THE WEEKLY SPIN, May 23, 2007 Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 09:55:46 -0500 (CDT) THE WEEKLY SPIN, MAY 23, 2007 == BLOG POSTINGS == 1. Has the Internet Changed the Propaganda Model? 2. Food and Water Watch Covers Offshore Fish Farming Legislation on Congresspedia == BE A CITIZEN JOURNALIST == 1. New Participatory Project: Tracking the Most Influential Corporate Lobbyists == SPIN OF THE DAY POSTINGS == 1. U.S. Watchdogs: A French Perspective 2. I Don't Want My Pharma TV 3. Drilling for Collective Wisdom 4. With Shrinking Protections, Who Will Speak for the Trees? 5. Reach Out and Misuse Someone's Name 6. U.S. Think Tank Calls for More Troops, More Propaganda 7. BP's "Buddy System" for Politicians 8. Exxon: Still Fronting After All These Years 9. The Post-Blair Pitch Project 10. Deleting (or Defeating?) Climate Change Language 11. Manufacturing Consent on Product Safety Nominee -------------------------------------------------------------------- == BLOG POSTINGS == 1. HAS THE INTERNET CHANGED THE PROPAGANDA MODEL? by Sheldon Rampton In their groundbreaking 1988 book, Manufacturing Consent, professors Ed Herman and Noam Chomsky not only explained, but documented with extensive case studies, how mass media and public opinion are shaped in a democracy. Twenty years later, can their "propaganda model" still be used to explain modern media distortions? That was one of the main questions discussed last week at a conference in Windsor, Ontario, titled "20 Years of Propaganda?" Organized by Dr. Paul Boin, the conference drew hundreds of scholars and activists including myself, and more than 1,000 people attended a closing speech by Chomsky on May 17. The "propaganda model" that Herman and Chomsky put forward in Manufacturing Consent has made the book notable (some would say notorious) as the most influential book by serious academics to challenge the common dogma of media objectivity in the United States. When it first appeared, it was almost unheard-of to suggest that U.S. media such as the New York Times, Time and Newsweek magazines and CBS News were propaganda vehicles. Today things are somewhat different. Across the political spectrum, there is a widespread belief that disinformation, deception and propaganda pervade the media. To read the rest of this item, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/6068 2. FOOD AND WATER WATCH COVERS OFFSHORE FISH FARMING LEGISLATION ON CONGRESSPEDIA by Conor Kenny As part of our ongoing series of partnerships with research and advocacy organizations, Food and Water Watch has established an informative page on offshore fish farming legislation on Congresspedia. Here's FWW's Andrianna Natsoulas (who edits SourceWatch and Congresspedia under the name Anatsoulas) to explain why they think this is an important issue: Why do we care about open ocean aquaculture? We care because it can hurt our health and our oceans. How? Think about this: what happens if tens of thousands of animals are crammed into industrial size cages offshore, wild fish are ground up and tossed in for feed, and all the fish waste (and the occasional escaped fish) is washed out to sea or pollutes the sea floor. To read the rest of this item, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/6073 == BE A CITIZEN JOURNALIST == 1. NEW PARTICIPATORY PROJECT: TRACKING THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CORPORATE LOBBYISTS http://www.prwatch.org/node/6080 Examining and exposing the activities of lobbyists and their firms is an important aspect of the Center for Media and Democracy's work. Now you can help, via our online collaborative encyclopedia, SourceWatch! SourceWatch has many articles related to this industry, but because the players and the issue change frequently, our resources can always use some updating. The Hill recently released a list of the most powerful corporate lobbyists at http://thehill.com/business--lobby/the-best-in-the-business-2007-04-24.html. Lobbyists are most successful if they can remain in the shadows. Can you help us shed some light on their antics? Go to SourceWatch and do a search for one of the corporate lobbyists on The Hill's list. If you find an article, please add the quote from the article in The Hill by saying, "According to the article "Best in the Business" in the April 24, 2007 issue of The Hill, lobbyist X is ....[insert the quote from the article]" and add the link to the article. If The Hill lists a lobbyist who is not already in SourceWatch, please create a short "stub" article on him or her (with the lobbyist's name, The Hill info, and any other information you might find on him/her). If this is your first time editing, you can register as a SourceWatch volunteer editor and find out basic editing information at www.SourceWatch.org THANKS FOR JOINING THE CMD TRUTH SQUAD! SOURCE: Lobbyists on SourceWatch == SPIN OF THE DAY POSTINGS == 1. U.S. WATCHDOGS: A FRENCH PERSPECTIVE http://www.prwatch.org/node/6079 French daily Le Monde ran a piece examining the U.S. practice of watchdogging the role of money in the political process, which is lacking in France. "In France, the situation is quite different. The financial relationships between politicians and corporations are difficult to analyze ... there exists a total absence of regulation." Journalist Cecile Gregoriades cites Money and Politics, Open Secrets, Follow the Money, and CMD's own Congresspedia project. She describes Congresspedia very favorably: "Notably, it presents very precise figures on members of Congress ... The site also abounds with information on lobbyist firms." CMD Associate Director Judith Siers-Poisson is quoted as saying, "It's essential for a voter to have the most information possible about a candidate that they are prepared to vote for. If my representative, for example, had contacts with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, or is suspected of corruption, I have a right to know that as a voter." SOURCE: LeMonde.fr, May 21, 2007 2. I DON'T WANT MY PHARMA TV http://www.prwatch.org/node/6076 "Amid strenuous lobbying across Europe" to end restrictions on direct-to-consumer drug advertising, four pharmaceutical companies are considering launching their own television station. Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Novartis and Procter & Gamble envision "Pharma TV" as "a dedicated interactive digital channel funded by the industry with health news and features," reports Sarah Boseley. The companies are calling it the "European Patient Information Channel," and say its "on demand" drug information would "enable patients and citizens to make better decisions." The pharmaceutical industry wants "direct access" to European patients, and is backed "by a number of influential patient groups that are themselves heavily funded by drug companies." Independent groups under the International Society of Drug Bulletins warn that industry messages tend to focus on "relatively few top sellers, exaggerating effects and concealing risks, confusing patients and putting pressure on doctors to prescribe drugs they would not use otherwise." SOURCE: The Guardian (UK), May 21, 2007 3. DRILLING FOR COLLECTIVE WISDOM http://www.prwatch.org/node/6077 CMD is a proponent of citizen journalism, particularly through www.SourceWatch.org, our collaborative on-line encyclopedia of people, organizations, and issues shaping the public agenda. A twist on the idea that the process and product of gathering information benefits from more, rather than fewer, cooks in the kitchen is at work in the on-line project, World Without Oil. The non-profit game "aims to help fill a huge gap in our nation's thinking about oil and the economy. What will happen when demand inevitably outstrips supply ... will depend in large part upon how well people prepare, cooperate, and collectively create solutions. By playing it out in a serious way, the game aims to apply collective intelligence and imagination to the problem in advance, and to create a record that has value for educators, policymakers, and the common people ..." Currently in its 23rd week of play, WorldWithoutOil.org has over 1,600 active participants. SOURCE: Future Tense radio program, May 21, 2007 4. WITH SHRINKING PROTECTIONS, WHO WILL SPEAK FOR THE TREES? http://www.prwatch.org/node/6069 A recent U.S. Labor Department ruling against a whistleblower states that the department, which "has jurisdiction over environmental whistle-blower cases," only recognizes whistleblower protections in the "clean air and solid waste-disposal acts, not laws governing clean water, drinking water, toxic substances and hazardous waste." A department spokesperson said the wording does not reflect "any change in policy or practice." Environmental advocates and watchdog groups aren't so sure. The Government Accountability Project's legal director called the ruling "the latest attack in a systematic war to gut the environmental whistle-blowers' statutes." The 1989 Whistleblower Protection Act covers all federal employees, but only covers disclosures related to "an imminent danger." In 2005, the Justice Department declared the Clean Water Act's whistleblower protections invalid. The Environmental Protection Agency has said "it doesn't recognize the protections in any of the six major environmental laws." SOURCE: McClatchy / Sacramento Bee, May 19, 2007 5. REACH OUT AND MISUSE SOMEONE'S NAME http://www.prwatch.org/node/6067 As mentioned in a previous Spin, a Wisconsin branch of the AT&T astroturf group TV4US is "backing a bill to deregulate the state's cable TV franchise system." TV4US recently gave all 132 Wisconsin state legislators thick binders filled with names of state residents who it claims support the cable franchise bill. However, the list includes two lawmakers who voted against the bill in the state Assembly. "Apparently I couldn't convince myself," joked state Rep. Joe Parisi. The other legislator, state Rep. Sondy Pope Roberts, "said she made the discovery after a constituent called to say her husband's name was also erroneously included. ... Pope Roberts said she is now skeptical of the entire binder." Parisi questions the "piles of letters that all look alike that are generated by a large lobby group spending thousands and thousands of dollars." TV4US Wisconsin's Thad Nation (a PR professional and political consultant) couldn't explain why Pope Roberts was listed, but said Parisi's name might have been included because he signed up for email updates on the group's website. SOURCE: The Capital Times (Madison, Wis.), May 17, 2007 6. U.S. THINK TANK CALLS FOR MORE TROOPS, MORE PROPAGANDA http://www.prwatch.org/node/6062 "A new security study released by the Third Way, a Democratic-leaning think tank," and authored by two former Clinton administration officials, discusses how to rebuild U.S. credibility overseas. "American voters yearn for an alternative to the Bush administration's aggressive foreign policy stance," say the Brookings Institution's William Galston and Harvard's Elaine Kamarck, "but neither Democrats nor Republicans are articulating a different path." Their study calls for "a robust military response to the terrorist threat," along with "a massive public relations effort akin to the Cold War propaganda machine." Militarily, the study suggests 100,000 more ground troops and "reinvigorated intelligence services." It also calls for "a massive increase to the $140 million the United States spends annually on public diplomacy," and "re-creating the United States Information Agency, which was folded into the State Department during the Clinton administration." SOURCE: The Hill, May 18, 2007 7. BP'S "BUDDY SYSTEM" FOR POLITICIANS http://www.prwatch.org/node/6061 A report commissioned by BP "to investigate corrosion-related oil pipeline spills last year in Prudhoe Bay ... offers a rare glimpse inside the London-based oil giant's corporate tactics in Alaska," writes Wesley Loy. The report, produced for BP by consultants at Booz Allen Hamilton, details BP's "formal relationship matrix," which matches up company executives with Alaska and federal officials. For example, BP's Randal Buckendorf liaises with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Buckendorf is a former DEC employee with "long-standing personal friendships and professional interactions" with the state regulator, according to the report. BP Alaska's president "is to deal with the commissioner of the [state] Department of Natural Resources." The report warned that after last year's pipeline leaks, "many regulatory relationships have become strained." A BP spokesperson said the "relationship matrix" was a standard approach to maintain "good, consistent lines of communication" with regulatory agencies. SOURCE: Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), May 18, 2007 8. EXXON: STILL FRONTING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS http://www.prwatch.org/node/6059 In an apparent policy shift, earlier this year Exxon Mobil called climate change "a serious issue," saying that "action is warranted." The oil company also said it would stop funding groups that downplay the risks from global warming or lobby against measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions. But Exxon still funds about 40 "skeptic groups," including the American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation and National Black Chamber of Commerce, according to a new report from the environmental group Greenpeace. Exxon did "cut its donations to these groups by more than 40 percent from 2005." Rep. Brad Miller urged Exxon to release data on its 2006 donations, saying the money "appears to be an effort to distort public discussion about global warming." Exxon gave $3.9 million to "global warming deniers" in 2004, $3.6 million in 2005, and over $2 million in 2006. Exxon challenged Greenpeace's characterization of the groups as "deniers," and said the groups "do not represent Exxon or speak on its behalf." SOURCE: Reuters, May 18, 2007 9. THE POST-BLAIR PITCH PROJECT http://www.prwatch.org/node/6057 With British Prime Minister Tony Blair leaving office in June, people are wondering "who will be the next famous Downing Street spinner, the new Alastair Campbell," writes columnist Andy McSmith. Under Blair and his "New Labour" party, the term "spin-doctor" became widely known in Britain, and "two in particular -- Alastair Campbell and Peter Mandelson -- became so well known that the comics could make jokes about them." Unless Blair's designated successor, Gordon Brown, "has a late change of mind, it seems he will run his media operation through people who have come up via the Treasury press office and kept out of the public eye. That will mean sticking with low-profile Damien McBride, a former civil servant whose style, while direct, is less slick." Reviewing "the rise of the spin-doctors" within the Labour Party and subsequent controversies, McSmith writes, "Spin-doctors are like poisoners: there are famous poisoners and successful poisoners -- but no famous, successful poisoners." SOURCE: The Independent (UK), May 13, 2007 10. DELETING (OR DEFEATING?) CLIMATE CHANGE LANGUAGE http://www.prwatch.org/node/6056 U.S. representatives "are trying to soften the message" of a climate change declaration to be issued at the June summit of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrial countries. G-8 draft documents obtained by the Washington Post show that the U.S. wants to delete a section pledging "to limit the global temperature rise this century to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit" and "an agreement to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions to 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050." Warming more than 3.6 degrees could trigger mass extinctions and "accelerated melting of polar ice sheets," climate scientists warn. U.S. negotiators want to remove other language recognizing the United Nations as "the appropriate forum for negotiating future global action on climate change." Also on the U.S. hit list is a statement that "tackling climate change is an imperative, not a choice." Other G-8 leaders are likely to resist the U.S. edits. "German Chancellor Angela Merkel, along with outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has been pushing for a strong statement on climate change," and new French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said global warming is his "top priority." SOURCE: Washington Post, May 13, 2007 11. MANUFACTURING CONSENT ON PRODUCT SAFETY NOMINEE http://www.prwatch.org/node/6054 A controversial nominee to head the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just got more controversial. Michael E. Baroody, currently a senior lobbyist at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), "will receive a $150,000 departing payment" from NAM "when he takes his new government job, which involves enforcing consumer laws against members of the association." Baroody informed CPSC of the "extraordinary payment" (as it's called under federal ethics rules), and will "remove himself from agency matters involving the association for two years." However, Baroody says he can immediately consider "matters involving individual companies that are members" of NAM -- "many of whom are defendants in agency proceedings over defective products or have other business before the commission" -- and matters involving smaller trade groups aligned with NAM. At NAM, Baroody lobbied to limit asbestos makers' liability and advocated against state safety standards for cigarettes. Consumer groups, firefighters, lawyers and doctors oppose Baroody's nomination, as do several Democrats. The American Academy of Pediatrics warned that Baroody has "led efforts to weaken the C.P.S.C. and opposed numerous initiatives to protect children and the public from unsafe products." SOURCE: New York Times, May 15, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Weekly Spin features selected news summaries with links to further information about media, political spin and propaganda. It is emailed free each Wednesday to subscribers. PR Watch, Spin of the Day, the Weekly Spin and SourceWatch are projects of the Center for Media & Democracy, a nonprofit organization that offers investigative reporting on the public relations industry. We help the public recognize manipulative and misleading PR practices by exposing the activities of secretive, little-known propaganda-for-hire firms that work to control political debates and public opinion. 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