Corporations

Street Poet As Stealth Huckster for Nissan

"Nissan Motors is planting actors in movie theaters to
perform live commercials before the start of showings of
'The Matrix Revolutions' in an effort to expose jaded,
skeptical consumers to advertising by masking it as
something else. The brief in-person pitches feature actors scattered among
the ticket-buying audience who stand and deliver lines that
evoke the words spoken by poets at events known as slams or
jams. Their performances are timed to accompany a
commercial the audience sees on the movie screen, which

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Recovery or Snow Job?

Recent news reports have heralded a recent jump in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as signs that the economy is turning around. The question, however is, "Which economy?" While the GDP grew 7.2% last quarter, 146,000 jobs were lost. That's good news for corporate CEOs, but bad news for most of the rest of us. And economists warn that even the boost to the CEO economy is a temporary "sugar high" that won't last once markets respond to tolerate the fiscal recklessness and heavy debt the White House has embraced.

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Sheep's Clothing

A group calling itself Partnership for the West (PFTW) was formally unveiled in late October and aims to influence environmental legislation in Washington. "The group plans to work on 'restoring a common sense balance to economic growth and conservation in the West,'" notes Bill Berkowitz, adding that this "sounds nice, until you see who's behind it. Claiming to be a grassroots lobby group, PFTW actually represents a kinder, gentler and more politically savvy brand of anti-environmentalism. ...

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Chemical Industry PR to Counter Health Activists

Monique Harden and Nathalie Walker, two public interest lawyers, report that they attended "the recent conference of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), called 'Communicating in a Volatile World.' ACC is the trade association for the 180 largest manufacturers of chemicals in the U.S. Until recently, ACC was known as the Chemical Manufacturers Association. The ACC conference was a real eye-opener. It revealed the ACC's genuine fears about the accomplishments of environmental health activists.

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Fox Gets the Memo

Charlie Reina, a former producer for Fox News, has posted a letter to the Poynter Institute's online journalism forum, explaining how the network deliberately slants the news. "Editorially, the FNC newsroom is under the constant control and vigilance of management," he writes. "The pressure ranges from subtle to direct. First of all, it's a news network run by one of the most high-profile political operatives of recent times. ... The roots of FNC's day-to-day on-air bias are actual and direct.

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This is Your Brain on Public Relations

The Environmental Working Group has obtained and analyzed documents from a briefing book assembled by Frank Luntz, a top public opinion researcher for corporate lobbyists. The briefing book offers a PR playbook on how to frame the current wholesale rollback of environmental and public health protections while avoiding a stinging public backlash.

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Breast Cancer Action Vs. Corporate "Pinkwashing"

"To draw attention to the troubling trend of corporate 'pinkwashing,' Breast Cancer Action, a national grassroots breast cancer advocacy organization, is running an ad in the national edition of the New York Times questioning some high-profile corporate marketing campaigns launched in connection with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 'We're not opposed to companies raising money for the cause,' said Barbara Brenner, Breast Cancer Action's executive director.

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Scientist Resigns Over EPA's 'Wetlands Pollute' Study

"A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency biologist has resigned in protest of his agency's acceptance of a developer-financed study concluding that wetlands discharge more pollutants than they absorb, according to a statement released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). EPA's approval of the study gives developers credit for improving water quality by replacing natural wetlands with golf courses and other developments. ...

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