[ecrea] The Weekly Spin, July 5, 2006

>THE WEEKLY SPIN, July 5, 2006
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>THIS WEEK'S NEWS
>
>== SPIN OF THE DAY ==
>1. BBC Archives Reveal Spooks Vetted Staff
>2. Big-Spending Brethren
>3. The Reach of Rupert Murdoch
>4. International News Media as Collateral Damage
>5. Victims of Our Own Advertising, Claims Drug Industry Boss
>
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>
>== SPIN OF THE DAY ==
>
>1. BBC ARCHIVES REVEAL SPOOKS VETTED STAFF
>http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/tinker-tailor-broadcaster-spy--bbc-had-mi5-watch-its-staff/2006/07/02/1151778811129.html
>   Archived internal BBC documents from the 1980's, obtained by The
>   Sunday Telegraph under Freedom of Information legislation, reveal
>   that the British spy service, MI5, was used to vet existing and
>   potential staff at the public broadcaster. The paper reported that
>   the documents revealed that "at one stage it [MI5] was responsible
>   for vetting 6300 BBC posts - almost a third of the total workforce."
>   The BBC adopted "categorical denial" as its "defensive strategy" to
>   deflect questions about the practice by unions. A March 1, 1985 memo
>   suggested the best approach was "keep head down and stonewall all
>   questions."
>SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald, July 3, 2006
>For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/4939
>
>2. BIG-SPENDING BRETHREN
>http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/07/01/1151174401719.html?from=top5
>   While members of the conservative Christian church, the Exclusive
>   Brethren, are not allowed to vote, they have been big spenders in
>   recent election campaigns in the United States, Canada, New Zealand
>   and Australia. They spent $NZ1.2 million in the 2005 New Zealand
>   election, while in the 2004 US election their Thanksgiving 2004
>   Committee spent $US636,522. David Marr writes in the Sydney Morning
>   Herald  that the Brethren "cover their tracks. The name of the sect
>   is never mentioned. Their political demands are a seamless mix of
>   business breaks and hard-line Christian morality. Under [church head
>   Bruce D.] Hales, the Exclusive Brethren have become a new player in
>   the right-wing politics of the world. And they have lots and lots
>   and lots of money." While church spokesmen claim that the
>   involvement of members in election campaigns is the decision of
>   individuals, former members disagree. "No one would have
>   countenanced doing this without the complete sanction of the leader
>   universally," one told Marr.
>SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald, July 1, 2006
>For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/4938
>
>3. THE REACH OF RUPERT MURDOCH
>http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1810266,00.html
>   Lance Price, who worked as a media adviser to British Prime Minister
>   Tony Blair between 1998 and 2001, writes that Rupert Murdoch "seemed
>   like the 24th member of the cabinet. His voice was rarely heard ...
>   but his presence was always felt." Discussions between Blair's
>   office, Murdoch and his right-hand man Irwin Stelzer "were handled
>   at the very highest level ... The Sun and the Times, in particular,
>   received innumerable 'scoops' and favours. In return, New Labour got
>   very sympathetic coverage from newspapers that are bought and read
>   by classic swing voters - on the face of it, too good a deal to pass
>   up." Price was required to submit the manuscript for his
>   recently-released book, The Spin Doctor's Diary, to the Cabinet
>   Office for vetting. He was surprised to discover that a third of the
>   objections related to Murdoch.
>SOURCE: The Guardian (UK), July 1, 2006
>For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/4937
>
>4. INTERNATIONAL NEWS MEDIA AS COLLATERAL DAMAGE
>http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002765280
>   While "the latest target is the New York Times," for reports on a
>   U.S. program tracking international financial records, journalists
>   and media outlets around the world have been criticized -- and
>   prosecuted -- for publishing stories related to the so-called Global
>   War on Terror. "Swiss investigators are looking for the leaker of an
>   intelligence document attesting to the CIA prison network and are
>   weighing criminal charges," reports AP. This fall, "Danish
>   journalists face trial for reporting their government knew there was
>   no evidence of banned weapons in Iraq." It is "the first such
>   prosecution of journalists in Denmark's modern history." In July
>   2003, British bioweapons expert David Kelly killed himself, after
>   admitting he had told the BBC that Iraq weapons of mass destruction
>   intelligence had been "sexed up." UK reporter Michael Smith was
>   investigated but not charged for reporting on leaked Downing Street
>   memos, which said Iraq intelligence had been "fixed" around war
>   plans. Two Romanian journalists face up to seven years in prison for
>   possessing -- but not reporting on -- classified documents about
>   Romanian military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
>SOURCE: Associated Press, July 1, 2006
>For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/4936
>
>5. VICTIMS OF OUR OWN ADVERTISING, CLAIMS DRUG INDUSTRY BOSS
>http://www.chiefexecutive.net/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE89
>   The CEO of Pfizer, Hank McKinnell, says that a priority for the drug
>   industry is regaining public trust. "Weâ¬"ve done considerable
>   research on this. Weâ¬"re starting to use what little legislative
>   muscle we have to improve the situation by working on the Medicare
>   prescription benefit package," he said. McKinnell attributes part of
>   the industry's unpopularity to "our direct-to consumer advertising"
>   of prescription drugs. "We didnâ¬"t do enough to strengthen and
>   reinforce the importance of the doctor-patient relationship. It was
>   a consequence of our success that we created visibility for products
>   and many people in the public said, 'That would be nice, but we
>   canâ¬"t afford it.'" McKinnell didn't mention recent scandals that
>   have rocked the industry, such as the recall of Merck's Vioxx in
>   2004, industry secrecy over its marketing practices, controversy
>   over the funding of patient groups or its disease mongering.
>   According to O'Dwyer's, McKinnell identified corporate social
>   responsibility as a way for pharmaceutical companies "to be seen as
>   part of the solution."
>SOURCE: Chief Executive, June 2006
>For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/4929
>
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Carpentier Nico (Phd)
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