U.S. Government

Political Mood Swings on Drug Industry Direct-to-Consumer Ads

The $4 billion a year spent by the drug industry on direct-to-consumer advertising promoting drugs is generating a political backlash. "There's a lot of support for a ban on direct-to-consumer advertising, and the Democrats know it," said Gary Ruskin, Commercial Alert's executive director.

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Spin Doctor Outed As 'Health' Adviser on Guantanamo Prisoner

George Bush meets Alexander Downer in Canberra.The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, recently sought to downplay concerns about the mental health of an Australian citizen, David Hicks, who has been imprisoned in

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Gazprom Plans PR Blitz

Gazprom pipelineGazprom, the Russian gas company that supplies approximately one quarter of Europe's gas needs, is planning a PR and lobbying campaign in Europe and the U.S. to improve its image, after it cut off gas supplies to the Ukraine in 2006 and Belarus in 2007.

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Want Your Own Educational Radio Station? Here's Your Chance

"The Federal Communications Commission will accept applications for new full power non-commercial educational (NCE) FM radio station licenses sometime this year, perhaps in late spring," writes Carmen Ausserer. "Typically, the FCC gives between one and three months notice before opening the filing window, which will likely last only five days." The process will end a six-year FCC freeze on new full-power licenses.

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Journalist Sarah Olson on Hot-Seat in Watada Court Martial

Progressive magazine editor Matt Rothschild reports, "Sarah Olson was on a big story, and now she has become a part of it. The freelance journalist was one of the first reporters to cover the story of Lt. Ehren Watada, who is facing a court martial for publicly refusing to deploy to Iraq. Watada has denounced the war as 'illegal and unjust.' Now the army has subpoenaed Olson and another reporter to testify at Watada’s trial. ...

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A Public / Private Spin Partnership

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. public diplomacy chief Karen Hughes and the Public Relations Coalition held a "Private Sector Summit on Public Diplomacy" on January 9 and 10. PR executive Richard Edelman suggested de-politicizing the U.S. image. "Take it away from the part of the media that covers politics," he counseled.

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