Stories by Diane Farsetta

Diane Farsetta is senior researcher at the Center for Media and Democracy.

Water Is Being Used by Corporations as the Newest Way to Look "Socially Responsible"

Posted on: Sep 4, 2009, Source: PR Watch

But the primary importance of water to life makes the corporate warping of water policy and philanthropy especially troubling.

Corporate Think Tank Dives into Water Policy

Posted on: Apr 30, 2009, Source: PR Watch

Judging from the track record of those involved, it seems reasonable to worry that it's likely to do more harm than good.

NBC's "One-Man Military-Industrial-Media Complex"

Posted on: Dec 7, 2008, Source: PR Watch

As a consultant for military contractors, retired general and Pentagon pundit Barry McCaffrey is a first-class war profiteer.

How to Crack the Pentagon Pundits' Code

Posted on: Aug 12, 2008, Source: Center for Media and Democracy

You can help plough through the 8,000 pages of internal documents on the Pentagon's covert pundit-propaganda program.

Pentagon Pundits, Media Reform and Talking Back to Bill O'Reilly

Posted on: Jun 10, 2008, Source: Center for Media and Democracy

For everyone but Fox News, media reform keeps making big gains as a significant issue.

What the Pentagon Pundits Were Selling on the Side

Posted on: May 4, 2008, Source: Center for Media and Democracy

The Pentagon pundit scandal was not only a corrupt marriage of propaganda and corporate lobbying -- it was completely illegal.

How Many Iraqis Have Really Died?

Posted on: Mar 1, 2008, Source: PR Watch

Revisiting that controversial <i>Lancet</i> study.

James Glassman: The Journalist Turned Journo-Lobbyist's Bid to Be PR Czar

Posted on: Feb 1, 2008, Source: Center for Media and Democracy

Glassman won't be able to burnish America's image abroad until we change our foreign policy.

Announcing the 2007 Falsie Awards for the Biggest Fraudsters in the Media

Posted on: Dec 7, 2007, Source: Center for Media and Democracy

Draw up your chair and prepare to be both amused and dismayed. The winners of the Center for Media and Democracy's 2007 Falsies Awards are ...

The Nuclear Industry's New Shill: Christie Todd Whitman

Posted on: Aug 26, 2007, Source: Center for Media and Democracy

Hiring former Bush administration EPA head Christie Todd Whitman to chair its "Clean and Safe Energy Coalition" is the nuclear industry's latest PR attempt at "greening" its image.

How Reporters Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Nuclear Front Groups

Posted on: Mar 15, 2007, Source: Center for Media and Democracy

We're having a lopsided discussion on energy issues in America because the nuclear industry has funded it that way.

How PR Ploys Fill the Pentagon's Recruiting Quotas

Posted on: Jan 31, 2007, Source: Center for Media and Democracy

The Pentagon relies on sophisticated PR strategies, suckering media to cover its gimmick events -- all in the name of boosting recruiting numbers.

News Fakers Respond

Posted on: May 2, 2006, Source: PR Watch

TV stations respond to report revealing their use of deceptive corporate-funded Video News Releases.

America's Indonesian PR Blitz

Posted on: Dec 22, 2005, Source: PR Watch

The U.S. is doing everything it can to burnish its tarnished image among Indonesians -- everything short of engaging in real dialogue.

A Fake End to Fake News

Posted on: Oct 25, 2005, Source: PR Watch

An act designed to end government propaganda is altered to the PR industry's approval.

When Opportunity Knocks, Conservatives Answer

Posted on: Sep 25, 2005, Source: PR Watch

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, right-wing groups pounced on opportunities to nurture their pet projects.

'A New Label on a Bottle of Poison'

Posted on: Aug 28, 2005, Source: PR Watch

The Pentagon's military training academy formerly known as the School of the Americas is trying to change its reputation through a PR campaign and outreach to its opponents.

Fake News Is Hazardous to Your Health

Posted on: May 15, 2005, Source: PR Watch

Imitating Big Tobacco's fight against cigarette labeling, the PR industry launches a battle against regulation of government-funded "fake" news.

The Farm 'Report'

Posted on: May 2, 2005, Source: AlterNet

A bumper crop of fake news produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is infiltrating rural airwaves.

Spinning Out of Sight

Posted on: Mar 9, 2005, Source: AlterNet

In their refusal to reveal the details of federal contracts, seven major public relations companies reveal a startling lack of accountability.

Winning Friends and Influencing U.S. Foreign Policy

Posted on: Feb 6, 2005, Source: PR Watch

A litany of well-documented human rights concerns has isolated the Indonesian military on the world stage. To help clean up its image, the Indonesian government has turned to U.S.-based PR and lobbying firms.

How Now, Mad Cow?

Posted on: Dec 22, 2004, Source: AlterNet

One year after the first case of mad cow disease in the US was confirmed, promised food safety reforms have yet to be instituted. And they never will be, if the cattle industry has its way.

Media Need to Move On

Posted on: Sep 23, 2004, Source: AlterNet

The media ignore the difference between real grassroots organizations and smear-happy front groups – the difference, say, between MoveOn and MoveOnForAmerica.

Painting Happy Faces on Black Boxes

Posted on: Aug 1, 2004, Source: AlterNet

Faced with massive public concern and bad performances in recent elections, the electronic voting industry opted for a PR blitz instead of addressing its problems.

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