Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Arnold Schwarzenegger's "current California media tour to promote his plans for reforming state government looks like a resounding success - if only because the California media, rather than turning up the heat, often ends up in marshmallow mode with the state's famous governor." While some ask about his "proposed merit pay for teachers, the state's budget deficit, nursing reform and pensio
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
A study analyzing 4,000 local newscasts in 11 major markets found that, "in the month leading up to last year's presidential election, local television stations in big cities devoted eight times as much air time to car crashes and other accidents than to campaigns for the House of Representatives, state senate, city hall and other local offices." Eight percent of news shows reported on local races, while more than half
The tobacco industry won a big victory Friday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in its favor, against the U.S. Justice Department. The court's ruling means that the Justice Department cannot force the industry to disgorge $280 billion in past profits, even if it wins its fraud and racketeering case against the cigarette makers.
Little media attention has been paid to this important decision in a landmark case concerning a major public health threat. The near-invisible nature of the ongoing federal trial to determine whether Big Tobacco engaged in a conspiracy of fraud and deceit may represent another aspect of that very conspiracy - the successful efforts of tobacco industry PR to influence journalists. Internal tobacco industry documents shed light on the largely hidden phenomena of corporate tobacco lobbyists courting favor with editorial boards.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The Pentagon is investigating "the military's practice of paying journalists to write articles and commentary ... and also looking more broadly at Pentagon activities that might involve inappropriate payments to journalists," writes Associated Press.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
Tracing the rise of U.S. government sponsored propaganda from campaigns in the 1980s that supported U.S.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"A city commissioner, a liberal radio producer, a deputy Democratic campaign manager and a number of university professors" were among 42 people on a "do not admit" list for President Bush's Fargo, North Dakota event promoting Social Security privatization. The White House said the list, given to two ticket distribution sites, must have come from local volunteers.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Declaring "a new milestone for the commercialization of blogs," AdAge.com reports that Sony Consumer Electronics e-Solutions Group is paying $25,000 a month to be the exclusive sponsor of LifeHacker, a new weblog published by Gawker Media "about the software of personal gadgetry." Gawker blog readers are considered "prime influencers" or "connectors" on technology issues.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"One day after President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries to stop hiring commentators to help promote administration initiatives, and one day after the second high-profile conservative pundit was found to be on the federal payroll, a third embarrassing hire has emerged," reports Salon.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
At a recent conference, the publisher of South Korea's OhmyNews described "the collaboration between Korean citizens and the online newspaper. ... Eight hours before the start of voting, another candidate who had been supporting [reform candidate Roh Moo Myun], withdrew from the campaign. The conservative newspaper ...
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
In October 2004, "a study was published in The Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal, concluding that about 100,000 civilians had been killed in Iraq since it was invaded" in March 2003.
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