THE WEEKLY SPIN, June 13, 2007 Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:40:51 -0500 (CDT) THE WEEKLY SPIN, JUNE 13, 2007 == BLOG POSTINGS == 1. Big Tobacco's Racial Profiling Challenged in Court == BE A CITIZEN JOURNALIST == 1. Join the Discussion: New Forums for Communication on SourceWatch == SPIN OF THE DAY POSTINGS == 1. Military PR To Recruit Bodies, Hearts and Minds 2. FDA's Flack Attack 3. Clinton Retains Dual-Purpose Penn 4. Coke's Water Deal Omits India 5. Publisher to End Arms Affair 6. PR Firm Sought To Spin Nuclear Waste Concerns 7. McDonald's Clowns Around With Moms and Words 8. Another Nuclear Shill in Lamb's Clothing 9. Nike's Social Irresponsibility 10. Giving the (Purple) Finger to Democracy 11. Things Go Worse With Coke -------------------------------------------------------------------- == BLOG POSTINGS == 1. BIG TOBACCO'S RACIAL PROFILING CHALLENGED IN COURT by Anne Landman Gloria Tucker's mother and grandmother both smoked cigarettes. Both died from smoking-related health problems. An African American woman, Tucker believes that her loved ones' deaths were due to "racial profiling" by big tobacco companies. And she's got the documents to prove it. On June 7, Miami attorney J.B. Harris filed a lawsuit on Tucker's behalf. The suit seeks $1 billion in punitive damages collectively from Philip Morris USA, Lorillard Tobacco, R.J. Reynolds, and Liggett Group. It accuses the companies of using predatory marketing techniques to target African Americans. Central to the case are hundreds of tobacco industry documents that detail how companies designed cigarettes especially for African Americans; tailored marketing campaigns to lower-income, less-educated African Americans; and continued to do so long after the U.S. Surgeon General's 1964 declaration that cigarettes are hazardous to health. To read the rest of this item, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/6128 == BE A CITIZEN JOURNALIST == 1. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: NEW FORUMS FOR COMMUNICATION ON SOURCEWATCH http://www.prwatch.org/node/6144 The SourceWatch staff has recently created two new forums for citizen journalists on SourceWatch to communicate with each other about what's going on in the site: a Yahoo group and a Community Portal. The Community Portal is a place where you can find announcements by staff and citizen editors, links to important policies and help pages and categories of outstanding tasks and projects identified by readers and editors, such as articles that need updating, expanding or fixing. The Yahoo group is meant primarily for sysops and other editors who are most concerned with the administration of the site and facilitating the contributions of the users, but both the group and the community portal are open to everyone to view and post. SourceWatch is only as strong as its community of editors, so please dive in and let us know what you think. SOURCE: Community Portal == SPIN OF THE DAY POSTINGS == 1. MILITARY PR TO RECRUIT BODIES, HEARTS AND MINDS http://www.prwatch.org/node/6141 "Army Strong, as the Army's latest recruiting campaign is called ... has a definite emphasis on electronic communications, from opportunities to chat live on the Web site with soldiers ... to interactive sections showing what boot camp is like, the different specialties the Army trains people for, and more," writes PR Week. Army podcast subjects range from soldiers' experiences to "the latest results for the Army's NASCAR team." The $200 million-per-year campaign is led by McCann-Erickson, along with other Interpublic Group agencies. Army outreach to Hispanic communities is handled by Weber Shandwick, and to African Americans by Carol H. Williams. The Army's racially-targeted outreach includes Spanish-language ads, "participating in Hispanic- or African-American-focused trade association conventions or job fairs," and "awarding research contracts to historically black colleges and universities." Meanwhile, the U.S.-led Multi-National Force-Iraq is seeking a new PR firm, for "rapid reaction information operations support" to encourage Iraqis "to support their fledgling government," reports O'Dwyer's PR Daily. The U.S. government is also "reviewing proposals for a multimillion-dollar PR blitz for its electricity sector rebuilding" in Iraq. Both searches are being conducted via non-public websites, as information about the Iraq PR contracts has been deemed "sensitive." SOURCE: PR Week, June 4, 2007 2. FDA'S FLACK ATTACK http://www.prwatch.org/node/6140 Several members of Congress are asking about conflicts of interest at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after an FDA spokesman, who previously worked as a public relations representative for pharmaceutical companies, used agency email to attack the research of an independent scientist. Douglas Arbesfeld, a senior communications consultant to the FDA, sent an email to reporters attacking Dr. Steven Nissen, who recently co-authored a study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that the diabetes drug Avandia may increase the risk of heart attacks. The e-mail, titled "What are St. Steven's feet made of? Clay, perhaps?," included a link to an anonymous blog accusing Nissen of playing favorites among drug companies. SOURCE: ABC News Nightline, May 30, 2007 3. CLINTON RETAINS DUAL-PURPOSE PENN http://www.prwatch.org/node/6139 The dual roles of Mark Penn, as the CEO of the PR firm Burson-Marsteller (B-M) and chief strategist for the campaign of Presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton, has irked some labor leaders. The New York Times reported that Bruce Raynor of UniteHere, and James Hoffa of the Teamsters union, wrote to Clinton expressing their concern about B-M's anti-labor work. "He cannot serve two masters, working for a pro-union candidate and working for anti-union companies," Teamsters President Jim Hoffa said. Subsequently, Penn told Atlantic Online, "I have recused myself from working on any management-side labor relations work." Ari Berman, who has written on Penn's PR work for The Nation, is unimpressed. Penn, he wrote, is "not distancing himself from the money the 'labor relations' wing brings in and the other controversial clients B-M represents in the defense, pharmaceutical and energy industries and the Republican lobbyists he oversees." Berman views Penn's "recusal" pledge as "a phony gesture that fails to address the underlying problems or the reasons prominent labor leaders are upset with Clinton's campaign." SOURCE: The Nation, June 7, 2007 4. COKE'S WATER DEAL OMITS INDIA http://www.prwatch.org/node/6138 When Coca-Cola announced it would fund a joint water conservation initiative with WWF, it identified seven major water reserves around the world where it would fund projects. But none of the projects will be in India, where the company has been embroiled in controversy. A Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada, in the Indian state of Kerala, was shut down in 2004 following community protests over the depletion of ground water resources. Qu Yongxiang, an analyst at China Pingan Securities, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that "there's no big cost to them [Coca-Cola], since they can save money by reducing water use and they can improve their image." To help boost coverage of their "good deeds," Coca-Cola issued a b-roll video, produced by Multi-Vu, which features both Coke and WWF executives. (B-roll is file video footage and interview soundbites, without the scripted narration used in a video news release.) SOURCE: Press Trust of India, June 5, 2007 5. PUBLISHER TO END ARMS AFFAIR http://www.prwatch.org/node/6137 Reed Elsevier, a major publishing company, has bowed to pressure from peace groups and academics, announcing that it will end its role in organizing arms fairs by the end of the year. Reed Exhibitions, a division of Reed Elsevier, organizes events including the Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEI) in London in September, IDEX in Abu Dhabi and the Latin American Aero and Defence exhibition in Rio de Janeiro. In a media statement, the company stated that "the defence shows are no longer compatible with Reed Elsevier's position as a leading publisher of scientific, medical, legal and business content." The Campaign Against Arms Trade welcomed the decision as did the medical journal The Lancet, which is published by Reed Elsevier. In 2005 the company defended its role in organizing weapons shows on the grounds that the defense industry was "necessary for upholding national security for the preservation of democratic values." SOURCE: Guardian (UK), June 1, 2007 6. PR FIRM SOUGHT TO SPIN NUCLEAR WASTE CONCERNS http://www.prwatch.org/node/6135 The U.S. Department of Energy's (DoE's) "division in charge of disposal and storage of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, notably the controversial Yucca Mountain project, is on the hunt for a PR firm to develop its communications and public outreach," reports O'Dwyer's. DoE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management wants "strategic communications support targeting stakeholders and the public, through outreach programs in public schools and communities, and other elements like web work." The PR contract is for one year, with four one-year renewals possible. One objective is to develop "fact sheets and other informational materials including traditional hard copy materials as well as electronic media including but not limited to CDs, DVDs, and on-line streaming video." In 2006, the industry group Nuclear Energy Institute hired the PR firm Hill & Knowlton to promote the Yucca Mountain waste repository, and nuclear power in general. SOURCE: O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), June 7, 2007 7. MCDONALD'S CLOWNS AROUND WITH MOMS AND WORDS http://www.prwatch.org/node/6134 In an attempt to deflect criticism that its fast food makes children fat, McDonald's is recruiting mothers as "quality correspondents" to observe and report on its operations. In a message sent to "mother-oriented social networks and freebie product sites," McDonald's is offering mothers "behind-the-scenes access to the farms [where] our fresh ingredients are grown." The winning mothers "are expected to participate in as many as three 'field trips' lasting two to three days, and receive payment for 'reasonable travel expenses,'" reports AdAge. A McDonald's spokesperson said the company will then give the mothers "avenues to be able to share their findings." According to Time magazine, McDonald's is also "lobbying dictionary publishers to change the meaning of the word McJob -- or remove it altogether -- on the grounds that it denigrates the company's employees." McJob is commonly used to refer to "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects," as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary. McDonald's wants to redefine McJob as "a job that is stimulating, rewarding ... and offers skills that last a lifetime." SOURCE: Advertising Age, June 8, 2007 8. ANOTHER NUCLEAR SHILL IN LAMB'S CLOTHING http://www.prwatch.org/node/6132 "Who is Professor Robert Boyden Lamb?" asks Corporate Crime Reporter. The New York University professor recently had a letter to the editor published in USA Today which stated, "The American public needs to get behind the nuclear power movement now." He's had similar pro-nuclear letters published by the Washington Times, The Hill and Business Week, all of which identify him only as "a professor at NYU's Stern School of Business." In response to repeated questions, NYU confirmed that "Professor Lamb does indeed consult with nuclear power industry related entities." Corporate Crime Reporter concludes that much of the newfound enthusiasm for nuclear power "originates from sources that are anything but disinterested. ... NYU Stern School of Business should demand that Professor Lamb publicly reveal all his ties to the nuclear industry. And that he stop writing promotional pieces for the industry" until he discloses his nuclear industry connections. SOURCE: CounterPunch, June 6, 2007 9. NIKE'S SOCIAL IRRESPONSIBILITY http://www.prwatch.org/node/6131 Nike says that its corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign is no longer just "a risk and reputation management tool," but a core "business objective." Labor rights activist Jeff Ballinger is skeptical. "In the 15-year battle over labor conditions for the 800,000 factory employees -- primarily Asian women younger than 24 -- who have helped turn Nike into a $14.9 billion company, Ballinger argues the activists won Round 1 and Nike staged a comeback in Round 2. The company's Code of Conduct was skimpy, its monitoring of factory conditions ineffective, but the attendant PR campaign was brilliant," reports The Oregonian. Now, Nike "is finally conceding monitoring hasn't worked," but claims "it needs more time." Nike wants until 2011 to eliminate excessive overtime. Ballinger points out that "Indonesian newspapers were writing about it [the overtime problem] in 1988." Nike spends $150 million on CSR annually, when simply "paying another 75 cents for each pair of shoes -- a yearly outlay of $220 million -- would solve the wage problem." SOURCE: The Oregonian, June 3, 2007 10. GIVING THE (PURPLE) FINGER TO DEMOCRACY http://www.prwatch.org/node/6127 In the U.S., fewer than half of eligible voters do vote, elections are determined by big money, sitting politicians almost always win re-election, and opinion surveys show a frightening willingness to sacrifice fundamental human rights for governmental promises of security. It's not surprising, then, that U.S. foreign policy furthers sham democracies abroad. Michael Slackman observes that in the Middle East elections have "increasingly become a tool used by authoritarian leaders to claim legitimacy. ... Countries like Egypt and Syria, which hold elections, also allow a ruling class to hold a monopoly on power, limit freedom of speech and assembly and deny their citizens due process. ... 'Democracy itself has lost credibility as a way of government,' said a Western diplomat based in Algiers. ... 'I think the Iraqi experiment, and the purple finger, didn't help anything.' ... The purple finger had initially been a symbol of pride in what was hoped to be Iraq's nascent democracy. Millions turned out to cast their ballots in the first post-Saddam-Hussein election, dipping a finger in ink to prevent double voting. Rightly or wrongly, the purple finger has become a symbol of failure." SOURCE: New York Times, June 7, 2007 11. THINGS GO WORSE WITH COKE http://www.prwatch.org/node/6126 After the International Labor Organization included Australia on a list of 25 countries of concern, the Australian government lashed out. The Minister for Workplace Relations, Joe Hockey, claimed that the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) had lobbied to have Australia included -- instead of Colombia, where many labor leaders have been assassinated. The ACTU's international officer, Alison Tate, countered that international unions want scrutiny of Colombia. Tate told the Sydney Morning Herald that it was representatives from the International Organization of Employers who vetoed listing Colombia -- in particular, Ed Potter, the Coca-Cola Company's Director of Global Labor relations. Numerous union leaders and workers in Coke's Colombian bottling plants have been murdered, tortured and kidnapped by paramilitary groups, according to the Killer Coke campaign. The campaign supports legal action against Coke and is pressing the company to "prevent further bloodshed and to provide safe working conditions." SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald, June 6, 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. 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