It was originally planned as "a low-key classroom discussion about patriotism and service to country" at Forest Lake High School in Minnesota. But when the Republican Party-associated pro-Iraq war group Vets for Freedom "decided to call a press conference at the school and alerted media," things got heated. "Anti-war activists, including veterans of Iraq who oppose the war" decided to organize "their own press conference and rally." The high school canceled the event, and angry conservatives began contacting the principal, "calling him a coward, a Communist or a spineless America Hater." Columnist Nick Coleman writes, "Maybe a Minnesota school was just trying to keep its students from becoming pawns in a political game. There would not have been much outrage" if, instead of being billed as the "Vets for Freedom National Heroes Tour," the event had been called the "Republican Tour to Shore Up the Pro-War Vote," he suggests.

If you hear pro-Conservative Party callers to radio shows in Canada, their opinions "might not be as spontaneous as they sound," reports Alexander Panetta. "Some of those apparently ad-libbed musings are actually being choreographed at the Conservative Party of Canada's national headquarters. The governing party has produced talking points for grassroots supporters on a variety of issues, feeding them lines on everything from climate change to child care." Visitors to the ruling party's website enter their postal code, select a topic and it "spits out the times, phone numbers, and names of local talk shows to call -- along with a handy list of good things to say about the Conservatives and bad things to say about their opponents." The party's strict message discipline "has survived their two years in government: requests to speak publicly are routinely vetted by the Prime Minister's Office, scores of MPs will recite identical sound bites on any given topic, and the government often allows only one person to make public utterances on a given issue." Scripting radio calls goes even further, and has drawn objections from media professionals. "We want people to phone in and express their own opinions," said radio host Mark Sutcliffe. During a recent television show, "a caller appeared to be stumbling over a list of written notes. 'Are you reading from something?' the frustrated host interjected."

The oil giant BP has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on PR, greenwashing its image to be perceived as better than Exxon, Shell and others. But "a recent change in corporate policy threatens that green-friendly image," reports Michael Moreci. That change is BP's full-throttle attempt to mine oil from vast areas of tar sands in the Canadian wilderness, an especially destructive way to produce fossil fuel. "Tar sands extraction isn't just another hurdle for environmentalists to combat. It merely reveals a simple truth: when it comes to 'being green,' even the most publicly boastful of the oil corporations -- such as BP -- will keep their promises only as far as their bottom line allows."