Submitted by Laura Miller on
"The rise of Tony Feather from congressional intern to successful lobbyist is a story of loyalty, of good deeds rewarded -- and of Republicans taking care of their own," the Washington Post writes.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Columbia Journalism Review editor Trudy Lieberman, after examining transcripts from some 50 major news shows, concludes that "journalism has morphed into a cog in a great public relations machine." Lieberman blames the prevalence of PR-driven media training: "At a time when the audience makes decisions based on perceptions rather than facts, the goal is to create positive perceptions of companies and their products, politicians and their policies." Recent interview excerpts illustrate how "trained" guests can easily gain control, especially when the "unwritten rules" discourage journalists
Submitted by Laura Miller on
The U.S. has indicted executives from Ogilvy and Mather, a PR and advertising agency, for participating in an "extensive scheme to defraud the U.S. Government by falsely and fraudulently inflating the labor costs that Ogilvy incurred" for its work on a media campaign for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. According to O'Dwyer's PR Daily, O&M's anti-drug media campaign work was part of a five-year $684 million dollar project. The government claims it was overcharged by O&M from May 1999 to April 2000.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"Weeks before a federal judge is set to open Martha Stewart's trial on charges of obstructing justice and securities fraud, the case already is being tried in the court of public opinion," writes James T. Madore. According to Roberg G. Heim, a former Securities and Exchange Commission attorney, "A very extraordinary aspect of the Martha Stewart case is the amount of public relations efforts that she and her team are making in an attempt to clear her name."
Submitted by Laura Miller on
"Meat-industry trade groups were scurrying during the recent holiday season to coordinate key messages and media lists as they responded to reports of mad cow disease rearing its head in the Western US," PR Week's John Frank writes. PR staffers at the American Meat Institute and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, working with PR giant Burson-Marsteller, handled a flood of media calls over the Christmas holiday.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
"The White House has retreated from its doctrine of regime change and pre-emptive military action and is returning to traditional diplomacy in an effort to repackage George Bush as a president for peace," the Guardian reports. The British paper writes that recent signs indicate a shift from military action to diplomatic engagement as seen in recent interactions between the U.S. and North Korea, Libya and Iran.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
We've done our best to ignore the media's latest feeding frenzy over singer Michael Jackson -- until now, that is. The filing of nine felony counts against Jackson "was orchestrated by a Hollywood public relations company, Tellem Worldwide," reports Tim Rutten. Tellem "is providing pro bono services to the Santa Barbara prosecutors. As special correspondent Linda Deutsch and reporter Tim Molloy of Associated Press reported last week, the company's other clients include the Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Brandy Anderson, a former director of public policy for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), has gone to work for the Century Council, a nonprofit organization founded and funded by major liquor distillers including Allied Domecq Spirits, Bacardi and Pernod Ricard. Anderson has also worked as a senior manager at the Washington, D.C., PR firm Blakey & Agnew.
Submitted by John Stauber on
"Comcast Corporation, the largest cable TV company in the U.S., announced that Victoria (Torie) Clarke will join the company as Senior Advisor for Communications and Government Affairs. She served most recently as Assistant Secretary
of Defense for Public Affairs. Clarke previously served as Press Secretary
for former President Bush's 1992 re-election campaign, as a close advisor to
Submitted by Laura Miller on
"Tyson Foods has opened an office of Animal Well-Being, seeking to assure retail and food-service customers as well as consumers that it takes humane animal handling seriously," PR Week reports.
"Animal-rights groups fault large American meat and poultry processors for what they see as inhumane handling of animals. These groups have protested in public for years about the plight of animals raised by companies like Tyson.
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