Corporations

Beyond Advertising: The Pharmaceutical Industry's Hidden Marketing Tactics

In early January, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce began investigating celebrity endorsements in television ads for brand-name drugs. The investigation was sparked by Pfizer's commercials for its best-selling cholesterol drug Lipitor. These direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads feature Dr. Robert Jarvik, a pioneer in the development of the artificial heart. Viewers are not told that Jarvik is not a cardiologist, nor is he licensed to practice medicine. His presentation as a trusted expert, Pfizer presumably hopes, is enough to persuade viewers to ask their doctors for Lipitor by name. And that would help erode the increasing competition from generic alternatives.

Telecom War on Net Neutrality

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"Telecommunications industry groups have attacked a new bill calling for government regulators to take a closer look at how broadband providers manage their networks," reports Kenneth Corin. "The Internet Freedom Preservation Act, introduced earlier this week by Rep.

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Main Source: 
Enterprise Networking Planet, February 15, 2008
Topics: 
Internet
U.S. Congress
Corporations
Lobbying

Bank Case Proves Information Wants to Be Free

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

"In a move that legal experts said could present a major test of First Amendment rights in the Internet area, a federal judge in San Francisco ... ordered the disabling of a Web site devoted to disclosing confidential information." The site, Wikileaks, allows people to anonymously post documents and other information. The judge's order disabled the site's U.S.

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Main Source: 
New York Times, February 20, 2008
Topics: 
Activism
Internet
Corporations
International
Secrecy

Taking a Stand for Their Communities' Health

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on

Low-income California communities concerned with environmental justice have launched a 21-point "Environmental Justice Movement Declaration." Their position is a challenge to the policies of Gov.

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Main Source: 
Los Angeles Times, February 20, 2008
Topics: 
Activism
Climate Change
U.S. Congress
Corporations
Democracy
Health
Human Rights
Politics
Science
Social Justice

Without Academic Partnerships, the Tobacco Industry Loses Power

Taking research grants helps tobacco companies thriveA February 9 Los Angeles Times article about University of California, Los Angeles professor Edythe London taking a $6 million grant from Philip Morris to study the brains of child smokers and monkeys addicted to nicotine once again raises questions about the appropriateness of university researchers accepting tobacco industry funding. Philip Morris denied that they have a stake in this particular project, but the denial had little credibility since the company no doubt will benefit from understanding more about youth smoking and nicotine addiction. After all, the future of their business depends on these two topics. Still, we wonder why any person curious enough to be engaged in scientific research isn't also curious enough to find out what's in it for Philip Morris before they accept the funds? These days, the answer is as close as your computer.

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