Politics

Right-Wing Washington PR Team Retires

Submitted by Laura Miller on

"This month marks the end of one of the most successful and respected conservative PR teams in Washington, as Herb Berkowitz and Hugh Newton retire from the Heritage Foundation," PR Week writes. "Heritage, a conservative think tank founded 25 years ago, became one of the foremost purveyors of right-wing public policy in Washington with Berkowitz and Newton at the PR helm. The two are credited with helping win credibility for conservative ideals among often-hostile liberal journalists in Washington."

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Main Source: 
PR Week, October 21, 2002
Topics: 
Right Wing
Think Tanks

Elections Aren't News

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

A University of Southern California shows that local television newscasts have been barely covering the 2002 campaign. As a result, candidates are forced to spend all their time "dialing for dollars" from big campaign donors so they can promote themselves through paid advertising. "They don't go to talking to people. They don't do the kinds of visits to public fora that they used to, because they know it's a total waste of time," says Martin Kaplan of USC's Annenberg School for Communication.

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Main Source: 
TomPaine.com, October 21, 2002
Topics: 
Journalism
Politics

Representing the Right

Submitted by Laura Miller on

What do former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig, Jr., former CIA director James Woolsey, White House advisor Richard Perle, Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer, American Enterprise Institute's Michael Ledeen, and dissident Iraqi nuclear scientist Dr. Khidir Hamza have in common? For one thing, they all have the PR expertise of Eleana Benador behind them.

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Main Source: 
Alternet, October 14, 2002
Topics: 
Right Wing
Iraq
Public Relations

Advertising for Peace: "Uncle oSAMa Wants You!"

Submitted by John Stauber on

Two separate full page anti-war advertisements appear in today's New York Times. The Florence Fund's ad feature's "Uncle Osama," an Uncle Sam take-off who taunts "Send me a new
generation of recruits. Your bombs will fuel their hatred of America and
their desire for revenge." Meanwhile, a full page advertisement
from the TrueMajority Campaign led by former ice cream magnate Ben Cohen

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Main Source: 
New York Times, October 14, 2002
Topics: 
Left Wing
Advertising
War / Peace

For or Against War, How to Talk Like a Democrat

Submitted by John Stauber on

A memorandum from top spinmeisters provides advice, based on opinion polls, as to how Democratic Party members of Congress can explain their votes on the resolution giving President Bush the green light to attack Iraq -- whether the Democrat voted for or against war. According to the New York Times, the memo from Stan Greenberg, James Carville and Bob Shrum contains such advice as "An opponent of the Iraq resolution can run competitively
with the Republican proponent, when he or she affirms

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Main Source: 
New York Times, October 10, 2002
Topics: 
Iraq
Politics
Rhetoric

Bashing The Traitorous, Peacenik News Media

Submitted by John Stauber on

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 target="_blank"> Brent Bozell III and his Media Research Center. The Center sends

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Main Source: 
http://www.mediaresearch.org/
Topics: 
Right Wing
Media
Think Tanks
War / Peace

Don't Blame the American People

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

A recent opinion poll shows that many Americans have serious misgivings about the war fever that currently dominates Washington politics. "A majority of Americans say that the nation's economy is in its worst shape in nearly a decade and that President Bush and Congressional leaders are spending too much time talking about Iraq while neglecting problems at home," reports the New York Times. "The number of Americans who approved of the way Mr.

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Main Source: 
New York Times, October 7, 2002
Topics: 
Iraq
Politics
U.S. Government

Holding a Grudge or a Dead Raccoon?

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

Ever since TV talking head Paula Zahn jumped to CNN from Fox News Channel last fall, her former employers have badmouthed her relentlessly. "The jibes are sometimes brutal, sometimes humorous and once even profane," writes David Bauder. "The underlying message seems clear: It's not wise to cross Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes." In an interview, Ailes compared Zahn to a "dead raccoon." Radio shock jock Erich "Mancow" Muller, a vassal of the Fox empire, called her a "knucklehead" and said, "I just want to punch her in the face. ... I'll kill you, Paula. We will kill you, Paula."

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Main Source: 
Los Angeles Times, October 7, 2002
Topics: 
Right Wing
Media

Gore's Pundit Problem

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

After Al Gore spoke out against war with Iraq, media pundits like Morton Kondracke and Linda Chavez outdid themselves inventing "disturbing contradictions" in his statements, raising questions about his motives and avoiding the merits of his arguments. "Remember -- the pursuit of facts plays almost no role in our devolving pundit culture," writes Bob Somerby."What does your pundit corps try to get right? They try to get their scripted spins right."

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Main Source: 
The Daily Howler, October 1, 2002
Topics: 
Pundits
Politics

$4.6 Million to Fight Biotech Food Labels

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"Conkling Fiskum & McCormick is counseling a coalition of heavyweight food biotechnology companies in a push to defeat a November ballot initiative in Oregon requiring labels for genetically-modified foods in that state," reports O'Dwyer's PR Daily.

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Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, September 30, 2002
Topics: 
Food Safety
Genetic Engineering
Politics

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