Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Saudi Arabia, which hired Burson-Marsteller three days following the September 11 terror attacks, has signed up another PR firm to help manage its image in the United States. Qorvis Communications, headed by former Shandwick North America CEO Michael Petruzzello, will do polling and Congressional lobbying.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), which has fought against both the Soviet occupation and Islamic fundamentalists, has issued an appeal to the world community. "The people of Afghanistan do not accept domination of the Northern Alliance," it states. "The retreat of the terrorist Taliban from Kabul is a positive development, but entering of the rapist and looter NA in the city is nothing but a dreadful and shocking news for about 2 million residents of Kabul whose wounds of the years 1992-96 have not healed yet. ...
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
After the Taliban fled Kabul, BBC reporter John Simpson inspected an abandoned building where he claimed to find instructions for assembling a nuclear weapon. Actually, the document he filmed was a 1979 spoof from the Journal of Irreproducible Results, which publishes humorous parodies of scientific writing. If terrorists used this document to build a weapon, they're in worse trouble than they realize.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Like the United States, Britain is using the specter of terrorism to write new laws that erode domestic civil liberties. The House of Commons this week began considering a bill submitted by Prime Minister Tony Blair. According to the Guardian, "policy-makers have dusted down several of their more regressive proposals that have already been rebuffed once, to give them another run in the new coercive climate. ... The most serious infringement of civil rights ...
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) has hired Edelman Public Relations Worldwide to help position the pharmaceutical industry as a "leading source of information to the public" on the issue of bioterrorism. For the other side of the story, check out what Corpwatch.org has to say about wartime profiteering by drug companies and the controversy on patented drugs which started when the first signs of anthrax attacks appeared in the US.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
PR has a vital role to play in promoting economic globalization and fighting terrorism, according to the latest issue of The Holmes Report, a public relations industry trade newsletter. Holmes cites the musings of Jack Leslie, chairman of Weber Shandwick Worldwide and a past executive with the Sawyer Miller Group (whose role in explaining away the Colombian government's involvement with drug traffickers is detailed our book, Toxic Sludge Is Good For You).
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"The president of the United States is encouraging us to buy," observes marketer Chuck Kelly. "Broadway stars donate their time to film a commercial asking us to visit New York City. The Federal Reserve Board chairman tells us that the best tonic for the economy is for consumers to invest in it by spending money. Could any marketer ask for more?" Kelly argues that America is "embarking on a journey of spiritual patriotism" that "is about pride, loyalty, caring and believing" -- not to mention, of course, selling.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
TV news crews that followed Northern Alliance forces into Kabul mostly provided celebratory coverage of victorious soldiers waving, crowds of people celebrating in the streets, and men defiantly shaving their beards. For the correspondents on the ground, however, the mood was less euphoric. "You can't trust anybody you see with a gun," said NBC news director David Verdi. "You just don't know. It's really like the wild, wild West.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
Public Campaign, an advocacy group that campaigns for election finance reform, has launched a new website called HowDareThey.org to challenge wartime profiteering by corporate lobbyists. The site features information on topics such as the airline bailout, airline security weaknesses, the high cost of pharmaceutical drugs like Cipro, and the "economic stimulus package" that recently passed the House of Representatives. "We have our hands on our hearts, saluting the flag, mourning the people who are dead, and at the same time these special interests are trying to pick our pockets.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
As the Northern Alliance routs Taliban soldiers in Kabul and other cities, the news media has been uncannily silent about the Northern Alliance's own history of ruthless human rights violations.
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