Guest guest Posted April 21, 2005 Report Share Posted April 21, 2005 20 Apr 2005 15:42:01 -0000 weekly-spin The Weekly Spin, April 20, 2005 THE WEEKLY SPIN, April 20, 2005 --- sponsored by the nonprofit Center for Media and Democracy http://www.prwatch.org To support our work now online visit: https://www.egrants.org/donate/index.cfm?ID=2344-0|1118-0 --- 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 rs. SHARE US WITH A FRIEND (OR FIFTY FRIENDS) Who do you know who might want to receive Spin of the Week? Help us grow our r list! Just forward this message to people you know, encouraging them to sign up at this link: http://www.prwatch.org/cmd/_sotd.html --- THIS WEEK'S NEWS == BLOG POSTINGS == 1. The FCC on " Fake News " : Who's Trying to Persuade You? == SPIN OF THE DAY == 1. Praising the Golden CAFTA 2. Getting Spin with a Little Help from Friends 3. Trust Us, We're Paid TV Experts! 4. Heritage Foundation's Asian Belle 5. Red Flags Ignored in Williams Case 6. Unhappy Campers 7. Good and Bad News on Fake News 8. Bad Brains: Mad Cow Cover-Up? 9. Travelobbying 10. Welcome to Our Lair, Murdoch Says to Bloggers 11. Israel Moves to Muzzle Nuclear Whistleblower ---- == BLOG POSTINGS == 1. THE FCC ON " FAKE NEWS " : WHO'S TRYING TO PERSUADE YOU? by Diane Farsetta " Listeners and viewers are entitled to know who seeks to persuade them, " noted the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in a Public Notice (PDF file, Word file) released last night. The Public Notice was precipitated, in part, by the " large number of requests " asking the FCC to " consider whether the use of 'video news releases' or 'VNRs' ... complies with the Commission's sponsorship identification rules. " Those requests came from the more than 40,000 people who signed onto a petition circulated by the Center for Media and Democracy and the media reform group Free Press (you can still sign the petition, here), as well as from two U.S. Senators. For the rest of this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3592 == SPIN OF THE DAY == 1. PRAISING THE GOLDEN CAFTA http://www.truthabouttrade.org/article.asp?id=3659 " A fierce battle over the Central American Free Trade Agreement is expected, " reported the Grand Forks Herald. " The agreement needs the approval of both houses of Congress. ... Bush administration officials launched a campaign in rural America to urge farmers to convince Congress to approve the CAFTA. " Last month, Chief Agricultural Negotiator Allen Johnson " acknowledged that there is a 'perception' in Iowa and other farm states that trade agreements are not achieving the benefits that were expected. " Yet the Agriculture Coalition for CAFTA-DR, comprised of " over 55 food and agricultural organizations committed to quick passage of CAFTA-DR, " released an " economic impact study that identifies the gains 40 congressional districts could expect upon passage, " reported Meatingplace.com. The study is posted on the National Pork Producers Council website and promoted by the Business Coalition for U.S. - Central America Trade. According to Roll Call, " GOP lobbyists crammed into Room HC-5 of the Capitol last Thursday ... to show K Street that Senate and House Whips have coordinated their efforts - and that they continue to need lobbyists' help if they are to pass major items on the business agenda, " including CAFTA. SOURCE: Grand Forks Herald (North Dakota), April 6, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3605 2. GETTING SPIN WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS " As House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) faces increasing scrutiny over various allegations of ethical lapses, a powerful cadre of friends and colleagues is stepping up to help protect his image, " reports PR Week. DeLay legal advisor and former Republican National Committee strategist Barbara Comstock heads the group, which includes DCI Group's Stuart Roy and Edelman's Jonathan Grella. They are " placing supporters on cable news channels and radio talk shows, " distributing talking points to conservative groups, and asking " prominent conservatives, " including Ketchum's Susan Molinari, " to speak out on DeLay's behalf. " This " unofficial PR offensive " is separate from DeLay's congressional office, which " developed its own media war room to combat the accusations. " On the other side, Fenton Communications is working with MoveOn.org, Campaign for America's Future and Common Cause " to tarnish and ultimately unseat " DeLay. SOURCE: PR Week (sub. req'd.), April 18, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3604 3. TRUST US, WE'RE PAID TV EXPERTS! http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111386025685009961,00.html?mod=home%5Fpage%5F\ one%5Fus " The use of TV consumer experts is the latest way marketers have tried to disguise their promotions as real news, " similar to magazine " 'advertorials' designed to look like editorial features " and video news releases aired as TV reports. The stable of paid " experts " includes " Today " show tech-product reviewer Corey Greenberg, " trend and fashion expert " Katlean de Monchy, Popular Photography & Imaging magazine editor John Owens, and Child magazine tech editor James Oppenheim. The Wall Street Journal reports that all four " experts " have neglected to disclose to viewers that they received payments to promote products being discussed. Journal reporter James Bandler writes, " TV shows present these gurus' recommendations as unbiased and based solely on their expertise. But that presentation is misleading if the experts have been paid to mention products. " SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (sub. req'd.), April 19, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3603 4. HERITAGE FOUNDATION'S ASIAN BELLE http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59539-2005Apr16.html As happened with neighboring Indonesia, " the 9/11 attacks opened the door to improved U.S.-Malaysia relations. " The Heritage Foundation began promoting Malaysia in mid-2001, " at the same time a Hong Kong consulting firm co-founded by Edwin J. Feulner, Heritage's president, began representing Malaysian business interests. " The firm, Belle Haven Consultants, lists Feulner's wife and Heritage consultant Ken Sheffer among its staff. " To help represent Malaysian clients, " Belle Haven hired the Republican lobbying firm Alexander Strategy Group. " Experts say that the relationship between one of Washington's most influential conservative think tanks and a network of lobbying firms collecting fees from Malaysian business interests - well in excess of $1 million over two years - could pose a problem for Heritage's status as a nonprofit group, " reports the Washington Post. SOURCE: Washington Post, April 16, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3602 5. RED FLAGS IGNORED IN WILLIAMS CASE http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-armstrong16apr16,0,2006695.\ story?coll=la-home-headlines The report by the Education Department's inspector general on Armstrong Williams, a pundit paid $240,000 to advertise and advocate for the No Child Left Behind Act, notes that the White House " was told about potential problems, " but that did not " prevent the contract from being renewed. " The report found no evidence that President Bush or senior staff knew about Williams, but " a midlevel White House aide received calls from Education officials concerned about the contract's cost, its effectiveness and Williams' dual role as journalist and government public relations man. " This finding contradicts Bush's January 2005 statement that " we didn't know about this in the White House. " Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, who " declined to be interviewed " for the report, said she would " immediately adopt the report's recommendations for improvements in contract oversight. " Whether the contract " breached federal rules prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds to 'covertly distribute propaganda' " is being investigated separately. SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3601 6. UNHAPPY CAMPERS http://www.crikey.com.au The president of the Public Relations Institute of Australia's (PRIA) Victoria chapter, David Hawkins, bluntly summarised the results of a membership survey as, " Most people think the PRIA sucks. The average score across all members was about four out of a possible nine. " In the Australian e-zine Crikey.com.au, Hugo Kelly reports that survey results included the suggestion that the PRIA run " a public relations campaign - ongoing - to explain, and where necessary, defend, public relations. " Over the next two weeks, PRIA chapters in Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland are hosting events for Ross S. Irvine, the president of his own firm, ePublic Relations. Irvine, who describes himself as a " corporate warrior, " promises to tell his Australian audience " how to beat activists at their own game. " SOURCE: Crikey.com.au (sub. req’d.), April 15, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3598 7. GOOD AND BAD NEWS ON FAKE NEWS http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/politics/15armstrong.html Following the FCC's Public Notice on " fake news, " the U.S. Senate approved, by 98 to 0, a measure requiring " clear notification within the text or audio of the prepackaged news story " for all fake news produced with federal funding. The measure was offered by Senator Robert Byrd and inserted into an emergency spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan operations. But not all of Washington DC has seen the light on fake news. Representative George Miller warned that the Department of Education's investigation into the Ketchum - Armstrong Williams payola scandal is being obstructed. The Department's Inspector General was " 'denied access' to some current and former White House employees, " while Secretary Margaret Spellings is " considering invoking special privileges that would force the investigator to shield parts of his findings from the public, " according to Miller. SOURCE: New York Times, April 15, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3595 8. BAD BRAINS: MAD COW COVER-UP? http://sask.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=mad-cow-concerns050413 " The United States did not properly analyze two suspected cases of mad cow disease in 1997, " reported Canada's CBC News. The U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian who investigated the cases, Dr. Masuo Doi (now retired), said he is " haunted by fears that the right tests were not done " and wonders, " How many did we miss? " and " Can you really trust our inspection [system]? " With both potential mad cow (also called BSE) cases, " key areas of the brain where signs of BSE would be most noticeable were never tested. " At the time, a USDA scientist called his examination of one case " questionable, " because " he couldn't tell what part of the cow's brain he was looking at. " Two other current or former USDA staff, Dr. Karl Langheindrich and Lester Friedlander, supported Dr. Doi's claims. SOURCE: CBC News, April 13, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3596 9. TRAVELOBBYING http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111351750759807490,00.html " A fast-growing trend in the business of influencing government is corporate-funded trips, " reports the Wall Street Journal. " Because the trips are paid for by corporations and trade associations - and not the hired guns who lobby for them - such trips are permitted under House and Senate rules, " unless the sponsors are registered lobbyists or foreign agents. The number of junkets increased from 1,400 in 2000 to 1,900 in 2004; their cost increased 50% over the same period, to $3 million in 2004. Already this year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce " has flown more than a dozen House and Senate aides to the Dominican Republic to learn about trade. " The American Association of Airport Executives, Consumer Electronics Association, National Association of Broadcasters, and Advanced Medical Technology Association have also funded trips, as have groups within the finance, telecommunications, agriculture, and energy industries, with " members of both parties ... taking advantage. " SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (sub. req'd.), April 15, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3597 10. WELCOME TO OUR LAIR, MURDOCH SAYS TO BLOGGERS http://www.newscorp.com/news/news_247.html In a speech at the American Society of Newspaper Editors' conference, News Corporation chief executive Rupert Murdoch pondered the impact that the growth in online news is having on newspapers. " The trends are against us, " he warned. Murdoch also mused on the possibilities of harnessing bloggers to the corporate news cart. " We need to be the destination for those bloggers. We need to encourage readers to think of the web as the place to go to engage our reporters and editors in more extended discussions about the way a particular story was reported or researched or presented. " Newspapers might experiment with using bloggers to extend coverage, he suggested. However, Murdoch cautioned that bloggers could pose a risk to " our standards for accuracy and reliability. " SOURCE: News Corporation, April 13, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3594 11. ISRAEL MOVES TO MUZZLE NUCLEAR WHISTLEBLOWER http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/564195.html At a preliminary court hearing, Israeli whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu declined to enter a plea on twenty-one charges that he spoke with U.S., British, Australian and French journalists. After revealing the existence of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the U.K. newspaper the Sunday Times in 1986, Vanunu was imprisoned for eighteen years. He was released on April 21, 2004, subject to draconian restrictions on his ability to travel or speak to reporters about Israel's weapons of mass destruction. " As a human being, I have the right to express my political views and my ideas. I have no more secrets, " he told reporters outside the courtroom Tuesday. The next hearing is scheduled for May 19. SOURCE: Haaretz, April 12, 2005 For more information or to comment on this story, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/node/3593 ---- The Weekly Spin is compiled by staff and volunteers at the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), a nonprofit public interest organization. To or unsubcribe, visit: http://www.prwatch.org/cmd/_sotd.html Daily updates and news from past weeks can be found at the " Spin of the Day " section of the Center website: http://www.prwatch.org/spin/index.html Archives of our quarterly publication, PR Watch, are at: http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues CMD also sponsors SourceWatch, a collaborative research project that invites anyone (including you) to contribute and edit articles: http://www.sourcewatch.org 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. Please send any questions or suggestions about our publications to: editor Contributions to the Center for Media and Democracy are tax-deductible. Send checks to: CMD 520 University Ave. #227 Madison, WI 53703 To donate now online, visit: https://www.egrants.org/donate/index.cfm?ID=2344-0|1118-0 _____________ Weekly-Spin mailing list Weekly-Spin http://two.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/weekly-spin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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