Shortly after a majority of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) members voted to review disclosure rules for product placement on television, the advertising industry is lobbying the agency to slow down. American Association of Advertising Agencies and Association of National Advertisers representatives met with FCC commissioner Robert McDowell, arguing that "if the FCC did anything, it should open an inquiry rather than proposing rule changes," reports Broadcasting & Cable. The industry groups called the current sponsorship identification rules sufficient, noting "the Federal Trade Commission's 2005 finding that no action was warranted on product placement absent a showing that it was unfair, deceptive or harmful." They also stressed that there are "differences between paid endorsers, products that are 'embedded' in programming but are not sponsored, products that are embedded but make no claim about a product and paid-for product integration." TV Week reports that "spending on product placement on TV topped $941 million in 2005, up 70.5% from 2004."

"A key part of Ottawa's public relations campaign" in support of its controversial military mission in Afghanistan is frequent phone calls where "senior federal officials ... plot strategy." All Afghan mission matters "are vetted through the Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic wing of the Prime Minister's Office," leading to charges of top-down media management. "It's not about communications," said one anonymous Canadian official. "It's about keeping the press gallery at bay." Recently, a panel led by former Liberal cabinet minister John Manley criticized Canada's approach to Afghanistan. The panel called for "franker and more frequent" public briefings, and a greater emphasis on diplomacy and reconstruction. In the United States, the controversial Pentagon program "America Supports You" (ASY) is reviewing its PR contract, reports O'Dwyer's. ASY, which is under investigation for its financial practices, currently works with the PR firm Susan Davis International. The Pentagon will ask Washington DC firms to submit proposals for ASY's "national strategy and outreach program, web and interactive work, events and PSAs." It's not clear if Susan Davis will be invited to, or would choose to, submit a proposal to continue its work with ASY.

Bill Berkowitz reports, "a number of right wing groups have been contending for the unofficial designation of the conservative version of MoveOn.org, the liberal grassroots lobbying organization. These days, Freedom's Watch appears to have a leg up on them all. ... 'Freedom's Watch is raking in huge donations from a few donors, a model that other federally sanctioned campaign groups cannot follow, because donation sizes are limited by law,' John Stauber, executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy, told IPS. 'And like MoveOn, Freedom's Watch intends to augment that approach with a grass-roots fundraising model that energizes a base of supporters as it brings in money. ... Freedom's Watch is being quite transparent about its motives in running anti-immigrant ads. It's all about hot button issues that will turn out the Republican base and defeat Democrats. ... Ari Fleischer and his cohorts are all about winning, by any means necessary.' "