The Weekly Spin, Wednesday, June 16, 2004

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16 Jun 2004 05:00:00 -0000

The Weekly Spin, Wednesday, June 16, 2004

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THE WEEKLY SPIN, Wednesday, June 16, 2004

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sponsored by PR WATCH (www.prwatch.org)

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The Weekly Spin features selected news summaries with links to

further information about current public relations campaigns.

It is emailed free each Wednesday to rs.

 

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THIS WEEK'S NEWS

 

1. Celebrate Our 10th Anniversary this Friday with Amy Goodman

2. " Not Here " Is Right

3. Unspinning the Web of Corporate Influence

4. When Reality TV Is Stranger than Fiction

5. What Advertisers Want

6. A Bright Future (Just Ignore the Waste)

7. " Stop Michael Moore " Campaign a GOP Front

8. Toxic Rocket Fuel Is Good for You!

9. Bush's Manager of Public Perception of Public Polls

10. Disabled Rights vs Verified Votes?

11. Wrapping Reagan in the Flag One Last Time

12. The Diplomatic Faithful

13. Less Punk Than You

14. New Phew Review

15. Congress: It's Not Just for Fat Cats Anymore

16. One More Campaign for the Gipper

17. Using the Pen to Obscure the Sword

18. High-Priced Friends in Need

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1. CELEBRATE OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY THIS FRIDAY WITH AMY GOODMAN

http://www.prwatch.org/cmd/tenth.html

This Friday, June 18, join us in celebrating the tenth anniversary

of the founding of the Center for Media and Democracy. Join John

Stauber, Sheldon Rampton and other CMD staff members for an evening

of great food and friendship. Our featured speaker will be Amy

Goodman of Pacifica Radio's award-winning news show, Democracy Now!

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1087358400

 

 

3. UNSPINNING THE WEB OF CORPORATE INFLUENCE

http://www.lobbywatch.org/p1temp.asp?pid=30 & page=1

When it comes to stealthy PR campaigns, the biotech industry has

spared no expense. For the past six years, the UK-based public

interest group GM Watch has been tracking and documenting biotech's

dirty tricks, learning that the PR web reaches further than just GM

food. Encompassing a broad range of front groups, industry-funded

researchers, and internet campaigns, GM Watch's new website

LobbyWatch provides a who's-who of PR operators in Europe and the

rest of the world. LobbyWatch's groundbreaking research details how

the Living Marxism network is bringing a " Wise Use " -type

environmentalism (read: industry friendly) to Europe, how the

European Science and Environment Forum was founded with money from

tobacco giant Philip Morris, and many other stories.

More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/June_2004.html#1087272000

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1087272000

 

4. WHEN REALITY TV IS STRANGER THAN FICTION

http://prweek.com/news/news_story.cfm?site=3 & ID=213528 & site=3 & /news/news_story.c\

fm

The Showtime reality series " American Candidate, " set to air during

the lead up to the U.S. presidential election, will follow a dozen

people as they stage and manage a " virtual " run for the White

House. Two of the show's contestants are lefty PR professionals -

Bruce Friedrich, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' vegan

campaigns director, and Lisa Witter, head of Fenton Communications.

Friedrich said the show is an " opportunity to be a face for animal

rights, for PETA, and for compassion for all animals. " Witter,

whose firm's clients include Air America Radio and MoveOn.org, said

she will stress " affordable healthcare for all, improving the

economy, fair taxes, strengthening education, protecting our

environment. "

SOURCE: PR Week, June 14, 2004

More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/June_2004.html#1087185601

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1087185601

 

5. WHAT ADVERTISERS WANT

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108696905989535071,00.html?mod=mm%5Fhs%5Fadve\

rtising

In its " first large-scale change since 2001, " Fox News is launching

a major redesign of its website. Fox News vice-president of

national ad sales Roger Domal said, " In addition to just freshening

up the site and making it easier to navigate ... it's a reaction to

what advertisers want. " Fox News hopes the site " will enable it to

become a significant competitor in the online news space. This

month, the site doubled its advertising sales staff in New York and

San Francisco ... The company believes the redesign will help the

site double its advertising sales for 2004 ... and double its

audience, " according to the Wall Street Journal.

SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, June 14, 2004

More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/June_2004.html#1087185600

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1087185600

 

6. A BRIGHT FUTURE (JUST IGNORE THE WASTE)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0406130442jun13,1,5048267.story?coll=\

chi-business-hed

" The once-moribund nuclear power business is undergoing a revival

that is having a profound impact on academia and industry, " reports

the Chicago Tribune. Existing nuclear engineering programs are

expanding, and new programs have been announced at three

universities. Supporters claim, " Nuclear energy is the only viable

source to produce all the electricity we will need for the future. "

But the New York Times notes, " the plan to bury nuclear waste at

Yucca Mountain ... is years behind schedule and the Energy

Department is facing financial penalties " for the delay. Saying

leaks at the site are probable, a former member of the Nuclear

Waste Technical Review Board warned, " The Department of Energy is

rushing ahead with a defective Yucca Mountain design. "

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, June 13, 2004

More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/June_2004.html#1087099201

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1087099201

 

 

8. TOXIC ROCKET FUEL IS GOOD FOR YOU!

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-perc12jun12,1,502364.story?coll=la-headl\

ines-california

A report for the Urban Water Research Center at the University of

California at Irvine (which is " funded in part by contributions

from water utilities and other private sources, " writes the Wall

Street Journal) concluded that the rocket fuel chemical perchlorate

is not as dangerous as previously thought. The Council on Water

Quality, a perchlorate industry group, praised the findings.

Perchlorate, which affects the thyroid, has contaminated water

supplies in 22 states. Richard Bull, an environmental-risk

consultant and former Lockheed Martin consultant, co-authored the

industry-friendly report. After its release, Bull resigned from a

National Academy of Sciences panel studying perchlorate's health

effects. He said he understood concerns that " I was associated with

an opinion that put the NAS in an awkward position. "

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, June 12, 2004

More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/June_2004.html#1087012801

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1087012801

 

9. BUSH'S MANAGER OF PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF PUBLIC POLLS

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/12/politics/campaign/12campaign.html

" Matthew Dowd, President Bush's chief campaign strategist, is not

just the man who conducts the president's polling. He also works to

control public perceptions about where the presidential race

stands, perhaps more aggressively than many other campaign aides in

his position. ... 'I just want to make sure people have a realistic

view,' said Mr. Dowd, whose official title is 'chief strategist,'

in an interview Friday. 'There are highs that are going to go down,

there are lows that are going to go up. I'm not just trying to

argue with news that is perceived as bad - I'm trying to argue

against wrong news, good or bad, like a newspaper journalist

might.' Underlying the strategy is the belief among political

strategists with both parties that poll results can become

self-fulfilling prophecies, contributing greatly to the direction

of a campaign by causing enthusiasm or demoralization. "

SOURCE: New York Times, June 12, 2004

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1087012800

 

10. DISABLED RIGHTS VS VERIFIED VOTES?

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/11/opinion/11FRI1.html

The New York Times editorializes, " Voters should have complete

confidence about their ballots' being counted accurately and ...

everyone, including the disabled, should have access the polls. "

Citing important security and accuracy concerns with electronic

voting, the Times faults " a handful of influential advocates for

the disabled, who complain that requiring verifiable paper records

will slow the adoption of accessible electronic voting machines. "

But the paper inaccurately characterizes the settlement reached

when the National Federation of the Blind sued ATM and electronic

voting machine manufacturer Diebold under the Americans with

Disabilities Act as a " troubling ... $1 million gift, " which it

insinuates may have influenced the NFB's pro-electronic voting

stance. Our next issue of PR Watch (coming soon to rs'

mailboxes!) contains an in-depth look at e-voting PR.

SOURCE: New York Times, June 11, 2004

More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/June_2004.html#1086926402

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1086926402

 

 

 

14. NEW PHEW REVIEW

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/10/politics/10air.html

The environmental group Clear the Air asked the same research firm

that the Bush administration used to analyze its plan to reduce

coal plant emissions, the " Clear Skies Act, " to compare Bush's plan

to two other proposals before Congress. The resulting report found

" Clear Skies " to be the weakest of the three. The report estimated

that, under current policies, 24,000 people die annually due to

power plant emissions. " Clear Skies " would reduce that number by

14,000, but a bipartisan Senate measure would save 16,000, and

independent Senator Jeffords' more aggressive plan would save

22,000 lives. Scott Segal of the industry group Electric

Reliability Coordinating Council said the report was simply " the

environmentalists repackaging the same old arguments. "

SOURCE: New York Times, June 10, 2004

More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/June_2004.html#1086840001

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1086840001

 

15. CONGRESS: IT'S NOT JUST FOR FAT CATS ANYMORE

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/10/opinion/10THU5.html

The New York Times editorializes today in favor of a little known

reform that might have a revitalizing affect on the US political

process. Candidates can now draw a salary running their own

campaign for Congress. " The victory of a Democratic lawyer,

Stephanie Herseth, in the race last week for an open House seat in

South Dakota had some intriguing implications. Ms. Herseth is the

first successful Congressional candidate of either party to take

advantage of a change in the campaign finance rules that allows

federal candidates to pay themselves salaries from their campaign

treasuries. ... It remains to be seen, of course, how the

commission's new salary rule will play out in other states. But the

dearth of competitive contests for the House, in a Congress that

increasingly resembles an exclusive millionaires' club, has us

rooting for this experiment in leveling the playing field. "

SOURCE: New York Times, June 10, 2004

To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1086840000

 

 

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