"Major tobacco companies agreed to stop pushing for their products to be promoted in the arts from 1998," but "the number of tobacco brand appearances in U.S. films aimed at children has not fallen significantly," according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The percentage of "films aimed at children show[ing] tobacco brand names, or trademarks" fell slightly from 15 to 12, after 1998.

"If you are wondering why Americans are losing the wars on cancer, heart disease and diabetes, you might look at the funding sources of the major public health groups," Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman write. "Big corporations dump big money into these groups. And pretty soon, the groups start taking the line of the big corporations. Case in point: the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Earlier this month, the ADA cut a deal with candy and soda pop maker Cadbury Schweppes.

Television journalist Bill Moyers harangued Corporation for Public Broadcasting chair Kenneth Tomlinson at the recent National Media Reform Conference.