Submitted by Laura Miller on
With international opinion against the United States growing increasingly hostile and economic uncertainty looming at home, U.S. companies are becoming more worried about their appeal abroad. "In an annual survey conducted since 1998, RoperASW has been looking for a connection between the dwindling reputation of America and the worldwide appeal of its top brands, from Disney to Microsoft," Newsweek's Karen Lowry Miller reports.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
"A month ago the FCC dramatically relaxed media ownership regulations, stifling the cornerstone of American democracy: a free, fair, and open public debate," MediaReform.net writes. "Because one million Americans raised their voices against the FCC decision, the Senate Commerce Committee recently sent a bill to the Senate floor for a vote that would roll back many of the rules." MediaReform.net is calling for people to contact their congressional representatives, asking them to ensure that the public airwaves serve the interests of the people and not the media monopolies.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
"Corporate cash has pervaded the health nonprofit world, raising new concerns about medical groups' independence," MSNBC reports. The Center for Science in the Public Interest released a new study that looks at how corporate money co-opts nonprofit organizations. "Organizations that receive substantial funding from companies don't want to offend their supporters. It's natural," CSPI's Michael Jacobson says.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Thirty-one corporate criminals gave more than $9 million to the Democratic and Republican parties during the 2002 election cycle, according to a report by Corporate Crime Reporter. They gave $7.2 million to Republicans (77 percent) and $2.1 million to Democrats (23 percent). The top five corporations, ranked by amount given to politicians, were Archer Daniels Midland ($1.7 million), Pfizer ($1.1 million), Chevron ($875,400), Northrop Grumman ($741,250), and American Airlines ($655,593).
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Through a whistleblower, the Center for Media & Democracy has obtained a list of financial contributors to the "Center for Consumer Freedom," a front group for the tobacco, restaurant and liquor industries that represents itself as an advocate for consumers' rights. Highlights of the list, which we have added to the group's profile on our Disinfopedia, include $200,000 apiece from Coca-Cola, Excel/Cargill, Monsanto, Tyson Foods and Wendy's International; $164,000 from Outback Steakhouse, and $100,000 from Pilgrim's Pride Corporation.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"If we learn nothing else from the war on Iraq and its subsequent occupation, it is that the U.S. ruling class has learned to make ideological warfare as important to its operations as military and economic warfare," write Robert W. McChesney and John Bellamy Foster in this excerpt from their upcoming book, The Big Picture: Understanding Media through Political Economy.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
American TV networks gave the Bush administration glowing coverage of Iraq war in exchange for the relaxation of media ownership rules, according to Michael Wolff, a media commentator and New York Magazine columnist.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
It was apparently just a matter of time. A parody website called the "Faux News Channel, P.N.N. (Pentagon News Network)" has received a letter from attorneys for the Fox News Network. The attorneys object, among other things, to the sale by Faux of "Bill O'Reilly Hitler Youth" t-shirts. They express concern that people may confuse the real Faux with the fake Fox ... or is that vice-versa?
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The Carlyle Group sits at the epicenter of the military-industrial complex that connects the Bush-Cheney administration with crony capitalism. Dan Briody, discusses The Iron Triangle, his new book about the Carlyle Group, which has recently begun to dabble in media acquisition. "We're looking at the potential for having a real controlling influence in the media," he says. "And I personally would not like to see Carlyle Group controlling the information that I receive on a daily basis."
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
If you're wondering whatever happened to all those alleged weapons discoveries that Fox News reported during the war, Lew Rockwell has compiled a list, along with other examples of dishonesty, error, bias and propaganda at Fox News.
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