The World Resources Institute (WRI) is urging journalists to exercise caution in reporting on the new book by Bj

The PR industry is in dire need of PR help itself, according to industry leaders. Even before September 11, American PR firms "were looking at their first year of negative growth, slashing staff and shuttering offices as an economic slump wiped out clients and accounts," reports Andrew Quinn. According to Alan Kelly of a high-tech public relations firm in San Francisco, "We've swung from a media Camelot to what one of my colleagues has termed 'Death Valley.' "

How much is your local TV news influenced by the people who buy ads? In a survey of 118 news directors around the country, more than half, 53 percent, reported that advertisers pressure them to kill negative stories or run positive ones. The pressure to do puff pieces about sponsors occurs "constantly," "all the time," "everyday," "routinely," and "every time a sales person opened his/her mouth," news directors reported.