Nice Times for Pharma Flacks
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The New York Times today published an op-ed piece blasting research that tests the comparative effectiveness of pharmaceuticals.
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Public Relations
Gas Guzzlers Group Burns Cash
Submitted by Bob Burton on
The Sport Utility Vehicle Owners of America (SUVOA) industry front group paid the PR firm Stratacomm $440,000 in the first half of 2007 to lobby the U.S. government. Stratacomm boasts a range of auto industry clients. Later this year, the U.S.
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Fake Interviews for Everything?
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"There's sensitivity to sponsored news right now," admits KEF Media Associates' Yvonne Goforth, adding that her firm is doing more to target satellite media tours (SMTs) -- sponsored and often scripted television "interviews" -- to local TV stations.
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An Ethical Look at Fake News
"I love Red Cross, but I don't trust them completely when they're the ones shooting the video," explained journalism professor and Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) ethics committee member Jerry Dunklee.
Dunklee was speaking at SPJ's recent convention, on a panel titled "Paid and Played: The Ethics of Using Video News Releases." His remarks focused on the ethical issues raised by VNRs. Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) executive director John Stauber and Jim Bayse of the firm Wiley Rein, which represents the Radio-Television News Directors Association, were also on the panel.
Much of the VNR debate is currently focused on legal and policy issues: speculation over what the Federal Communications Commission really meant by fining Comcast for five undisclosed VNRs, and what the agency is likely to do next. But it's also important to address the ethical implications of VNRs. Dunklee did so by relating sometimes abstract guidelines to real-world situations he faced as a reporter and news director in cable and broadcast television.
A Fine Kettle of Fish for Union-Busting Snack Company
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Kettle Foods this week called in Hill & Knowlton to protect its bruised reputation following a widely criticised attempt to dissuade its workers from unionizing," reports PR Week.
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More U.S. Lobbyists Talking Turkey
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
As the U.S. House of Representatives considers a controversial resolution "recognizing as 'genocide' the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians in the former Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago," the Turkish government is increasing its Washington DC lobbying.
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Words About Deeds
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Karen Hughes, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, has been using the term "diplomacy of deeds" to describe U.S. charitable activities aimed at winning hearts and minds overseas. Retired Foreign Service officer John Brown has some doubts.
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Oil Execs Continue to Motor Around U.S.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Media activists in Grand Rapids, Michigan attended Shell Oil president John Hofmeister's recent talk there, on "How the US Can Ensure Energy Supply for the Future." Hofmeister "stated up front that he was on a 50 city tour and that Grand Rapids was number 45," according to Media Mouse.
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Want To Know Fake News When You See It?
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) today reported on three recent instances where a single television station aired entire, pre-packaged video news releases (VNRs).
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Working to Make A Difference (In Their Favor): The Arts Dollars of Philip Morris
Cigarette maker Altria/Philip Morris (PM) recently announced that it is moving its New York headquarters to Richmond, Virginia, and that it will end its corporate sponsorship of the arts in New York. Predictably, New York arts organizations are crying over the loss of cigarette dollars. These organizations sadly believe that their acceptance of PM dollars has been benign. In truth, these organizations have helped PM advance its credibility and legitimacy with policymakers, and have done tremendous harm to the country.
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