Front Groups

The List

"Perhaps no list of reporters has commanded such attention in Washington since Richard Nixon compiled his enemies list more than thirty years ago," writes Douglas McCollam, discussing the reporters whose names and phone numbers appear in a confidential July 2002 memorandum from the Iraqi National Congress (INC). The memo lists 108 news stories that were influenced by INC-supplied defectors.

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When Think Tanks Attack

Australian blogger Tim Lambert has taken a closer look at some of the think tanks that have emerged as critics of open source software, which threatens Microsoft's position in the marketplace. "Why are all these think tanks so down on Open Source?" Lambert asks. "Well, the Small Business Survival Committee is concerned that using open source will expose small business to the risk of lawsuits.

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Corporate Front Group Supporting Ralph Nader

Citizens for a Sound Economy, a right-wing corporate front group opposed to everything Ralph Nader has struggled for, is working hard to help his 2004 presidential campaign in an effort to defeat John Kerry. "'Ralph Nader is undoubtedly going to pull some very crucial votes from John Kerry, and that could mean the difference in a razor-thin presidential election,' reads a script used by Citizens for a Sound Economy in its phone calls [to Republicans in the state of Oregon].

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Exxon's Secret Sponsorship of Climate Skeptics

Despite the best PR efforts of industry, global warming is a growing concern to an increasing number of people in the world. That's because corporate propaganda addresses only the perception of climate change, distorting science and corrupting regulatory processes, and not the reality. The new website ExxonSecrets.org explores the links between Exxonmobil, think tanks, corporate friendly scientists, and government officials.

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Unspinning the Web of Corporate Influence

When it comes to stealthy PR campaigns, the biotech industry has spared no expense. For the past six years, the UK-based public interest group GM Watch has been tracking and documenting biotech's dirty tricks, learning that the PR web reaches further than just GM food.

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"Stop Michael Moore" Campaign a GOP Front

"So desperate are Bush Republicans to kill Michael Moore's latest
film, Fahrenheit 9/11, they have hired a public relations firm to
set up a web site attacking Moore," the Alternative Press Review writes. "The site,
MoveAmericaForward.com, claims to be 'non-partisan,' but a glance
at the 'About' page of the site reveals the director and staff of
Move America Forward are all diehard Republicans, anti-tax

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Utterly Out of Favor

"In dawn raids today, American troops surrounded Ahmed Chalabi's headquarters and home in Baghdad, put a gun to his head, arrested two of his aides, and seized documents," Andrew Cockburn writes. "Only five months ago, Chalabi was a guest of honor sitting right behind Laura Bush at the State of the Union.

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No More Money for Chalabi

"The United States government has decided to halt monthly $335,000 payments to the Iraqi National Congress, the group headed by Ahmad Chalabi," reports Richard A. Oppel, Jr. The INC, which has received at least $27 million in U.S. financing during the past four years, played a crucial role in the Bush administration's campaign to sell the war in Iraq.

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Counter-Attack of the Killer Clowns

As the anti-fast food documentary "Super Size Me" hits theaters, McDonald's is fighting back. "We're responding aggressively because the film is a gross misrepresentation," said a company spokesperson. Helping defend McDonald's are "global nutritionist" Cathy Kapica and the corporate-funded American Council on Science and Health.

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