Philadelphia Weekly profiles Brian Tierney, the public relations and advertising executive who will be heading Philadelphia's former Knight-Ridder papers. As a PR man, "when reporters called his customers," Tierney "called the reporters -- and their editors." Reviewing Tierney's often-heated arguments with reporters on their coverage of the Philadelphia Orchestra, banking executives, and -- most infamously -- the Catholic Church, Steve Volk writes, "The most disconcerting thing about his taking control of the [Philadelphia] Inquirer and Daily News may not even be Tierney's noted conservative tilt, which is considerable. ... What really has some people quaking is Tierney's unique diet, which for a time included journalists. For breakfast, lunch and dinner." Former Inquirer reporter Ralph Cipriano, whose story on the Catholic Diocese's questionable spending was squashed by the newspaper after Tierney's repeated contacts, said of Tierney, "He doesn't understand what reporters do, and more important, he doesn't think it should be done."

"Telecommunications companies are spending serious green on advertising in recent weeks," as several telecom-related bills, including on network neutrality, come before Congress. A study by Arlen Communications estimates that the U.S. Telecom Association, which "represents the majority of the Bell telecommunications firms," has spent $250,000 a week over six weeks. And SBC/AT&T has spent some $600,000 a week, according to Arlen. A U.S. Telecom executive would not comment on the numbers, but said TV ads have been effective in "the campaign to allow telecom companies to compete with cable companies for TV service." Ads on the network neutrality issue, which criticize "proposed legislation that would block telecom and cable companies from charging preferred customers higher rates for high-speed Internet access," are more recent. These ads have appeared "anywhere a congressional staffer is likely to be -- including the Washington area transit system" and "at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport," and direct people to sites like Handsofftheinternet.com.

"APCO Worldwide is supporting Merck's PR efforts for the controversial" -- and deadly -- "arthritis drug Vioxx, which was found to increase heart attack risk in patients," reports O'Dwyer's. The PR boost comes as the pharmaceutical company "acknowledged that it misidentified a statistical method used in the study that led it to pull Vioxx from the market," reports the Wall Street Journal. The admission calls into question Merck's claim that patients were only at risk if they took Vioxx for 18 months or longer. Doctors who oversaw the study "are planning to release new data" that "show risk as soon as four months after taking the drug," according to O'Dwyer's. More than 11,000 Vioxx-related lawsuits have been filed against Merck. The company had retained Burson-Marsteller for a $20 million "image campaign," after withdrawing Vioxx in 2004.

British American Tobacco (BAT) has suffered a major legal setback after a Sydney judge found that the company's "document retention policy," under which sensitive documents were shredded, had been developed "in furtherance of the commission of a fraud." In a case before the New South Wales Dust Diseases Tribunal, Justice Jim Curtis heard uncontested evidence from former BAT solicitor Fred Gulson that the policy was designed so that the company could shred potentially damaging documents. Curtis said that the policy created "the pretence of a rational non-selective housekeeping policy." The case before the tribunal will hear argument on whether BAT should bear part of the compensation costs of a lung cancer victim who was a smoker and was exposed to asbestos. BAT has been directed to produce relevant documents within two weeks for a trial that commences on June 26.

"The American Diabetes Association, a leading patient health group, privately enlisted an Eli Lilly & Co. executive to chart its growth strategy and write its slogan. The National Alliance on Mental Illness, an outspoken patient advocate, lobbies for treatment programs that also benefit its drug-company donors. ... Although patients seldom know it, many patient groups and drug companies maintain close, multimillion-dollar relationships while disclosing limited or no details about the ties," reports Thomas Ginsberg. In some cases, companies have "loaned" the services of their executives to advise or even lead patient groups. Ginsberg's investigation found that "the groups rarely disclose such ties when commenting or lobbying about donors' drugs. They also tend to be slower to publicize treatment problems than breakthroughs. And few openly questioned drug prices."

A Nuclear Energy Institute ad

Peter Montague, of the environmental publication Rachel's News, responds to the New York Times' pro-nuclear power editorial from May 13, 2006. The newspaper claimed that "nuclear power is looking better," due to high energy prices and global warming. Montague writes, "Even after taking into consideration the large quantities of fossil fuels required for mining, processing, and enriching fuel, and in plant construction, operation, waste disposal and plant decommissioning, nuclear power could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by some amount while generating electricity. The question is, are there better ways to achieve the same result?" The Times suggested that nuclear waste be stored at surface sites "for the next 50 to 100 years," as longer-term storage is developed. Montague argues, "Fifty years of study and experiment have yielded no useful solutions." He also warns, "The connection between nuclear power and nuclear bombs simply cannot be broken." With regard to federal subsidies, Montague asks, "Why aren't we willing to spend $77 billion to subsidize energy-saving measures, and the development of existing minimally-polluting technologies?" The business publication Forbes agrees, stating, "Nuclear is not profitable without a raft of government subsidies."

The Iraq war "is now the deadliest war for reporters in the past century," reports Editor and Publisher. Seventy-one journalists and 26 media support staff have been killed in Iraq since 2003. That compares to 69 journalists killed in World War II, 63 in Vietnam and 17 in Korea. In addition, at least 42 journalists have been kidnapped in Iraq, according to Reporters Without Borders. As the New York Times notes, "it is Iraqi journalists who have been most at risk. Just this month, three Iraqi reporters were killed in a two-week period." The news comes as CBS reports that two of its crew members were killed in Iraq. Cameraman Paul Douglas and soundman James Brolan are believed to be "the first embedded journalists to die since 2003."

The Pentagon's new "strategic communications roadmap" will soon be approved, according to U.S. News and World Report. The plan seeks to "create a culture" that sees strategic communications as "not just public affairs, information operations or psychological operations, legislative affairs or public diplomacy, but ... the totality of that that you have to work to be effective," explained Lt. Gen. Gene Renuart of the Joint Staff. The Pentagon has already established a Strategic Communications secretariat, to "research important or contentious issues, such as the recent Dubai ports debate"; a Strategic Communications Integration Group "will decide how to handle those issues." In 2004, the U.S. Strategic Command established a Joint Information Operations Center in San Antonio, Texas, to send support teams "to the various combatant commands in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Latin America." And the Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida, sends psychological operations units around the world.

Last July, labor activist Junya Lek Yimprasert took up the cause of five women workers dismissed by the Thai subsidiary of the global PR firm Publicis Groupe. She described alleged sexual discrimination and intimidation at the firm's Bangkok office to reporter Stephen Frost of CSR Asia (PDF). Two months later, Publicis filed a complaint of "defamation by propagation" in Bangkok against Yimprasert, ostensibly for posting the CSR Asia article on her Thai Labour Campaign's (TLC) website. In Thailand, such a complaint is investigated and potentially prosecuted in criminal court, according to our own conversation with Publicis legal counsel Russell Kelley. The Southern Bangkok Criminal Court prosecutor summoned Yimprasert and brought charges. The court set a concilation date for May 31, 2006, with trial dates in November 2006. "I think the prosecution is pursuing the case because it feels there are grounds to do so," Kelley told PR Watch. Meanwhile, a global appeal has been launched on behalf of Yimprasert, accusing Publicis of attempting to intimidate TLC into silence.

With the U.S. Federal Communications Commission investigating the television stations that CMD documented airing corporate video news releases, you might want to read through the report that started it all. Luckily, "Fake TV News: Widespread and Undisclosed" is now available in PDF format! Download it from our website, print it out and take it along on your summer holiday. It's 114 pages long -- chock full of important information, harrowing tales of media deception, and some great puns. The URL to download the report is: www.prwatch.org/pdfs/NFNPDFExt6.pdf

Bloomberg reports that, in direct response to CMD's groundbreaking exposé 'Fake TV News,' the "Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin ordered a probe of dozens of television stations. ... The April report by the non-profit Center for Media and Democracy found at least 77 stations, including 23 affiliates of Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network and seven Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. stations, ignored an FCC warning to disclose sponsors. The maximum fine for each violation is $32,500, rising to $325,000 for multiple infractions, said FCC spokesman Clyde Ensslin. 'If the investigation leads to significant fines, the FCC could cause stations to put disclosures in place that make clearer the corporate role in local news,' said analyst Blair Levin of Stifel Nicolaus & Co. in Washington. 'It depends how hard Martin wants to push it.'"

From the Lincoln Group website

It was reported previously that Rear Adm. Scott Van Buskirk's review of U.S. propaganda efforts in Iraq found that no regulations were violated by the "multipronged campaign." According to the New York Times, the three-page summary of the Pentagon review calls the military's covert authorship of Iraqi newspaper articles "appropriate," but suggests new guidelines to "determine when attribution may be appropriate." Without mentioning the Lincoln Group, the PR firm that planted the pro-U.S. stories, the review emphasizes the importance of "proper oversight" of contractors on propaganda programs. The review is critical of the U.S.-created Baghdad Press Club, saying the military's "direct oversight of an apparently independent news organization and remuneration for articles that are published will undoubtedly raise questions focused on 'truth and credibility,' that will be difficult to deflect." The New York Times reports, "Several Pentagon officials said the Lincoln Group and other contractors were still involved in placing propaganda messages in Iraqi publications and on television."

The 2006 Allied Media Conference, organized by Clamor magazine's Allied Media Projects and two Bowling Green State University departments, will be held in Bowling Green, Ohio, from June 23 to 25. The conference will include a symposium on media literacy, with presentations including "Democracy Needs Active Media Education," "A Careful Eye, a Good Ear: The Smartest Media Consumer Is a Good Media Producer," "Marketing, Minors and the Military," and "Reaching Kids: Youth-Driven Programming." For more information, see amc2006.org.

Douglas Dowie, the former head of Fleishman-Hillard's Los Angeles office, was convicted "of 15 counts of conspiracy and fraud in a scheme to overbill city taxpayers for public relations consulting services." His assistant and co-defendant was convicted on 12 related charges. At issue were contracts awarded by the city's Department of Water and Power, port and airport. The "combination of precise billing records and e-mails presented by prosecutors convinced jurors of the existence of the criminal enterprise," reports John Spano. Last year, the firm paid the city $6 million "to settle a civil lawsuit that alleged overbilling." The firm's Los Angeles general manager said that Fleishman-Hillard had taken "numerous steps to avoid the possibility of something like this ever occurring again." When the story first surfaced in 2004, the Public Relations Society of America reminded its members to "only charge for the work we do."

What's she selling?

"No major corporation has embraced word-of-mouth marketing as aggressively" as Procter & Gamble, writes BusinessWeek, in a story about P&G's Vocalpoint. Vocalpoint is "a state-of-the-art method for reaching the most influential group of shoppers in America: moms." The program has enrolled 600,000 mothers with "large social networks" to pitch products. P&G provides Vocalpoint participants with "messages mothers will want to share," along with "samples, coupons, and a chance to share their own opinions with P&G." While the Word of Mouth Marketing Association supports full disclosure, P&G doesn't tell its stealth marketers to disclose their involvement with P&G. P&G's Steve Knox said, "We have a deeply held belief you don't tell the consumer what to say" (except for product pitches). The Federal Trade Commission "hasn't yet developed a disclosure policy" on word-of-mouth marketing, though it's expected to rule on a complaint that Consumer Alert filed against P&G's teen word-of-mouth program soon.

It must be hard to put the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in a positive light, following recent detainee suicide attempts and the United Nations Committee Against Torture's recommendation that the camp be closed, but that's what the Pentagon is trying to do. According to US News & World Report, "Officials from the Joint Chiefs of Staff Detainee Affairs Section have worked up a new briefing and made presentations in recent months to some 3,000 people, including media representatives and members of Congress, stressing the strategic value of detainees at the prison camp." The briefing touts the camp's "decent food, healthcare, and literacy training for the inmates. Notwithstanding allegations of psychological and physical torture, officials say the biggest threats faced by many detainees are ... frequent sports injuries on Gitmo basketball courts." The briefing also says many detainees "help in identifying current al Qaeda operatives and supporters and in revealing favored bomb-making techniques."

A scene from the ad

The new industry-funded front group from lobbyist Rick Berman, the Center for Union Facts, has launched its first TV ad campaign. The 30-second spot, running on Fox News and local markets, has "actors posing as workers" saying "sarcastically what they 'love' about unions," like paying dues, union leaders' "fat-cat lifestyles," and discrimination against minorities. The ad campaign cost $3 million, which was raised "from companies, foundations and individuals that Mr. Berman won't identify." Another TV ad will be filmed in June. Labor and economics professor Harley Shaiken said the effort "to create an antiunion atmosphere" more generally, as opposed to business-funded ads against a particular union organizing drive or strike, "is a new wrinkle." Needless to say, an AFL-CIO spokesperson called the ad's accusations "unfounded and outrageous."

When does an independent labor advocacy group's work turn into corporate PR? The Connecticut-based Center for Reflection, Education and Action (CREA) finds itself right on the line. CREA recently announced partial results of a study of Florida tomato suppliers, crediting one McDonald's supplier with exceeding industry best practices, including pay sometimes higher than $18 an hour. But an analysis by Florida International University--endorsed by 30 national labor experts--says the CREA study is “so riddled with errors both large and small that it cannot be accepted as factually accurate on virtually any measure.” CREA rushed the report into print while other studies of tomato suppliers were still pending (PDF). McDonald's promptly published the report's conclusions. The report's release coincided with a campaign by the Coalition for Immokalee Workers calling on McDonald's to match Taco Bell's recent "penny-a-pound" pay increase to tomato pickers.

We appreciate News Hounds, the folks who "watch Fox so you don't have to." The website noted that "Fox News left out some crucial information in a report about the Washington premiere of Al Gore's film on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth -- like the fact that think tanks critical of it were funded by oil companies and automakers, as well as the usual coterie of far-right bagmen. ... Reporter Mike Emanuel ... did not take the time to tell the viewer anything about either the Competitive Enterprise Institute or the National Center for Policy Analysis. If he really were reporting so that the viewer could decide, Emanuel might have noted these facts available from Sourcewatch," wrote News Hounds, going on to quote from the SourceWatch articles on each front group.

A new Indiana University study concludes that "news reports by television reporters embedded with American troops in the early days of the Iraq War found little support for critics who question the journalists' objectivity." However, according to the study's abstract, the measure of objectivity was "the use of personal pronouns in embedded and nonembedded reports during CNN coverage of the 'Shock and Awe' campaign" and "the context in which personal pronouns were used by embedded reporters." While "there was more frequent use of personal pronouns by embedded reporters," the researchers judged the reports to be "void of personal values and ideologies." Whether embedded reporters were more or less likely to include the perspectives of Iraqis, United Nations officials, or war critics is not addressed. The media watchgroup FAIR has documented that U.S. television coverage of Iraq is "dominated by government and military officials."

From a VNR from Masterfoods and 1-800-Flowers

The Wall Street Journal interviewed Richard Edelman, the president of the major PR firm that bears his name. Edelman said, "There is room for video news releases and satellite media tours because, frankly, we provide interesting, newsworthy spokespeople with credibility. But ... they have to be identified, and I think it's the PR firm's job to make it clear about who the client is and that it's the media's job to post that." He added, "This is an era of total transparency. ... It's very subversive to credibility to have any other kind of structure." Edelman, a blogger himself, said blogging "is bridging, clearly into mainstream media." He feels "that public relations is going to grow faster than advertising or some of the other disciplines." Lastly, he noted that while most PR firms are part of large advertising conglomerates, "We see a real bright future for an independent company."

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) think tank, whose donors include Exxon Mobil and the American Petroleum Institute, is running a television ad campaign "targeting global warming 'alarmists,' especially Al Gore." Reuters reports, "The spots are timed to precede next week's theatrical release of An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary film on global warming that features Gore." In one ad, "a little girl blows away dandelion fluff as an announcer says, 'Carbon dioxide: they call it pollution; we call it life.'" As Think Progress notes, CEI "believes the dangers of global warming are akin 'to that of "an alien invasion."'"

The deal already looks suspiciously sweetened. On May 3, 2006, U.S. beverage firms announced an agreement with the Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association gradually to pull most sweetened soft drinks from U.S. schools. Former President Bill Clinton led the press conference. But food policy expert Michele Simon says Clinton gave PR cover to the companies and coopted a more transparent public health-centered negotiation. Soda sales had already flattened. The beverage makers may have been looking to avoid a patchwork of state laws and to protect school vending machine slots for their other products--such as high calorie sports drinks, which were not part of the deal. Simon writes: "[T]his so-called agreement could undermine the massive public health effort currently underway in schools all across the nation."

USAID tsunami relief (State Dept. photo)

"Every year, the U.N.'s Department of Public Information (DPI) unveils its list of the world's 10 most under-reported stories," reports IPS. This year's list, released May 15, includes Liberia's post-war reconstruction, upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, children affected by conflict in Nepal, drought and war in Somalia, problems with tsunami relief efforts, successful efforts to resolve conflicts over water resources, renewed violence in Cote d'Ivoire, and the many challenges facing refugees and asylum seekers. UN DPI head Shashi Tharoor blamed the "if it bleeds it leads" media phenomenon. "Development issues can make good stories too," he said, calling on "readers, viewers and listeners" to "let editors know that they'd like to see more of such stories." This year, Malaysia, which chairs the 114-member Non-Aligned Movement, launched the Non-Aligned News Network. Tharoor said the new network had the potential to broaden world news coverage.

One of twelve units of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is contemplating outsourcing its communications office, reports O'Dwyer's. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is collecting "proposals from PR firms that can handle its public affairs, publishing, research and web operations." The firm would replace the agency's Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer, which employs 32 full-time staff. (Current staff would be offered the "'right of first refusal' to outsourced jobs for which they are qualified.") The agency's move follows Office of Management and Budget guidelines, which say "'commercial activities' performed by government workers should be subject to competition when possible." The agency carries out an annual report on healthcare quality in each U.S. state, and recently reported that alcohol abuse-related problems cost $2 billion a year in hospital costs.

Part of the Washington DC government-industry revolving door has been quantified: 318 former members of Congress currently lobby their former colleagues, according to a new report by PoliticalMoneyLine. They include former Rep. Billy Tauzin, now head of the Pharamaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America; former Sen. John Breaux, now at Patton Boggs; former Sen. Don Nickles, who started his own lobbying firm; and former Rep. Jack Quinn, now a vice-president at Cassidy & Associates. Quinn told The Hill, "I was never someone who thought 'lobbyist' was a dirty word." PoliticalMoneyLine's website lists the clients of former official-turned-lobbyist William Lowery. His friend, current Rep. Jerry Lewis, has been accused of steering government contracts to Lowery's clients.

While even Wall Street was getting edgy about increasing reports of a fungal infection pointing to a Bausch and Lomb contact lens solution, the company's PR firm dryly glared at consumer advocates. "Bausch and Lomb has not yet recalled ANY of its products. Rather, its Renu MoistureLoc has been taken off the shelves. Who can I speak to about this inaccuracy?" asked Hill and Knowlton's Grace Healy in an email to Consumeraffairs.com. On May 15, the company finally did "recall" MoistureLoc--permanently. The fungus infection has required corneal transplants in some contact lens solution users. Well before Hill and Knowlton's email, consumer watchdogs as far flung as Malaysia had criticized the company for inadequate response. "Other pharmaceutical companies facing potential problems have taken much more aggressive measures to alert their customers of the possible dangers," reports James R. Hood. Standard and Poors notes: "[T]he company's failure to be more proactive in recalling the product has created substantial potential liabilities."

Image from PBS

"Big Tobacco's toughest fight in years is being waged by a band of highly paid, talented and experienced former legislators, political appointees and close friends of the most powerful people in Texas. They're fighting an uphill battle with such finesse that they're actually, occasionally, winning," reports Karen Brooks. At issue is a state measure to increase cigarette taxes by one dollar per pack. Lobbyists retained by Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds include Governor Rick Perry's former chief of staff, Texas' former secretary of state and former state legislators. Their arguments against the tax increase include that it will hurt retailers and that for "working-class people who can't afford to get away ... having a smoke is their version of a vacation." Tobacco companies are also running radio ads that are "offensive," "demeaning" and "condescending," according to one state senator, who pledged to oppose the industry-backed countermeasures after hearing the ads.

The Australian TV show Mediawatch notes our study on video news releases and goes on to report, "We haven't found any examples as bad as that on Australian TV, but the radio equivalent -- the audio news release -- has definitely arrived." Mediawatch tracked one ANR, paid for by Telstra and produced and distributed by Professional Public Relations, that was aired by radio stations in Dubbo and Canberra. Another ANR, promoting a security company's fire alarms, was distributed by Media Game and aired by radio stations in Wagga and Young. "Under resourced news services that don't have time to do their own stories are the most vulnerable to PR strategies," notes Mediawatch. "Which means real local news is pushed aside for phoney corporate spin."

Source:Sierra Club

The government of Alaska has signed a $3 million contract with the Oregon-based PR firm Pac/West Communications, for a campaign promoting oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Pac/West president and CEO Paul Phillips told PR Week that market research is currently being conducted on where "the issue sits with the American people, with all the other discussion about energy floating around these days." The Alaskan government also allocated $750,000 for lobbying, in addition to the efforts of the business lobby group, Arctic Power. Pac/West staff are busy on other campaigns, too. Former timber industry lobbyist and current Pac/West director Tim Wigley is the campaign director of the Save Our Species Alliance, which aims to weaken the provisions of the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

The Wal-Mart-launched and -funded advocacy group, Working Families for Wal-Mart, is recruiting "Wal-Mart suppliers to join the public relations offensive -- a move that some vendors say puts improper pressure on them," reports Michael Barbaro. While Working Families for Wal-Mart "describes itself as autonomous ... at least half of the steering committee's members have business ties to Wal-Mart" or the group itself. Examples are Andrew Young, whose consulting firm works for the group, and Terry Nelson, a former Bush campaign director whose firm consults for both the group and Wal-Mart. The recruiting effort "challenges Wal-Mart's longstanding policy of keeping suppliers at arm's length and shows how eager the company is to fend off a well-organized union-backed campaign critical of its wages and benefits," notes Barbaro. A Wal-Mart spokesperson said, "There is no tie between joining Working Families for Wal-Mart and a supplier's ability to do business" with the retail giant.

"The nuclear industry took steps ... to head off a growing public relations -- if not health -- problem, promising to closely monitor leaks of slightly radioactive groundwater at power plants," reports AP. "Water containing tritium has been released into groundwater at half a dozen plants over the past decade," including in Illinois, Arizona and New York. The industry group Nuclear Energy Institute is launching "a voluntary program to closely monitor such leaks." A recent AlterNet article describes the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, an industry / Bush administration plan to "dramatically expand nuclear energy production at home, encourage new nuclear generation abroad and import other countries' spent fuel for reprocessing in the United States." And a new website by our European colleagues at SpinWatch, called Nuclear Spin, tracks "key pro-nuclear advocates in the UK," where the government's energy review was criticized as window dressing for plans to expand nuclear power.

Hill & Knowlton will head "a complex $3.8M PR effort" for the U.S. State Department, "targeting Afghan citizens and stakeholder groups to dissuade Afghan farmers from cultivating poppies and boosting global drug trade." Poppy production has soared since the 2001 U.S. invasion. Afghanistan provided 86 percent of the world's heroin in 2005, and "planting has significantly increased in 2006," according to a State Department official. Hill & Knowlton will "deploy communications through seven Afghan provinces" and "build capability" within the Agriculture, Interior and Counter-narcotics Ministries, by providing "communications professionals" and developing each ministry's own communications office. "Foreign and domestic media will be brought along" on poppy eradication missions, and "alternative livelihood efforts" will be promoted in the PR campaign. Current messages include, "Growing poppies is against Islam and harmful for the reputation of Afghanistan." Previous U.S.-funded PR work, by the Rendon Group and others, has been called costly and ineffective by Afghan officials.

We're happy to say that the premier U.S. fake news show covered our report, "Fake TV News: Widespread and Undisclosed." On May 10, Daily Show commentator Lewis Black held forth on video news releases (VNRs), showing footage from the Stiefel Laboratories VNR promoting its new prescription-strength skin cream (better for your skin than sitting in a tub of ranch dressing, said Black) and from the Siemens VNR touting the "ethanol boom." Considering Medialink Worldwide publicist Kate Brookes -- who appeared on screen on at least four TV stations that aired that VNR, as though she were a reporter -- Black suggested that, like ethanol, she could be considered a renewable resource. Hmmm... we never thought of it quite like that.

The American Chemistry Council wants you to know that you're safer than you may think when toxic chemicals end up in your local groundwater and air. ACC has announced the hire of ex-Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson Lisa Harrison as its new vice president of communications. Says Ms. Harrison, in celebrating her new position: "I am excited at the challenge of educating and informing opinion leaders about the benefits of American chemistry in our every day lives, and the value that the industry and the ACC bring to Washington D.C." Among her Administration appearances: defending the EPA's "Clear Skies" program that exaggerated cuts in airborne sulfur dioxide emissions and defending toxic sludge. A few days before Harrison joined ACC, the organization released a new defense of the Bush Administration's proposed rollback of the Toxics Release Inventory. The Environmental Working Group has led a blistering critique of the proposed rollbacks.

Action Coalition on Media Education (ACME) convenes its national conference this October 6 -8 in Burlington, Vermont, and registration has begun on ACME's website. Dozens of presenters will include Amy Goodman, Bill McKibben, Jean Kilbourne, Robert Jensen, Jerome Armstrong, Carrie McLaren, Jeff Chester, Sut Jhally, Bob McCannon, Diane Wilson, Josh Silver, Peter Phillips, Anthony Riddle, Lauren-Glenn Davitian, Hannah Sassaman, Pete Tridesh, and Sara Voorhees. CMD's John Stauber will deliver one of the keynotes titled "What’s Reality? Fake News, Real News and Weapons Of Mass Perception." Stauber will examine the Lincoln Group's planting of fake news in Iraq and other issues in The Best War Ever, the new Rampton/Stauber book to be published on September 14.

Secretary Johanns, in a USDA video news release

On May 2, a U.S. Department of Agriculture speechwriter emailed 60 USDA staff that "the President has requested that all members of his cabinet and sub-cabinet incorporate message points on the Global War on Terror into speeches, including specific examples of what each agency is doing to aid the reconstruction of Iraq," reports Al Kamen. An email attachment listed "examples of GWOT messages within agriculture speeches," such as, "Several topics I'd like to talk about today -- Farm Bill, trade with Japan, WTO, avian flu ... but before I do, let me touch on a subject people always ask about ... progress in Iraq." The email said such language is "being used by [USDA] Secretary Johanns and deputy secretary Conner in all of their remarks," and urged recipients to "use these message points as often as possible" and report back when they do, for "a weekly account sent to the White House."

Greg Bourne, the former president of BP Australia and current head of WWF Australia (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund), last week argued that Australian environmentalists should learn to live with uranium mining. "The key issues are if we're going to be a nation exporting uranium, we have to know absolutely it's only being used for peaceful purposes and waste products are being stored safely," he said. This week, Bourne is in London at WWF International's global energy taskforce, where he wants to overturn the group's stance that "WWF does not believe that nuclear power is the solution to global warming. In fact, WWF has a vision for the future which phases out the use of fossil fuel and nuclear in the share of energy use across the globe." The Australian reports that in March, Bourne apparently "ordered the organisation's global anti-nuclear policy be removed from WWF Australia's website."

One Navy officer profiled in "Today's Military," who's a liaison to TV and movie studios

United Airlines' new in-flight video "was produced and funded by the Department of Defense -- a fact passengers do not learn from watching it," reports Jason George. The 13-minute segment, "Today's Military," profiles five "military glamor jobs." It shows only "one soldier beyond U.S. borders," who's "doing humanitarian work in Thailand" -- a remarkable focus at a time of war. The Defense Department paid United $36,000 to run the video for one month. A United spokesperson said "between 7 to 15 minutes" of their two-hour programming is sponsored video. The military video was excerpted from a 48-minute feature, produced by the Mullen firm, that's aired on at least two Illinois TV stations: Springfield's ABC and Peoria's UPN affiliates. The feature "does not say who produced it until the final credits roll" and the Defense Human Resources Activity is listed. The goal is to educate "influencers," including parents and teachers. "This fall, 40,000 copies" of the feature "will be shipped to high school guidance counselors for distribution to students."

Wendy Brown reports, "Critics say the Citizens' Alliance for Responsible Energy ... is a classic front group for the oil-and-gas industry. CARE claims its purpose is to educate people about energy policy and undo some of the spin that left-wing groups have propagated about alternative fuels like ethanol and hydrogen. But John Stauber ... disagrees. 'If the big, polluting, price-gouging energy corporations funding this group of 'citizens' were out in front pushing their agenda, the press and public would be appropriately skeptical. Instead, industry uses the tried-and-true method of hiding behind a front group with a consumer-friendly name.' ... CARE's Web site contains position papers arguing that global warming is not a man-made problem, that nuclear power is an environmentally responsible power source and that the public should proceed with caution in developing renewable energies like solar and hydrogen." CARE is staffed by Mark E. Mathis, a former TV anchor, current radio talk show host and consultant with the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico.

Image from TapeArt.com

"A new broadband TV channel dedicated to showing films about the environment is offering companies a chance to broadcast their green-tinged messages -- for nothing," reports BBC News. "Already, films by energy giant Npower and ice cream maker Ben & Jerry have been shown by the channel," called Green.tv. Founder Ade Thomas said, "Anyone who makes films about environmental issues can broadcast them for free via Green.tv. ... We're an aggregator of editorial content." Thomas explained that initial plans called for an editorial board to oversee content, but now the channel will "clearly mark who has made each film," and allow viewers "to prick holes in any film peddling lies or misleading praise of companies" on its blog. Green.tv partners include Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Internationally, it receives support from the United Nations Environment Program, Water Aid and The World Conservation Union.

As gas prices rise and oil companies enjoy record profits, the industry is increasing its PR efforts. The American Petroleum Institute (API) hired The Hawthorn Group and Edelman's advertising practice, spending "more than $20 million over the last few months." Talking points developed by API and others include: "forces of demand have outstripped supply," especially with China's economic growth; "oil industry profits are not outsize by the standards of other major industries"; and "Western oil companies have only a limited share of the crude oil market." The industry has retained "familiar Washington figures like the former Reagan official, Michael K. Deaver, and former Senator J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana," to gain Congressional support. PR Week reports that ExxonMobil is "discussing its Energy Outlook presentation ... with policymakers, citizen groups, and the media." Shell Oil is promoting its "Fuel Stretch Principles," which "help people improve their fuel economy," and its credit card, "which offers a 5% rebate on gas purchases."

Robin Raskin

"Putting VNRs, b-roll, and SMTs on the Web is quickly becoming a corporate necessity," claims PR Week, referring to sponsored "news" packages, interviews and other video. A MultiVu executive "notes that pharma companies in particular are using broadcast content on the Web to reach out to a different audience. ... MultiVu recently produced a VNR package about osteoporosis for spinal-product company Kyphon and later incorporated the footage into a multimedia news release ... to target physicians." PR Week also suggests distributing corporate video via podcasts, RSS feeds and iTunes. In related news, "VNR Queen" Robin Raskin is featured on the new Yahoo! Tech website. In their release announcing the site, Yahoo! calls Raskin "The Boomer," and says she will provide "regular coverage focused on a maturing audience." Red Herring writes that Yahoo! Tech is "designed to help consumers and provide a preferred advertising platform for product marketers."

The New York Times, Washington Post and other "major U.S. newspapers often quote Jeff Kagan -- regarded as one of the most influential telecommunications analysts -- but invariably leave out the fact that he is paid by many companies in the industry to offer his comments to the media," reports Tim Arango. Kagan's web site describes him as a "'fee-based' analyst" who "gives interviews, analysis and insights to the media for free, and charges everyone else." Sprint, Verizon and BellSouth are among the companies that have hired Kagan. "Kagan admits he is rarely asked by reporters if he is being paid by the companies he is speaking about," writes Arango. "He said he is more frequently asked if he has an investment relationship with a particular company, and does not hold stock in the companies he counts as clients."

Mark Matthews, reporter for KGO, the ABC TV affiliate in San Francisco, traveled to Washington, DC, to investigate Rick Berman, the booze, food and tobacco lobbyist behind ActivistCash.com and many other front groups. Reports Matthews, "Berman set up the Center for Consumer Freedom and a number of other tax exempt educational organizations. And those educational non-profits all seem to support messages that dove tail nicely with the food beverage and tobacco industries that have hired Richard Berman. ... When we tried to ask Rick Berman himself about that, he ducked out of our interview. ... Berman wouldn't talk with us about how his non-profits are connected financially to his lobbying business, and his research director (David Martosko) didn't tell us. 'I don't know the firms that send the Center for Consumer Freedom