Blair wants to avoid discussing the issue until after the election," scheduled for May 5. A "senior insider" said of a committee studying the potential role of nuclear energy in addressing global warming, "They are carefully framing the questions to get the answer they want." The Observer reports, "Two of Britain's most senior scientific experts yesterday denounced government ministers for favouring PR spin over serious scientific advice when dealing with nuclear waste disposal." Professor David Ball and Keith Baverstock say the government's Committee on Radioactive Waste Management "wasted 17 months pretending to consult the public" on such improbable scenarios as burying nuclear waste under ice or launching it into space. "It is barking mad to consider nuclear power as part of a sustainable energy policy," said a Green Party spokesperson.

For the first time in 20 years, the U.S. government will not be publishing Patterns of Global Terrorism, a Congressionally-mandated report from the U.S. Department of State intended to provide a full and complete record of countries and groups involved in international terrorism. Last year, the Bush administration was embarrassed when the report tallied 175 significant terrorist attacks - the highest number in two decades, contradicting the administration's claim that it is winning the war on terrorism. According to U.S. intelligence officials, this year's numbers are far worse - 625 attacks, or nearly four times the amount of last year's embarrassment. In a State Department briefing, spokesman Richard Boucher said the department plans to issue a different report, with the statistics omitted. The numbers would be released someday, Boucher said, but "I don't know when."

U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) is "fostering competition" for a "lucrative contract to analyze foreign media coverage and handle strategic communications for its operations and the so-called global war on terrorism," reports O'Dwyer's. The work involves tracking "media in broadcast, print and online in Arabic, Urdu Pashtu" and other languages, as well as "building databases of key communicators and media outlets, analyzing the perception of U.S. actions and communication, and identifying vulnerabilities." The contract requires the PR firm to provide staff "on a 24/7 schedule during critical periods." The secretive Rendon Group, "the Pentagon's go-to firm for military PR," currently holds the $8.2 million contract, which 56 of its employees work on. STRATCOM hopes to award the new contract this summer.

A little-noticed proposal in the 2,000 page federal budget "would give the president the power to appoint an eight-member panel called the 'Sunset Commission.'" The commission would "review federal programs every ten years and decide whether they should be eliminated. Any programs that are not 'producing results,' in the eyes of the commission, would 'automatically terminate unless the Congress took action.'" Even the Environmental Protection Agency or Food and Drug Administration could be axed, on a "simple vote of five commissioners" - not a high bar, since many commissioners would likely be "lobbyists and executives from major corporations." The Sunset Commission is the brainchild of Clay Johnson, who's already "helped place industry champions ... throughout the government." It was first mentioned publicly by the ExxonMobil-funded think tank, the Mercatus Center.

Once again, a parody news segment on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" is offering better journalism than much of what you'll find coming from "real" newsrooms. CC's Samantha Bee interviews Republican media strategist Frank Luntz for advice on how to create her own fake town hall meetings, like the ones that President Bush has been using to promote his Social security privatization scheme. "A real town hall can be very dangerous if it gets out of control," Luntz explains. "A town hall where the speaker cannot command the respect and the control of the audience can look very bad on television. ... To me the most important component of a successful town hall is the visual, is the backdrop." And the audience itself is part of the backdrop, Luntz explains as he reviews footage from an actual Bush town hall video: "There he's got an African-American, he's got an Asian, there's your female he's got. It's one of everybody. It's almost like the rainbow wedding line."

"No company appears to be working harder to support those who debunk global warming" than ExxonMobil, writes Chris Mooney. "Some 40 ExxonMobil-funded organizations ... have sought to undermine mainstream scientific findings on global climate change or have maintained affiliations with a small group of 'skeptic' scientists who continue to do so." From 2000 to 2003, ExxonMobil gave $8.7 million to such SourceWatch favorites as the American Council on Science and Health, Atlas Economic Research Foundation, Capital Research Center, Heartland Institute, International Policy Network, Mercatus Center, National Center for Public Policy Research, Tech Central Station, and groups associated with Steve Milloy (the full list is here). As an American Petroleum Institute memo stated, "Victory will be achieved when ... recognition of uncertainty [about global warming] becomes part of the 'conventional wisdom.'"

In an "uncharacteristically aggressive recruitment effort," the U.S. Army National Guard is launching a new campaign, called "The American Soldier." The campaign includes "sending eight mobile information and recruitment centers (with another 12 in production) to sporting events and shopping malls across the country, increasing direct mailings to three times annually, and signing a sponsorship deal with NASCAR driver Greg Biffle," reports PR Week. "The days when someone would see an ad and then go to a recruitment office may be gone," said Lt. Col. Mike Jones. The Guard is also widening its target audience beyond high school students, to "college, junior college and vocational-technical school students." The Guard's 2005 marketing budget is $38 million, though "an additional $26 million will be asked for through supplemental requests," according to Jones.

Fleishman-Hillard "agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle a lawsuit" brought against it by the city of Los Angeles, which claimed the firm "defrauded city departments by inflating monthly bills." The firm will pay $5.5 million to the Department of Water and Power, the main contract in question, with the remainder going to city agencies "that oversee the airports, harbor and visitors bureau." Fleishman-Hillard wanted to avoid "damage to its reputation and business in the event of a trial." An internal memo obtained by PR Week stated, "This is a significant payment, substantially more than the amount of questioned billing, but our firm's reputation for honesty and integrity is a vital business asset."

"Despite conducting a high-profile campaign calling for tough controls on immigration," the British Conservative Party is "using a company employing low-paid foreigners to distribute campaign literature," reports The Independent. Across the pond, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested at the Newspaper Association of America's annual meeting, "Close the borders in California and all across Mexico and in the United States." A spokesperson later said the governor supports "greater security," not border closure. On April 23, right-wing talk radio hosts, including Blanquita Cullum, Roger Hedgecock and Melanie Morgan, also of Move America Forward, will travel to Washington, DC. The event, called "Hold Their Feet to the Fire," will support "legislation that would strengthen our borders and keep illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses."

"A fierce battle over the Central American Free Trade Agreement is expected," reported the Grand Forks Herald. "The agreement needs the approval of both houses of Congress. ... Bush administration officials launched a campaign in rural America to urge farmers to convince Congress to approve the CAFTA." Last month, Chief Agricultural Negotiator Allen Johnson "acknowledged that there is a 'perception' in Iowa and other farm states that trade agreements are not achieving the benefits that were expected." Yet the Agriculture Coalition for CAFTA-DR, comprised of "over 55 food and agricultural organizations committed to quick passage of CAFTA-DR," released an "economic impact study that identifies the gains 40 congressional districts could expect upon passage," reported Meatingplace.com. The study is posted on the National Pork Producers Council website and promoted by the Business Coalition for U.S. - Central America Trade. According to Roll Call, "GOP lobbyists crammed into Room HC-5 of the Capitol last Thursday ... to show K Street that Senate and House Whips have coordinated their efforts - and that they continue to need lobbyists' help if they are to pass major items on the business agenda," including CAFTA.

"As House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) faces increasing scrutiny over various allegations of ethical lapses, a powerful cadre of friends and colleagues is stepping up to help protect his image," reports PR Week. DeLay legal advisor and former Republican National Committee strategist Barbara Comstock heads the group, which includes DCI Group's Stuart Roy and Edelman's Jonathan Grella. They are "placing supporters on cable news channels and radio talk shows," distributing talking points to conservative groups, and asking "prominent conservatives," including Ketchum's Susan Molinari, "to speak out on DeLay's behalf." This "unofficial PR offensive" is separate from DeLay's congressional office, which "developed its own media war room to combat the accusations." On the other side, Fenton Communications is working with MoveOn.org, Campaign for America's Future and Common Cause "to tarnish and ultimately unseat" DeLay.

"The use of TV consumer experts is the latest way marketers have tried to disguise their promotions as real news," similar to magazine "'advertorials' designed to look like editorial features" and video news releases aired as TV reports. The stable of paid "experts" includes "Today" show tech-product reviewer Corey Greenberg, "trend and fashion expert" Katlean de Monchy, Popular Photography & Imaging magazine editor John Owens, and Child magazine tech editor James Oppenheim. The Wall Street Journal reports that all four "experts" have neglected to disclose to viewers that they received payments to promote products being discussed. Journal reporter James Bandler writes, "TV shows present these gurus' recommendations as unbiased and based solely on their expertise. But that presentation is misleading if the experts have been paid to mention products."

As happened with neighboring Indonesia, "the 9/11 attacks opened the door to improved U.S.-Malaysia relations." The Heritage Foundation began promoting Malaysia in mid-2001, "at the same time a Hong Kong consulting firm co-founded by Edwin J. Feulner, Heritage's president, began representing Malaysian business interests." The firm, Belle Haven Consultants, lists Feulner's wife and Heritage consultant Ken Sheffer among its staff. "To help represent Malaysian clients," Belle Haven hired the Republican lobbying firm Alexander Strategy Group. "Experts say that the relationship between one of Washington's most influential conservative think tanks and a network of lobbying firms collecting fees from Malaysian business interests - well in excess of $1 million over two years - could pose a problem for Heritage's status as a nonprofit group," reports the Washington Post.

The report by the Education Department's inspector general on Armstrong Williams, a pundit paid $240,000 to advertise and advocate for the No Child Left Behind Act, notes that the White House "was told about potential problems," but that did not "prevent the contract from being renewed." The report found no evidence that President Bush or senior staff knew about Williams, but "a midlevel White House aide received calls from Education officials concerned about the contract's cost, its effectiveness and Williams' dual role as journalist and government public relations man." This finding contradicts Bush's January 2005 statement that "we didn't know about this in the White House." Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, who "declined to be interviewed" for the report, said she would "immediately adopt the report's recommendations for improvements in contract oversight." Whether the contract "breached federal rules prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds to 'covertly distribute propaganda'" is being investigated separately.

The president of the Public Relations Institute of Australia's (PRIA) Victoria chapter, David Hawkins, bluntly summarised the results of a membership survey as, "Most people think the PRIA sucks. The average score across all members was about four out of a possible nine." In the Australian e-zine Crikey.com.au, Hugo Kelly reports that survey results included the suggestion that the PRIA run "a public relations campaign - ongoing - to explain, and where necessary, defend, public relations." Over the next two weeks, PRIA chapters in Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland are hosting events for Ross S. Irvine, the president of his own firm, ePublic Relations. Irvine, who describes himself as a "corporate warrior," promises to tell his Australian audience "how to beat activists at their own game."

Following the FCC's Public Notice on "fake news," the U.S. Senate approved, by 98 to 0, a measure requiring "clear notification within the text or audio of the prepackaged news story" for all fake news produced with federal funding. The measure was offered by Senator Robert Byrd and inserted into an emergency spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan operations. But not all of Washington DC has seen the light on fake news. Representative George Miller warned that the Department of Education's investigation into the Ketchum - Armstrong Williams payola scandal is being obstructed. The Department's Inspector General was "'denied access' to some current and former White House employees," while Secretary Margaret Spellings is "considering invoking special privileges that would force the investigator to shield parts of his findings from the public," according to Miller.

"The United States did not properly analyze two suspected cases of mad cow disease in 1997," reported Canada's CBC News. The U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian who investigated the cases, Dr. Masuo Doi (now retired), said he is "haunted by fears that the right tests were not done" and wonders, "How many did we miss?" and "Can you really trust our inspection [system]?" With both potential mad cow (also called BSE) cases, "key areas of the brain where signs of BSE would be most noticeable were never tested." At the time, a USDA scientist called his examination of one case "questionable," because "he couldn't tell what part of the cow's brain he was looking at." Two other current or former USDA staff, Dr. Karl Langheindrich and Lester Friedlander, supported Dr. Doi's claims.

"A fast-growing trend in the business of influencing government is corporate-funded trips," reports the Wall Street Journal. "Because the trips are paid for by corporations and trade associations - and not the hired guns who lobby for them - such trips are permitted under House and Senate rules," unless the sponsors are registered lobbyists or foreign agents. The number of junkets increased from 1,400 in 2000 to 1,900 in 2004; their cost increased 50% over the same period, to $3 million in 2004. Already this year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce "has flown more than a dozen House and Senate aides to the Dominican Republic to learn about trade." The American Association of Airport Executives, Consumer Electronics Association, National Association of Broadcasters, and Advanced Medical Technology Association have also funded trips, as have groups within the finance, telecommunications, agriculture, and energy industries, with "members of both parties ... taking advantage."

In a speech at the American Society of Newspaper Editors' conference, News Corporation chief executive Rupert Murdoch pondered the impact that the growth in online news is having on newspapers. "The trends are against us," he warned. Murdoch also mused on the possibilities of harnessing bloggers to the corporate news cart. "We need to be the destination for those bloggers. We need to encourage readers to think of the web as the place to go to engage our reporters and editors in more extended discussions about the way a particular story was reported or researched or presented." Newspapers might experiment with using bloggers to extend coverage, he suggested. However, Murdoch cautioned that bloggers could pose a risk to "our standards for accuracy and reliability."

At a preliminary court hearing, Israeli whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu declined to enter a plea on twenty-one charges that he spoke with U.S., British, Australian and French journalists. After revealing the existence of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the U.K. newspaper the Sunday Times in 1986, Vanunu was imprisoned for eighteen years. He was released on April 21, 2004, subject to draconian restrictions on his ability to travel or speak to reporters about Israel's weapons of mass destruction. "As a human being, I have the right to express my political views and my ideas. I have no more secrets," he told reporters outside the courtroom Tuesday. The next hearing is scheduled for May 19.

"Missions that might be considered conflicting are not new for Porter Novelli," a PR firm that "has worked for both the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and for Guinness stout and Johnnie Walker Scotch." But Porter Novelli's $2.5 million contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update the food guide pyramid concerns some. "You have a company on one hand pushing McDonald's or almonds or whatever, and on the other providing objective advice on government nutrition programs," said the director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The New York Times reported that "several former or current Porter Novelli clients," including Campbell Soup and Dole, "offered formal comment on the guidelines and the new icon." Co-founder William Novelli said the firm's combination of private and government accounts "benefits both clients. Consumers are not purists."

Lobbying in Washington has quietly grown over the past years into a multi-billion dollar industry, according to a new report by the Center for Public Integrity. Since 1998, lobbyists have spent nearly $13 billion to influence members of Congress and federal officials on legislation and regulations. According to federal records, lobbying expenditures are expected to be at least $3 billion for 2004, doubling 1998 expenditures. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce tops the list of big spenders, paying out over $193 million to 24 firms since 1998. The Altria Group (formerly known as Philip Morris) spent over $125 million since 1998. CPI's extensive database includes information on all registered lobbyists, top clients, issues lobbied, and tracks the revolving door between lobby firms and government posts.

"Roughly a year ago," the retail giant Wal-Mart began moving "corporate communications people" to "key cities and areas of the country," according to vice-president of communications Mona Williams. The company's former public relations director, Gus Whitcomb, is leaving the Arkansas home office to become the Dallas regional corporate affairs director. Wal-Mart's other regional PR heads are in San Francisco, Phoenix and Washington DC. In New York, the company hired a local PR firm, the Marino Organization. O'Dwyer's reports, "Marino has been touting a Wal-Mart-sponsored survey in New York," in which 62 percent of respondents said they would "welcome the retailer," 69 percent said "Wal-Mart stores create jobs," and 75 percent said Wal-Mart's "stated wage of $10.38 an hour in metropolitan areas is 'fair and decent.'" In February, Wal-Mart "was dropped from a development push in Queens."

At the Australian coal industry's annual conference, Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane chastised attendees "for allowing the debate over the nation's future energy supply to be hijacked by a 'green media machine.'" Macfarlane suggested the industry "start telling consumers about the work being done on low-emissions technology" and warning about renewable energy costs. In other news, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote, "Nuclear energy is green," producing "no greenhouse gases," although "radioactive wastes are a challenge." But environmentalist Dr. Helen Caldicott stated, "According to data from the U.S. Energy Department, the production of nuclear power significantly contributes both to global warming and ozone depletion." While "uranium enrichment is a particularly energy intensive process," uranium mining and milling, nuclear reactor construction and decommissioning, and nuclear waste transport and storage all require ozone-depleting chemicals or fossil fuel use.

Following revelations that columnist Charles Chieppo had a second contract with the Massachusetts state government, in addition to the $60-per-hour environmental affairs position, the Boston Herald "decided to sever" their relationship. Chieppo disclosed the environmental contract to the Herald's editorial page editor, but not his $100-per-hour position with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. Chieppo said "it did not occur to him" to alert the paper to his convention center work. The director of Northeastern University's School of Journalism said Chieppo "couldn't go near two big subject areas" - the environment and tourism - "without creating a conflict." Chieppo previously "earned a six-figure salary as a top fiscal aide" for Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and worked at the conservative think tank the Pioneer Institute.

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Medicare administrator Mark McClellan "would not rule out using government-produced news releases to inform seniors about the new Medicare prescription drug benefit," although they would not be a "main part" of a senior outreach program. In May 2004, the Government Accountability Office ruled that video news releases "touting the Medicare drug benefit" were covert propaganda, due to "the videos' failure to name Medicare as their source." McClellan dismissed the GAO findings, saying "the binding interpretation for him was a determination by Justice's Office of Legal Counsel that video news releases were legal so long as the information was accurate."

"Fortunately for PR professionals," writes PR Week, technologies including blog search engines and tagging "allow companies and agencies alike to monitor the dialogue regarding their organizations." One product "allows companies to compare evocations of its name versus the names of competitors." A "marketing intelligence" executive said savvy companies see "blogs as a way to create stakeholder goodwill." The PR firm Edelman recently "released a directory of the most influential bloggers." The directory (only available to clients) also "gives advice on blogger behavior and jargon." Edelman's Rick Murray warned that companies face risks when "attempting to communicate with the blogosphere -- you will do yourself harm."

The Meat Promotion Coalition, a group of meat packers and agribusiness companies seeking "to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture from requiring meat to be packaged with a country-of-origin label," is circulating a position paper among Washington DC policymakers. The paper "notes that USDA estimates now place regulatory and implementation costs at between $583 million and $3.9 billion during the first year." However, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has questioned the USDA figures (which include "the cost of labeling fish and fresh fruits and vegetables, in addition to meat"), calling them "not well supported." The Coalition also claimed that meat packers would "have to invest $25 million per plant to comply with the new rule." The labeling issue has received greater attention after mad cow disease was discovered in one U.S. and three Canadian cattle.

Massachusetts' Executive Office of Environmental Affairs "awarded a $10,000 contract to a Boston Herald op-ed columnist to promote the governor's environmental policies." The contract involves writing op-ed pieces and internal documents "to promote education, awareness, and acceptance of major policy initiatives." Three days after the columnist, Charles Chieppo, applied for the position, he filed a column praising Governor Mitt Romney's mass-transit plan, which was designed by "the person who oversees the Environmental Affairs office that now employs Chieppo." A Boston Herald spokesperson said their editorial page editor "decided to allow [Cieppo] to continue writing his weekly column as long as he refrains from writing about 'those topics he's consulting on.'"

A week ago Ray Kotcher, the CEO of the PR firm Ketchum, responded in writing to a series of questions from PR Week about the controversy over Armstrong Williams promoting the U.S. No Child Left Behind law. Kotcher wrote that, "in addition to speaking on his own show, Williams discussed NCLB on the record with other media outlets on his own initiative before and during the contract." This week O'Dwyer's PR Daily, which Kotcher has yet to communicate with, points out that Ketchum's contract with Williams stipulates, "Mr. Williams shall utilize his long term working relationship with America's Black Forum, where he appears as a guest commentator, to encourage the producers to periodically address the NCLB Act (67 million viewers; reach 87% of urban market)."

At last weekend's Midwest Journalism Conference in Bloomington, Minnesota, Dave Beal reports that Lynn Casey, the CEO of the PR firm Padilla Speer Beardsley, referred to the controversy over video news releases as a "wake-up call" for the PR industry. Casey, who is a director of the Council of Public Relations Firms, told the audience that a task force has been created to review the voluntary guidelines on VNRs. "Sometimes you need to hit bottom before a true cleansing can begin," she said.

The 2005 Corporate Responsibility Index, published by the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, ranks British American Tobacco (BAT) as amongst the six worst performers out of the twenty-seven companies included. The index is based on corporate self-assessments reviewed by Ernst & Young accountants. The index table features a bold tick of approval for BAT, which the key explains means it scored "less than 75%," the lowest category. In a letter to the editor, University of Sydney public health professor Simon Chapman asked, "Why so coy in giving the actual score?" After calculating that BAT Australia is responsible for 8,550 avoidable deaths, Chapman scored the company at zero. He also requested "that those organising the CRI index don't debase the corporate responsibility movement in future by allowing tobacco companies to enter."

U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto recently announced it was raising its earnings expectations. "Monsanto's genetically engineered seed sales are booming - a 20 per cent increase last quarter - and the company expects the growth to continue as it expands outside the U.S.," AP reported. One reason may be Monsanto's extensive use of PR. GM Watch's Jonathan Matthews looks at the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a U.S.-based civil rights group with ties to Monsanto that has become an outspoken advocate of GE foods. Matthews reports on CORE's claims that the global environmental movement's opposition to biotech is "lethal eco-imperialism" and "devastates families and communities and kills millions every year." At CORE's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. dinner this year, Karl Rove was honored with a "Public Service Award." Monsanto's CEO Hugh Grant chaired the dinner with Option One Mortgage's president and CEO Bob Dubrish.

Hugh Morgan, the President of the Business Council of Australia (BCA), lashed out at a proposal by state attorney generals to prevent corporations from suing for defamation. Morgan wrote that the BCA - which includes among its members the Australian CEOs of McDonald's, BP and Shell - believes that corporations are "suing only in exceptional circumstances." According to Morgan - who gained notoriety for his outbursts against the Aboriginal community, unions and environmentalists - corporations must "defend their reputations from false, dishonest or malicious campaigns." The Australian Financial Review reported that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, a BCA member, was suing the Finance Sector Union on the grounds that a "shareholder campaign targeting ordinary, corporate and employee shareholders" before the company's November 2004 general meeting constituted illegal industrial action.

Advertising students at New York University are running a marketing campaign for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The students and their professor Jacob Jacoby created Agent C Marketing, which developed and is currently implementing a campaign that promotes its sole client, the CIA, to college students as an "exceptional employer." The marketing effort includes print advertisements, "cool CIA stuff" giveaways, and a scavenger hunt scheduled for April 8. (The speaker event was cancelled, "to prevent any potential harm that may escalate from a protest.") The CIA-NYU partnership was organized by EdVenture, a marketing firm that provides "both one-of-a-kind educational value to students and educators while reciprocally providing clients with marketing, brand building, research, sales and recruiting access to campuses across the country." Other EdVenture clients include General Motors, Citibank, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and People Magazine.

Under a new agreement, the video news release company Medialink Worldwide "will produce programs about auto-related topics for WheelsTV, a cable TV and Internet service devoted exclusively to consumers' interests in cars, trucks and motorcycles." Medialink's "sponsored and non-sponsored content" will start appearing on WheelsTV in June. The companies "will also explore developing new opportunities, such as co-branded radio series serving the sponsorship base of both companies," reports O'Dwyer's. Medialink has already produced a "prepackaged news program for General Motors," which "began with statistics on arthritic Americans" and promoted GM's "Sit-N-Lift" powered seat.

U.S. Republican pollster Frank Luntz traveled to Britain, "to examine the mood of the voters." According to 30 "swing voters" using "people meters," George Bush may be Tony Blair's biggest liability. Luntz wrote, "We showed them the first few moments of the recent White House press conference where President Bush and Mr. Blair stood side-by-side and talked about 'a clear way forward' in Iraq. The dials plummeted. Never in 17 years of moderating people-meter sessions have I seen an audience react so negatively." Adding that "nothing riles the undecideds ... more than immigration," Luntz suggested, "If the Conservatives have the courage to tackle the immigration issue head-on, and the skill to avoid crossing the fine line into race-baiting, they can recapture many working-class Labour seats."

"As part of its ongoing effort to improve its image, Wal-Mart is hosting its first-ever media conference for 50 invited print journalists this week near company headquarters in Arkansas," reports PR Week. "We are doing this to send a clear signal of Wal-Mart's willingness to be open with the media," said a company spokesperson. Wal-Mart "plans to make the media event an annual one and to expand it to broadcast outlets." The AFL-CIO union will demonstrate outside the conference. In related news, twenty-one members of Congress sent a letter to ABC News protesting Wal-Mart's sponsorship of Good Morning America's "Only in America" segment. Representative Anthony Weiner said Wal-Mart's business practices "cost thousands of Americans their jobs and businesses."

A Public Relations Society of America delegation to China met with teachers, media, business officials, and the new Chinese Institute of Public Relations. Ketchum's John Paluszek told China Daily, "Every institution in society has a need for public relations, because every institution has audiences or stakeholders," including governments "that want to 'sell' an important issue." Jean Valin of the Global Alliance for Public Relations noted that in China, where PR is a relatively new discipline, practitioners are "strongly involved in servicing the finance sector," but "will not be given assignments which go against government policy."