U.S. Government

Actions Louder than Words

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

Though President Bush says he envisions a world that settles disputes with "reason and good will," he is deepening U.S. ties with countries that commit human-rights abuses. "But Bush's coalition against terrorism is deepening U.S. military ties with countries that ... commit human-rights abuses that are well documented by the State Department," writes Frida Berrigan. "Last month, the department released its annual 'Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.' It lists 52 countries that are receiving U.S. military training or weapons as having 'poor' or 'very poor' human-rights records."

No
Main Source: 
Knight-Ridder, April 7, 2002
Topics: 
Human Rights
International
U.S. Government

PBS's "Commanding" Conflict of Interest

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

PBS has applied its "conflict of interest" guidelines to refuse programming that receives sponsorship from unions, lesbians or battered women, on grounds that these groups have a "vested interest in the subject matter of the program." When it comes to corporations, however, the network follows a different standard. Currently the network is premiering a six-hour series about the global economy which was sponsored by major corporations that have a clear interest in the show's content.

No
Main Source: 
FAIR/Extra, April 3, 2002
Topics: 
Activism
Corporations
Media
U.S. Government

Bush Administration Tramples on Press Freedom

Submitted by Laura Miller on

When Spozhmai Maiwandi, who ran the Pashto service of the U.S. government's Voice of America, aired remarks made by Taliban leader Mullah Omar not long after September 11, the Bush administration got upset. Maiwandi lost her job. Frank Smyth writes for TomPaine.com that "unfortunately the VOA case is only one of many examples in which Bush officials have manipulated the press, particularly since 9/11. The administration has demonstrated a callous disregard for journalism, truth and transparency.

No
Main Source: 
http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5294
Topics: 
Journalism
Democracy
U.S. Government

The Other War Room

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

George Bush likes to insist that he governs "based upon principle and not polls and focus groups." In reality, writes Joshua Green, "the Bush administration is a frequent consumer of polls, though it takes extraordinary measures to appear that it isn't." In 2001, the administration spent close to $1 million for polling, using political advisors like Jan van Lohuizen and his focus-group guru, Fred Steeper. "Policies are chosen beforehand, polls used to spin them.

No
Main Source: 
Washington Monthly, April 1, 2002
Topics: 
Public Relations
U.S. Government

America Is Not a Hamburger

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

President Bush's attempts to "rebrand" the United States are doomed, according to Naomi Klein. Klein analyzes of the strategy developed for the U.S. by Charlotte Beers, the advertising executive hired by the State Department as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. One of the problems, Klein notes, is that Beers' strategy of "branding" is itself in conflict with her attempt to equate Americanism with democracy and diversity.

No
Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), March 14, 2002
Topics: 
Marketing
U.S. Government

The Music Man

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"How good bad music and bad reasons sound when we march against an enemy," observed the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft seems to have taken this to heart. Workers at the Department of Justice are complaining about being expected to sing a patriotic song written by Ashcroft himself. "Have you heard the song?

No
Main Source: 
The Guardian (UK), March 4, 2002
Topics: 
U.S. Government

The Rendon Group Got Almost $100M From CIA

Submitted by Laura Miller on

The Rendon Group received close to $100-million dollars from the CIA for work it did in Iraq in the five years following the Gulf War according to reporter Seymour Hersh in a New Yorker article. Between 1991-96, The Rendon Group did "media relations" work for the Iraqi National Congress, a coalition opposition group supported at the time by the CIA.

No
Main Source: 
The New Yorker, Posted March 4, 2002
Topics: 
Propaganda
U.S. Government
War / Peace

Preparing for Perpetual War

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

The Bush administration may be trying to "prepare us for a war without end," writes Ruth Rosen. "The political impetus for creating a state of perpetual war can't be ignored. George W. Bush has never forgotten his father's precipitous fall after the Persian Gulf War. Despite his currently high approval ratings, Bush also knows that a majority of Americans still favor the Democrats' domestic policies."

No
Main Source: 
San Francisco Chronicle, March 4, 2002
Topics: 
U.S. Government
War / Peace

Bush & Rumsfeld Scrambling to Manage OSI Backlash

Submitted by John Stauber on

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and President Bush have backed away from the Pentagon's new propaganda arm, the Office of Strategic Influence. The administration is scrambling to deal with public backlash against the idea of a Pentagon propaganda office that would, among other actions, disseminate false and misleading information to US allies.

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, February 25, 2002
Topics: 
Propaganda
U.S. Government
War / Peace

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