Submitted by John Stauber on
The Media Education Foundation has produced a new educational video inspired by the work of the Center and titled Toxic Sludge Is Good For You - The Public Relations Industry Unspun. You can view a short clip and order the video, narrated by Democracy Now's host Amy Goodman, from the MEF website which says "this video illuminates ... the way in which the management of the public mind' has become central to how our democracy is controlled by political and economic elites. ... Toxic Sludge Is Good For You tracks the development of the PR industry from early efforts to win popular American support for World War I to the role of crisis management in controlling the damage to corporate image. The video analyzes the tools public relations professionals use to shift our perceptions including a look at the coordinated PR campaign to slip genetically engineered produce past public scrutiny. PR critics [interviewed] include PR Watch founder John Stauber, cultural scholars Mark Crispin Miller and Stuart Ewen. Toxic Sludge Is Good For You urges viewers to question the experts and follow the money back to the public relations industry to challenge its hold on democracy."