Corporations

Media Conglomerate Funds Pro-War Rallies

Submitted by John Stauber on

"These demonstrators wore shorts
and ball caps, pushed strollers and carried American flags,
but what most set them apart was the support they displayed ... for the
American-led war in Iraq. ... It was meant as ... an
angry protest against the antiwar sentiment that has been
more visible elsewhere, particularly in large cities. 'Don't let these peace protesters confuse you,' Glenn Beck,
a conservative radio host from Philadelphia, told the crowd

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, March 24, 2003
Topics: 
Iraq
Corporations
Media

Secret Bids to Rebuild Iraq

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"Weeks before the first bombs dropped in Iraq, the Bush administration began rebuilding plans," reports ABC News, which has obtained a copy of a 99-page contract worth $600 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) - the most money the agency has ever spent in a single country in a single year. Among the companies believed to be bidding are Bechtel, Fluor, Parsons, the Washington Group and Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's old firm," ABC reports. "All are experienced. But in addition, all are generous political donors - principally to Republicans."

No
Main Source: 
ABC News, March 22, 2003
Topics: 
Iraq
Corporations
Secrecy
U.S. Government

Making A Killing On War

Submitted by Laura Miller on

"As the first bombs rain down on Baghdad, CorpWatch has learned that thousands of employees of Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, are working alongside United States troops in Kuwait and Turkey under a package deal worth close to a billion dollars. According to US Army sources, they are building tent cities and providing logistical support for the war in Iraq in addition to other hot spots in the 'war on terrorism,'" CorpWatch writes.

No
Main Source: 
CorpWatch, March 20, 2003
Topics: 
Iraq
Corporations

It's Not a "Market Crash," It's a "Terrific Time to Buy"

Submitted by John Stauber on

Have you heard journalists and commentators using the term "market crash?" Neither have we, and we wonder why not given the facts. Reuters reports today that British "blue-chips slumped ... as
investors bailed out of financials and oils and fretted over the
outlook for firms like Canary Wharf and Reuters. Heavyweight banks,
insurers and pension funds -- formerly
prime supporters of equities -- sold each others' stocks to move
deeper into the safety of cash and bonds, while oil giant BP sagged after a

No
Main Source: 
Reuters, March 12, 2003
Topics: 
Corporations
Rhetoric

Hot Flash, Cold Cash

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"Last April, several hundred black-tie and couture-clad worthies crowded into the ornate ballroom of the Washington Ritz-Carlton for one more dinner on the spring charity circuit," writes Alicia Mundy - namely, the annual gala of the once-respected Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR), a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization whose stated mission is "to improve the health of women through research." In recent years, however, SWHR has become increasingly dependent on corporation contributions from pharmaceutical companies.

No
Main Source: 
Washington Monthly, February/March 2003
Topics: 
Corporations
Health
Women

Their Master's Voice

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"You have got to admit that Rupert Murdoch is one canny press tycoon because he has an unerring ability to choose editors across the world who think just like him," writes Roy Greenslade. "How else can we explain the extraordinary unity of thought in his newspaper empire about the need to make war on Iraq?" Murdoch publishes 40 million papers a week and dominates the newspaper markets in Britain, Australia and New Zealand, and none "has dared to croon the anti-war tune.

No
Main Source: 
The Guardian (UK), February 17, 2003
Topics: 
Iraq
Corporations
International
Media

WHO "Infiltrated by Food Industry"

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

According to a confidential report prepared by a consultant to the World Health Organization, the food industry has followed the example of the tobacco industry, infiltrating the WHO and exerting "undue influence" over policies intended to safeguard public health by limiting the amount of fat, sugar and salt we consume. "The easy movement of experts - toxicologists in particular - between private firms, universities, tobacco and food industries and international agencies creates the conditions for conflict of interest," says the report by Norbert Hirschhorn.

No
Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), February 6, 2003
Topics: 
Food Safety
Corporations
International

Food for Activists

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

PR crisis manager Nick Nichols, who advises companies to use attack-dog strategies against pesky activists, delivered another fiery speech this weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference, branding environmentalists as terrorists and comparing them to Hitler. "A lot of [my] clients look like food to the more extreme environmental groups," he said.

No
Main Source: 
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1183938.html?view=print
Topics: 
Activism
Terrorism
Corporations
Rhetoric

Press Freedom Slipping Away

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"The Federal Communications Commission, led by Michael ('my religion is the market') Powell, is fixing to remove the last remaining barriers against concentration of media," writes Molly Ivins. "This means one company can own all the radio stations, television stations, newspapers and cable systems in any given area. Presently, 10 companies own over 90 percent of the media outlets.

No
Main Source: 
Salt Lake Tribune, February 3, 2003
Topics: 
Corporations
Media

Pages

Subscribe to Corporations