In the news
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- Fridays with Tory: Canada's Tory government is taking heat for using Friday afternoons to release negative news to the public. "The Tories took office promising clean, open governance and vowing not to practice the same old politics as previous government," reports the Canadian Press. "But they've stuck to one tried and true tactic -- releasing negative news when it will get the least media attention." Recent examples include a Foreign Affairs report on the misplacement of government documents and a major climate-change report that questioned Conservative claims about greenhouse gas reductions.
- Another Ghost-Written Op/ed Traced to LMG: If there's a questionable opinion column promoting a corporate viewpoint, chances are the secretive Washington DC public affairs firm LMG -- also known as LawMedia Group -- is involved. As the Center for Media and Democracy reported previously, LMG helped place a column attributed to the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which he didn't write and which criticized some SCLC donors. Now, it appears LMG is behind another column. The author supposedly was Mel King, a community organizer and network neutrality advocate. However, his column questions the need for net neutrality provisions. King admitted that LMG was involved and refused to say whether "he was paid for the use of his name," reports Declan McCullagh. LMG's clients include Comcast, which opposes net neutrality, and Microsoft, which hired LMG in an attempt to block a Google-Yahoo advertising deal.
- Buried Soldiers, Buried Coverage: "The former spokeswoman for Arlington National Cemetery says the facility's No. 2 official has been calling military families to try to talk them out of media coverage of their loved ones' funerals, despite his denials that he does so," reports William H. McMichael. "Gina Gray, who was fired June 27 after 2½ months on the job, said Deputy Director Thurman Higginbotham told her in early May that he had been making such calls for about a year -- while denying he did so at least three times, including once in an April 30 meeting with Pentagon reporters to discuss the cemetery's media policy."
- Philip Morris Caught in Second Concert Sponsorship in Philippines: Last month, when pop singer Alicia Keys protested Philip Morris International's (PMI) sponsorship of her concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, PMI was forced to pull down posters and billboards that promoted the concert. That debacle was hardly over when health advocates started pushing for PMI to end its involvement in yet another concert, the August 30 reunion of the Filipino group Eraserheads, a band so popular in this part of the world that it has been dubbed the "Beatles of the Philippines." People seeking tickets to the free concert are directed to www.marlboro.ph, a Web site run by PMI's Philippine subsidiary. To obtain tickets and information, visitors must provide personal contact information that allows PMI to send them promotional materials for cigarettes.
- Wal-Mart: We're Green, Just Don't Ask How Green: "Wal-Mart has been taking many major steps [to] go green in recent years," writes Eoin O'Carroll. "So you can imagine my surprise when I came across Wal-Mart's comment on the Federal Trade Commission's attempts to standardize carbon offsets." As the Center for Media and Democracy reported previously, the FTC is revising its environmental advertising guidelines, prompted by the booming trade in carbon offsets, environmental "credits" that can be purchased to balance the impact of activities (like plane flights) that emit greenhouse gases. The FTC plans to issue guidelines for carbon offsets and renewable electricity credits (RECs). Wal-Mart suggested (PDF) to the FTC, "rather than attempting to define offsets or RECs, the Commission should rely on the flexibility inherent in the 'reasonable basis doctrine.' ... Different authoritative and expert institutions have adopted different, but reasonable approaches."
- Gasoline: Like a Healthy Lifestyle: BP North America recently launched "its first full-scale lifestyle effort," to promote its new gas with "Invigorate." Unlike a traditional product launch, which "simply discusses gas," BP's "Younger for Longer" campaign will compare its new gas formula to older athletes. The oil company says its new gas "cleans and extends the use of engine parts, in the same way a healthy lifestyle contributes to a longer lifespan." The campaign will run for five years, with support from the GolinHarris firm. It will include ads, "a mobile tour and interactive Web site." The tour -- of BP's "Invigoration Station" -- will visit 15 cities, offering "the chance to participate in activities related to the athlete spokespeople, such as rock climbing."
- All's Fair in Love and Political Ads: The CEO of the public relations firm Burson Marsteller, Mark Penn, likes John McCain's TV ad likening Barack Obama to celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. "Hillary Clinton's former top strategist wrote the ad tries to 'portray Obama's leadership for change as something fluffy and useless.' It bears a Republican political trademark 'attacking a candidate's strengths rather than the candidate’s weaknesses.'" In an essay posted on Politico.com, Penn contends that "clever negative ad can be devastatingly effective." He says that like the McCain ad, "Some negative ads crystallize voters' opinions without presenting any new information."
- Faking Reality in the Name of National Interest: First the organizers of China's spectacular Olympic opening ceremony admitted that they digitally faked the dazzling "footprint" fireworks that viewers saw on TV leading up to the Bird's Nest stadium. Now it has emerged that the cute little girl who sang a patriotic song in the ceremony was lip synching for another little girl who, officials decided at the last minute, was not cute enough to adequately represent China's national image. Chen Qigang, musical director of the opening ceremonies, explained the last-minute switch by telling Beijing Radio, "The performer was Lin Miaoke, but the sound was Yang Peiyi. The reason...is this: One was for the benefit of the country. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression, and Lin Miaoke meets our requirements in those aspects."
- Ethical News Director Receives Award: As CMD previously reported, Eau Claire, Wisconsin news director Glen Mabie quit his job in January. Instead of going along with a deal that his station had struck with a local hospital to guarantee coverage of medical issues featuring personnel from that hospital and not others, Mabie left his position. The station later cancelled the agreement. Mabie has been selected to receive the Ethics in Journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
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