The United States is supposed to be a democracy, but today powerful business interests dominate government, most citizens don't even vote, civil liberties are surrendered for national security, gunboat diplomacy alienates world opinion, and one overtly pro-business party dominates all three branches of government and the news media. What's going on, and what can be done? PR Watch editors Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber are working on a new book, titled Banana Republicans: How the New Right is Turning American Into a One-Party State. We welcome your help!

"If not for sixteen specious words about African uranium, George W. Bush's post-war PR would be humming along," declares Sam Gwynne in a mostly gushing profile of Dan Bartlett, the Bush administration's director of communications.

Hannity & Colmes, Fox News Channel's primetime debate show, figures prominently in the network's campaign to market its right-leaning programming as "fair & balanced." Actually, the program exemplifies the way Fox jiggers the balance to favor conservatives.