[ecrea] THE WEEKLY SPIN, March 7, 2007

>THE WEEKLY SPIN, MARCH 7, 2007
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>THIS WEEK'S NEWS
>
>== SPIN OF THE DAY POSTINGS ==
>1. Will Bush Pardon Libby's Fibby?
>2. Pepsi's Dean
>3. Retailer Sues Over Report Criticizing Its Advertising
>4. Indian Apparel Companies Gag Labor Groups with Court Filings
>5. Ex-NATO Commander Trades Military Power for Lobbying Power
>6. Government Health Agencies and Their Chemical Brothers
>7. The "Other Iraq" Opens a DC Lobbying Office
>8. Coal Plant Pusher Gains Green Cred for Buyout
>9. Coal Company Not So Happy with Environment Report
>10. Weight-Loss Drug Told to Lose the Advertising
>11. Pentagon Declares War on Bad News
>12. Industry Funding Skews Breast Cancer Research
>13. One Propaganda Window Closes (After Several Doors Open)
>
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>
>== SPIN OF THE DAY POSTINGS ==
>
>1. WILL BUSH PARDON LIBBY'S FIBBY?
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5828
>   A jury has convicted I. Lewis Libby, the former chief of staff to
>   Vice President Dick Cheney, of lying to a grand jury and to F.B.I.
>   agents investigating the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame
>   Wilson as a CIA operative. Nevertheless, reports Neil A. Lewis, "The
>   defense's plans to ask for a retrial and then appeal the verdict
>   mean that it would be many months before Mr. Libby would be required
>   to go to jail. It also would provide a window for Mr. Bush to pardon
>   Mr. Libby, an issue about which the White House has been silent, but
>   one that quickly became a topic of speculation in Washington."
>   Libby's conviction adds weight to charges that the White House
>   deliberately leaked information about Plame's CIA job to punish her
>   husband, Joseph Wilson, for blowing the whistle on Bush's false
>   claims about alleged Iraqi efforts to build nuclear weapons.
>SOURCE: New York Times, March 6, 2007
>
>2. PEPSI'S DEAN
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5827
>   Three months after the Dean of the University of Minnesota Medical
>   School, Dr. Deborah Powell, joined the board of PepsicoAmericas,
>   controversy continues over her dual roles. Senior vice president for
>   health sciences at the university, Frank Cerra, defended Powell's
>   role to Pioneer Press reporter Paul Tosto: "What better way to get
>   knowledge about obesity into the company than by bringing it into
>   the boardroom?" The company, which has revenues of $3.7 billion,
>   describes itself as "the world's second-largest manufacturer, seller
>   and distributor of PepsiCo beverages." Robert Jeffery, a director of
>   the Obesity Prevention Center at the university said Powell's
>   appointment flagged the need for a "more serious conversation about
>   where the ethical lines lie in corporate consulting." Michele Simon,
>   the author of "Appetite for Profit," is critical of Powell's
>   appointment: "When an expert joins this kind of board, clearly it's
>   going to compromise their [the university's] ability to speak out."
>SOURCE: Pioneer Press (Minneapolis), March 5, 2007
>
>3. RETAILER SUES OVER REPORT CRITICIZING ITS ADVERTISING
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5824
>   The giant Australian retailer David Jones has launched legal
>   action against the Australia Institute, a centre-left think tank,
>   for featuring the company's advertising in a report on the
>   sexualisation of children in advertising. To prevent corporations
>   from suing community groups, amendments were passed in 2005
>   preventing all companies with staff of more than ten from suing for
>   defamation. However, David Jones is claiming that the non-profit
>   think tank is a business and can therefore be sued under fair
>   trading provisions that ban false and misleading conduct. David
>   Jones' legal strategy mimics the approach employed by drug
>   manufacturer Schwabe Pharma Australia Pty Ltd, which won an
>   injunction suppressing a report that was critical of its "natural"
>   therapy, Tebonin. Schwabe's success was short-lived, however, as the
>   government's drug regulator found some of its advertising breached
>   the advertising code for complementary health products.
>SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald, March 2, 2007
>
>4. INDIAN APPAREL COMPANIES GAG LABOR GROUPS WITH COURT FILINGS
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5823
>   A judge in Bangalore, India has reaffirmed a gag order against
>   labor organizations and supporters who seek to criticize labor
>   conditions at factories in the region, reports the Dutch newspaper,
>   Trouw. Workers have alleged that Fibres and Fabrics International
>   (FFI) and Jeans Knit (JKPL), which produce garments for the European
>   and U.S. markets, impeded workers' freedom of association, failed to
>   pay overtime, and committed a range of health and safety violations.
>   The legal action initiated by the apparel factories' owners has
>   banned even a women's advocacy group from making further statements,
>   despite the many women employed at the factories. U.S. apparel
>   companies contracting with the factories include Gap, Guess and Ann
>   Taylor. Complaints filed against the factories with corporate social
>   responsibility monitor Social Accountability International have
>   failed to resolve the conflict, according to the Netherlands-based
>   worker advocacy group, the Clean Clothes Campaign, which was also
>   named in the gag order. Indian trade union leader Ashim Roy said
>   "the grounds for constraining our freedom of expression are not
>   proper and reasonable and not consistent with the constitution [of
>   India]." The groups say they will appeal the lower court decision.
>SOURCE: Clean Clothes Campaign, February 19, 2007
>
>5. EX-NATO COMMANDER TRADES MILITARY POWER FOR LOBBYING POWER
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5821
>   "General James L. Jones, who retired last month as Supreme Allied
>   Commander of NATO forces in Europe, has joined the U.S. Chamber of
>   Commerce as a lobbyist," reports O'Dwyer's. He "will head the
>   Institute for Energy, which is to present itself as a grassroots
>   organization." The new energy group will be similar to the Chamber's
>   Institute for Legal Reform, which "seeks to diminish the clout of
>   trial lawyers and reduce the impact of class action lawsuits on
>   businesses." Jones will focus on global warming and try to "unify
>   energy stakeholders behind a common strategy" for affordable and
>   secure power, according to Chamber president Tom Donohue. Jones
>   previously "served as military liaison to Congress and worked
>   closely with" Senator John McCain. At NATO, Jones played a leading
>   role in such "out-of-area missions" as Afghanistan.
>SOURCE: O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), March 5, 2007
>
>6. GOVERNMENT HEALTH AGENCIES AND THEIR CHEMICAL BROTHERS
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5820
>   The U.S. Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction
>   "was established within the National Institutes of Health to assess
>   the dangers of chemicals and help determine which ones should be
>   regulated," reports Marla Cone. "But much of the agency's work has
>   been conducted by a private consulting company ... that has been
>   funded by more than 50 industrial companies." Sciences International
>   "produces the first draft of the center's reports" and helps select
>   "members of its scientific review panel." Senator Barbara Boxer and
>   Representative Henry Waxman are calling for "disclosure of Sciences
>   International's potential conflicts of interest" before a review of
>   its report on bisphenol A, "a compound in plastics that has been
>   linked to reproductive damage." Sciences International's private
>   clients have included DuPont, ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical. "In a
>   letter soliciting R.J. Reynolds as a client in 1999," the company's
>   president "boasted about its close collaboration with the federal
>   reproductive health center, as well as the EPA and other federal
>   agencies."
>SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, March 4, 2007
>
>7. THE "OTHER IRAQ" OPENS A DC LOBBYING OFFICE
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5819
>   "The Kurdish Regional Government of Iraq has officially opened a
>   D.C. lobbying office, which is headed by Qubad Talabany," reports
>   O'Dwyer's. "His goal is to mobilize grassroots support for Kurdish
>   interests," including by establishing a Kurdish Congressional Caucus
>   and a Kurdish-American business council. Talabany, the son of Iraq's
>   president, will also "promote Kurdish educational and cultural links
>   with the U.S." The regional government, through its public / private
>   partnership, the Kurdistan Development Corporation, previously
>   launched "The Other Iraq," a PR and ad campaign to encourage
>   investment and tourism in the region. That campaign was led by the
>   Republican-associated PR firm Russo Marsh & Rogers, as the Center
>   for Media and Democracy and others noted. Back in 2004, the Kurdish
>   Democratic Party hired the Barbour, Griffith and Rogers lobbying
>   firm, "to ensure that Iraqi Kurdistan maintains its autonomy from
>   Baghdad," according to O'Dwyer's.
>SOURCE: O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), February 22, 2007
>
>8. COAL PLANT PUSHER GAINS GREEN CRED FOR BUYOUT
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5818
>   "The biggest leveraged buyout in history was notable not only for
>   its finances, but also for its unusual feature of having multiple PR
>   firms advising both sides of the deal simultaneously," writes PR
>   Week. The Dallas-based energy company TXU (mentioned in a previous
>   Spin about the front groups campaigning for and against its proposed
>   Texas coal plants) will be purchased by three equity firms for $45
>   billion. The PR firm Public Strategies, Inc. advised both TXU and
>   its purchasers, as did the firm Kekst and Company. Texas Pacific,
>   one of the purchasers, also used Owen Blicksilver PR. O'Dwyer's PR
>   Daily notes that "the buyout is expected to face regulatory,
>   political and environmental concerns and the parties involved
>   immediately moved to head off any immediate fallout," including by
>   securing endorsements from Environmental Defense and the Natural
>   Resources Defense Council. The companies promised "a $400M
>   investment in conservation over the next five years," and appointed
>   former Secretary of State James Baker as chair of an "advisory group
>   on climate change."
>SOURCE: PR Week (sub req'd), February 28, 2007
>
>9. COAL COMPANY NOT SO HAPPY WITH ENVIRONMENT REPORT
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5817
>   A New Zealand government-owned coal mining company, Solid Energy,
>   has lost a bid to suppress the publication of a spoof corporate
>   social responsibility report by a coalition of environmentalists.
>   The company sought an injunction from the High Court to have the
>   two-part report removed from the website of the Save Happy Valley
>   Coalition. The coalition opposes the company's move to build a new
>   open-cut coal mine, which involves the relocation of
>   critically-endangered snails. Earlier, Solid Energy chief executive
>   Don Elder told a parliamentary committee hearing that the document
>   was defamatory and could lead the community and regulators to make
>   "wrong decisions." "We can't afford to let that happen," he warned.
>   A spokeswoman for the coalition, Frances Mountier, said the
>   company's bid to suppress the report revealed how they wanted "to
>   keep it quiet about what they are doing to waterways, species and
>   climate."
>SOURCE: New Zealand Press Association, March 2, 2007
>
>10. WEIGHT-LOSS DRUG TOLD TO LOSE THE ADVERTISING
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5815
>   The Australian government's drug regulator has revoked Roche's
>   permission to advertise its weight-loss drug, Xenical. It was
>   originally approved as a prescription-only drug for those rating
>   over 30 on the Body Mass Index (BMI), or 27 if other health
>   conditions were present. Xenical was later approved for
>   over-the-counter sale, prompting Roche to launch a
>   direct-to-consumer advertising campaign. In December, the Australian
>   Consumer Association sent a woman who was under 25 on the BMI to 30
>   Sydney pharmacies to request the drug. Twenty-four sold it to her,
>   even though the medical guidelines stated it wasn't appropriate for
>   her. Subsequently, a committee that advises the Australian
>   government's drug regulator, found that "there was insufficient
>   public health benefit" from allowing further advertising. However,
>   instead of reinstating Xenical's status as a prescription drug, the
>   committee allowed continued over-the-counter sales.
>SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald, February 27, 2007
>
>11. PENTAGON DECLARES WAR ON BAD NEWS
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5813
>   "Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Medical Hold Unit
>   say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning
>   and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they
>   must not speak to the media," reports Kelly Kennedy. "It is unusual
>   for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training." An
>   officer told the troops that "they must follow their chain of
>   command when asking for help with their medical evaluation
>   paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their
>   quarters." One Walter Reed staffer said some soldiers saw the
>   changes as "a form of punishment" for talking to reporters. The
>   Washington Post ran an exposé on the poor conditions in Walter
>   Reed's Building 18. But "the Pentagon also clamped down on media
>   coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities ...
>   saying in an e-mail to spokespeople: 'It will be in most cases not
>   appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,'
>   referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed." The
>   president of Military Reporters and Editors told Editor & Publisher
>   that the problem is bigger still: "It is becoming a policy in some
>   areas where they are not allowing reporters on the base unless it is
>   an absolutely positively good news story."
>SOURCE: Army Times, February 28, 2007
>
>12. INDUSTRY FUNDING SKEWS BREAST CANCER RESEARCH
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5812
>   As had previously been shown with "heart, stroke and bone marrow
>   cancer research," a review by medical researchers found that "breast
>   cancer studies funded by drug companies are more likely to yield
>   positive findings than those without pharmaceutical industry
>   backing." Researchers at the University of North Carolina "looked at
>   140 studies published in 2003, 1998 and 1993 in 10 medical journals
>   on breast cancer therapies, nearly half of which were deemed to have
>   had drug company involvement in the form of funding, provision of
>   drugs or participation of a company scientist." The lead author of
>   the review said it is possible that industry-funded studies "are
>   biased and negative studies are not being published," but it could
>   also be true that industry-funded research focuses on "safer bets,"
>   or drugs more likely to do well.
>SOURCE: Reuters, February 26, 2007
>
>13. ONE PROPAGANDA WINDOW CLOSES (AFTER SEVERAL DOORS OPEN)
>http://www.prwatch.org/node/5811
>   News searches on USA.gov, a website run by the federal General
>   Services Administration, no longer return stories from Voice of
>   America (VOA), Radio Free Europe, or other government-funded media.
>   Prompted by questions from "an official at the State Department's
>   electronic information division," federal lawyers "determined that
>   the material should not be on a domestic news site," under a 1948
>   law barring "domestic dissemination of official American information
>   aimed at foreign audiences." A VOA spokesperson noted that U.S.
>   residents can still easily access VOA websites. "The nature of the
>   Web is that it doesn't respect boundaries," he said. Meanwhile,
>   U.S.-funded programs are being broadcast in South Florida, the
>   Pentagon has OK'd its own "news" websites, and a 2003 information
>   operations document claimed that propagandizing U.S. audiences is
>   permissible -- as long as the government doesn't intend to do so.
>SOURCE: National Journal's Technology Daily, February 22, 2007
>
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