Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
As the debate over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan continues, the country's "Department of National Defence is ... spending millions of dollars sponsoring think tanks and scholars to offer up agreeable commentary," writes University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran. "Take the Conference of Defence Associations, a think tank that got $500,000 from DND last year. ...
It's one of the most controversial questions today: How many Iraqis have died since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion?
That there is no definitive answer should not come as a surprise, given the chaotic situation in Iraq. Still, it's an important question to ask, for obvious humanitarian, moral and political reasons.
Theoretically, the public health surveys and polls that have been conducted in Iraq -- at great risk to the people involved -- should help inform and further the debate. But the data is complicated by different research approaches and their attendant caveats. The matter has been further confused by anemic reporting, with news articles usually framed as a "he said / she said" story, instead of an exploration and interpretation of research findings.
These are the conditions under which spin thrives: complex issues, political interests and weak reporting. So it's not too surprising that last month saw a spate of what international health researcher Dr. Richard Garfield calls "Swift Boat editorials."
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The U.S. Air Force "wants to more than double its advertising budget ... to $112.5 million," reports the Air Force Times.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Want to earn up to $2.4 million to produce and distribute across Iraq 12 issues of a comic book designed to "highlight the professionalism of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) and to enhance the public perception of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) as a capable, well-trained, and professional fighting force"? Well, you'll have to compete with the Lincoln Group, the PR firm that previously placed U.S.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Corporate sponsors of this summer's Beijing Olympics Games are increasingly nervous.
Submitted by John Stauber on
Matt Taibbi analyzes how "Democrats have surrendered to Bush on Iraq and betrayed the peace movement for their own political ends." He faults the MoveOn-led Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, "a political tool for the Democrats -- one operated from inside the Beltway and
Submitted by Anne Landman on
Mitt Romney has suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, saying that if he continued it would "be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win" and that he cannot
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"A key part of Ottawa's public relations campaign" in support of its controversial military mission in Afghanistan is frequent phone calls where "senior federal officials ...
Submitted by John Stauber on
Bill Berkowitz reports, "a number of right wing groups have been contending for the unofficial designation of the conservative version of MoveOn.org, the liberal grassroots lobbying organization. These days, Freedom's Watch appears to have a leg up on them all. ...
Submitted by John Stauber on
Jeremy Scahill, author of the bestselling book Blackwater, notes that "Blackwater Worldwide, the Bush administration's favorite mercenary company, is no stranger to blood -- its operatives have caused a lot of it to be spilled in Iraq. ...
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