Also look at these three:
ATTACK OF THE APPALLED EMBEDS
http://poynter.org/forum/?id=32365
In Kuwait, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld was asked why soldiers "had to
dig through landfills to find scrap metal to up-armor vehicles." The
soldier who asked the question discussed it beforehand with an
embedded reporter. In an email to colleagues at the Chattanooga
Times Free Press, reporter Lee Pitts explained, "I was told
yesterday that only soldiers could ask questions so I brought two of
them along with me. ... Before hand we worked on questions to ask
Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor." Pitts wrote, "This is
what this job is all about - people need to know. The soldier who
asked the question said he felt good." The paper signaled its
support, writing that the soldier "chose to ask the question," while
Pitts "used the tools available to him."
SOURCE: Poynter Online Forum, December 10, 2004
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/3108
===========================How ARE THESE TWO CONNECTED?
QORVIS GOT SERVED, WITH SUBPOENAS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49849-2004Dec8.html
The FBI searched three offices of the PR firm Qorvis Communications
and delivered subpoenas to a fourth office. Officials confirmed the
raids but refused further comment, saying there was an "ongoing
investigation." Saudi Arabia is a major Qorvis client; the firm
called the investigation a "compliance inquiry" under the Foreign
Agents Registration Act. The Justice Department found that "the
Saudi Arabian Embassy paid Qorvis $14.6 million for a six-month
period," for such services as distributing material highlighting
Saudi Arabia's "commitment in the war against terrorism and to peace
in the Middle East." Qorvis also did media outreach, lobbied
congressional staff members and Bush administration officials.
SOURCE: Washington Post, December 9, 2004
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/3103
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LOBBY, LOBBY, LOBBY, GET YOUR INFLUENCE HERE
http://thehill.com/news/120804/lobby.aspx
What were the largest lobbying contracts on Washington DC's power
corridor, K Street, in 2004? According to The Hill, top honors go to
the Asbestos Study Group, who paid $5.5 million for six months of
"lobbying and substantive expertise." The Asbestos Study Group is "a
group of large companies that have been defendants in asbestos
lawsuits," including Halliburton and Viacom. The "Patient Safety/
Pharmaceutical Systems Group," which includes Pfizer, Wyeth, Johnson
& Johnson and other drug companies, paid $1.4 million for lobbying
on "general patient safety and related pharmaceutical issues." Other
major lobbiers include the Business Roundtable, Microsoft, United
Airlines and Hewlett Packard.
SOURCE: The Hill, December 8, 2004
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/3100