To support our work now online visit:
https://www.groundspring.org/donate/index.cfm?ID=2344-0|1118-0

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The Weekly Spin features selected news summaries with links to
further information about media, political spin and propaganda. It
is emailed free each Wednesday to subscribers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

SHARE US WITH A FRIEND (OR FIFTY FRIENDS)

Who do you know who might want to receive "The Weekly Spin"? Help
us grow our subscriber list! Just forward this message to people
you know, encouraging them to sign up at this link:
http://www.prwatch.org/cmd/subscribe_sotd.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------

THIS WEEK'S NEWS

== BLOG POSTINGS ==
1. Moving Foreign Investment Forward: A Strange PR Pick for Iraqi Kurdistan
2. Advertising on Trial: An Interview with Dr. Inger Stole

== SPIN OF THE DAY ==
1. Who's Saying What about The Best War Ever?
2. Iraq "98 Percent Off-Limits" For Press Corps
3. McDonald's Chews Fat with "Independent" Obesity Researchers
4. Incompetent Liars? Here's $6.2 Million
5. Nuclear Industry Offers Nevada Hush Money
6. Korea's Happy Fun Free Trade Love Corner
7. ABC Affliliate Sees No, Hears No Dissent on "Path to 9/11"
8. Merck Unconvincingly Clears Execs of Vioxx Wrongdoing
9. "America's Army" Boosts Army Recruiting
10. If We Stop Using Highly Toxic Chemicals, the Terrorists Will Have Won
11. Will the Tiger Switch Think Tanks?
12. Her Way or the Ugly Highway
13. White House Increased Climate Change Spin, After Katrina
14. FCC Killed the Radio Study (But Will Now Investigate)
15. Pounds and Pounds More Government PR in Britain
16. Wanted: Activists to Help Get the Word Out about "The Best War Ever"

== UPCOMING EVENTS ==
1. SAN FRANCISCO - The Best War Ever
2. WASHINGTON, DC - The Best War Ever
3. BERKELEY, CA - The Best War Ever
4. Local Democracy Convention - Madison, WI

--------------------------------------------------------------------

== BLOG POSTINGS ==

1. MOVING FOREIGN INVESTMENT FORWARD: A STRANGE PR PICK FOR IRAQI KURDISTAN
by Diane Farsetta

  Some weeks are slow on Move America Forward's email list. Others are
  bustling. September 15 to 21, 2006, was an example of the latter.
  Six emails were sent, including two from "The Other Iraq," at the
  address "KDC@RMRWest.Net."  The emails are noteworthy because they
  illustrate synergy between two clients of the Republican-associated
  Sacramento public relations firm Russo Marsh & Rogers (RM&R): Move
  America Forward, a conservative cheerleader for the Bush
  administration's "war on terror," and the Kurdistan Development
  Corporation, an "investment holding and tradings company" formed in
  partnership with the Kurdistan Regional Government of northern Iraq
  (and presumably the KDC of the above email address).
       The first of the "other Iraq" emails began, "We wanted to send
  you this short note to let you know that a delegation from Iraqi
  Kurdistan is back in the United States - continuing our campaign to
  tell the American public about 'The Other Iraq.'"
For the rest of this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5224

2. ADVERTISING ON TRIAL: AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. INGER STOLE
by Mandy Gutmann

  From the interviewer: "Imagine trying to compare the amount of sugar
  in two boxes of cereal, without having the nutrition facts. The only
  information available is that of the advertiser guaranteeing
  there???s less sugar than in similar brands. The advertiser could be
  lying, but no authority exists to judge. This was the dilemma that
  consumers found themselves in during the early 1900s. The demand for
  grade labeling and product information escalated into a constant
  battle between consumers and advertisers. In Advertising on Trial:
  Consumer Activism and Corporate Public Relations in the 1930s,
  author Inger Stole examines how the consumer movement fought to
  transform advertising. I had the opportunity to interview Stole
  about her recently published book and the business of advertising.
  The quotes attributed to her below are from our conversation."
For the rest of this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5211

== SPIN OF THE DAY ==

1. WHO'S SAYING WHAT ABOUT THE BEST WAR EVER?
http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/new_books/0925best_war_ever.htm
  Jon Gingerich wrote a lengthy and insightful review of Sheldon
  Rampton and John Stauber's recently released book, "The Best War
  Ever" for odwyerpr.com, the on-line companion to O'Dwyer's PR Report
  Monthly Magazine. Gingerich's piece begins: "Much like beauty,
  victory is in the eye of the beholder. This case is made clear in
  'The Best War Ever,' a scathing analysis of the Bush
  Administration's misinformation campaign leading up to and during
  the war in Iraq." He goes on to highlight the thorough research
  presented in the book on topics like the role of the Iraqi National
  Congress and its disgraced leader Ahmed Chalabi in the build-up to
  war, Bush administration spending on PR and propaganda to sell the
  war and occupation to both Iraqis and Americans, and the role of the
  media in not bringing the deceptions and distortions to light.
  Reviews and a selection of interviews in other publications can be
  seen here. There are also comments on the Amazon.com page for the
  book -- we hope that when you read "The Best War Ever" you will add
  a comment of your own!
SOURCE: odwyerpr.com, September 25, 2006 (sub req'd)
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5225

2. IRAQ "98 PERCENT OFF-LIMITS" FOR PRESS CORPS
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003122985
  "Everyone is kind of groping around in the dark," says New York
  Times senior correspondent Dexter Filkins on his return from
  reporting in Iraq. Despite employing 70 Iraqi staffers, the civil
  war there (Filkins doesn't hedge--"Yeah, sure" it's a civil war) has
  meant the Times cannot safely access stories. Its own five
  correspondents primarily spend their time pasting together reports
  by the Iraqi staff, protected by a small army of 45 security guards,
  armored cars, and belt-fed rooftop machine guns. "Nobody trusts
  anybody anymore. There's no law, and the worst people with guns are
  in charge." The Iraqi reporters know that if their association with
  the Times is revealed they may pay with their lives, Filkins told
  the Committee to Protect Journalists at a September 14, 2006, talk
  in Manhattan where he is preparing to serve a U.S. fellowship. His
  advice to other reporters thinking about covering Iraq: "Don't go."
  Filkins said that the U.S. military is similarly hamstrung in
  getting quality information: soldiers rarely leave their bases and
  don't interact much with average Iraqis. Ninety-eight percent of
  Iraq, including Baghdad, is too dangerous for reporters to cover, he
  said.
SOURCE: Editor and Publisher, September 16, 2006 (sub req'd)
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5227

3. MCDONALD'S CHEWS FAT WITH "INDEPENDENT" OBESITY RESEARCHERS
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060913/us_nm/leisure_mcdonalds_scripps_dc
  When previously spotted pitching in to help the cause of
  "independent" research involving its products, McDonald's Corp.
  asked a Connecticut nun to quickly issue an unfinished report about
  farm workers in order to help the fast food giant fight off a fair
  wage campaign by migrant tomato pickers. Now McDonald's has donated
  $2 million to the Scripps Research Institute of La Jolla,
  California, which (like Sister Ruth Rosenbaum) says it does
  independent research, this time on the critical medical issue of
  child obesity. The Institute's press release headline announces,
  "The Scripps Research Institute, McDonald's Align to Fight Childhood
  Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes." The release describes McDonald's as
  "serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients
  to millions of customers every day." It also states, "The
  relationship unites Scripps ... world-renowned scientists...with
  McDonald's 50-year legacy of supporting programs that promote
  children's health and wellness." Bloggers at CarbWire, a diet
  industry website, call the move a "publicity stunt." Under the
  Institute's own philanthropy guidelines, McDonald's gift makes it a
  member of Scripps' "Council of 100" and enables the company to
  "enjoy private sessions specifically designed for them
  with....[r]esearch scientists."
SOURCE: Reuters, September 13, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5223

4. INCOMPETENT LIARS? HERE'S $6.2 MILLION
http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0926lincoln_iraq.htm
  Lincoln Group, the PR firm that covertly placed U.S.
  military-written stories in Iraqi newspapers and has been called
  "amateurish" by former associates, has won a new two-year, $6.2
  million Pentagon contract. Additional requests from Washington DC
  could increase the value of the contract up to $20 million total.
  The work includes establishing "a unit of 12-18 communicators to
  support military PR efforts in Iraq and throughout the Middle East
  from media training to pitching stories and providing content for
  government-backed news sites." The Rendon Group previously handled
  similar work for the U.S.-led military force in Iraq. The request
  for proposals for the new contract "cited the emboldened insurgency
  bent on civil war as a key obstacle to the U.S. force's military and
  communications mission in Iraq." U.S. Senator Robert Menendez has
  introduced an amendment to halt the PR blitz, according to
  O'Dwyer's.
SOURCE: O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), September 26, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5222

5. NUCLEAR INDUSTRY OFFERS NEVADA HUSH MONEY
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Sep-25-Mon-2006/news/9821980.html
  "We all knew it would come to this, didn't we?" a Las Vegas
  Review-Journal editorial asks, of a new offer by the Nuclear Energy
  Institute (NEI) to pay Nevada to accept nuclear waste at the
  controversial Yucca Mountain storage facility. NEI's offer is $25
  million per year, which would double "once the first waste shipment
  arrives." After calling Yucca Mountain a "boondoggle," with "audit
  after audit" revealing "glaring flaws in the scientific models
  created to demonstrate the project's long-term viability," the
  newspaper slams NEI's offer as too low. "The standard for paying off
  a state's population was set by the Alaska Permanent Fund, which
  collects fees and taxes from oil and mineral exploration and
  production and offers qualifying residents an annual dividend," it
  states. This year, Alaska residents received more than $1,100 each;
  NEI's offer translates to a measly $10 per Nevada resident. In other
  news, a new poll paid for by NEI and conducted by a former NEI
  employee found that "nearly seven of 10 Americans favor nuclear
  energy and 68 percent support building a new reactor at the existing
  nuclear power plant closest to where they live."
SOURCE: Las Vegas Review-Journal, September 25, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5221

6. KOREA'S HAPPY FUN FREE TRADE LOVE CORNER
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2006/09/22/200609220018.asp
  On September 1, the South Korean government established the
  "Korea-U.S. FTA [Free Trade Agreement] Love Corner" in the lobby of
  Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to "dispel public
  misunderstandings of the proposed free trade agreement between Korea
  and the United States." While "the response so far has been
  lukewarm," according to the Korea Herald, a ministry PR person
  explained, "The name of the corner implies that everyone is
  welcome." The ministry is waging an uphill love-in, though;
  according to the Korea Times, public opposition to the free trade
  agreement is increasing. One-half of Korean men surveyed in July
  2006 opposed it and 75 percent were critical of "Seoul's negotiation
  performance." In early September, the South Korean government signed
  a $660,000 contract with the U.S. firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg,
  to analyze U.S. law and increase support for the agreement in
  Congress and among the U.S. business community, reported O'Dwyer's
  PR Daily.
SOURCE: The Korea Herald, September 22, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5220

7. ABC AFFLILIATE SEES NO, HEARS NO DISSENT ON "PATH TO 9/11"
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/09/12/local/doc4505fd563754a144553912.txt
  If you were to ask the owner of Lincoln, Nebraska ABC affiliate
  KLKN-TV (which Journal-Star reporter Jeff Korbelik did) whether the
  station had received negative feedback about its airing of the
  controversial "Path to 9/11", the answer was not only "no," but also
  that the docudrama was "compelling TV." Citadel Communications
  president Ray Cole, who also sits on ABC's governing board,
  neglected to say that KLKN had cut off email responses because, in
  the words of the station's automated response: "No storage space
  available in mailbox for news8@klkntv.com." So viewers wrote to the
  Journal-Star with their criticisms of the station's decision to run
  the drama - or, like Maribeth Milner, sent PR Watch a copy of her
  returned email, dated September 9, 2006. Viewer TedK wrote: "I also
  sent an email ... on Friday. It bounced back. ... Seems to me they
  got a lot of complaints. I guess Ray Cole feels he must lie to back
  the ABC corporate position." Two writers to the newspaper said they
  sent critical emails before KLKN's mailbox overflowed and even got
  responses from a station representative. No apology or correction
  was provided by ABC's Cole, suggesting that he had given the
  Journal-Star not a fact-based interview but what ABC might call a
  "docudramaview."
SOURCE: The Journal-Star (Lincoln, Nebraska), September 12, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5219

8. MERCK UNCONVINCINGLY CLEARS EXECS OF VIOXX WRONGDOING
http://www.prweek.com/us/news/article/593721/Report-doesnt-clarify-Merck-situation/
  Although the pharmaceutical company Merck spent $21 million on a
  20-month investigation led by a former U.S. district judge, the
  report's conclusion that "executives at Merck had not knowingly put
  Vioxx patients in cardiovascular danger" may not boost the
  drugmaker's sagging reputation. "Some critics say the report is not
  credible because of Merck's board's involvement" and point out that
  Debevoise & Plimpton, the firm whose lawyers carried out the study,
  has a "pro-corporate" reputation. New York Times reporter Alex
  Berenson, who has covered the Vioxx deaths and legal fallout, told
  PR Week that Merck's report "reads like a defense brief; it was paid
  for by the company. I don't think it will change anyone's attitude
  one iota. It's clearly intended to impact the litigation." There are
  14,000 active lawsuits against Merck related to Vioxx. Merck media
  relations director Ray Kerins said the company is "pleased" with the
  report, but Merck's PR staff hasn't yet decided "if this thing is
  going to be used" in company communications.
SOURCE: PR Week (sub req'd), September 21, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5217

9. "AMERICA'S ARMY" BOOSTS ARMY RECRUITING
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0919/p01s04-usmi.html
  "This summer, Matt and Doug Stanbro, two brothers from Chelsea,
  Ala., traded in their game controllers for M-16 rifles," reports
  Patrik Jonsson. "They're two of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of
  American teenagers inspired by a 'shoot'em-up' video game to join
  the Army." The "America's Army" game, first released in 1992, "is
  proving a potent way to communicate military values directly to the
  messy bedrooms where teens hang out. ... In a recent informal survey
  of recruits at Fort Benning, Ga., which was conducted by the Army's
  video-game development team, about 60 percent of recruits said
  they've played 'America's Army' more than five times a week. Four
  out of 100 said they'd joined the Army specifically because of the
  game. Nationwide, the game counts some 7.5 milion registered users."
  While Army officials say "a range of recruitment tweaks - including
  easing up on the tattoo policy and up to $40,000 signing bonuses -
  have played a role" in boosting 2006 recruitment numbers, "few other
  ideas have been as effective in galvanizing potential recruits as
  'America's Army.'"
SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, September 19, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5216

10. IF WE STOP USING HIGHLY TOXIC CHEMICALS, THE TERRORISTS WILL HAVE WON
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/washington/21chemical.html
  "An analysis by the Department of Homeland Security found 272
  chemical plants nationwide at which an attack or accident could
  affect at least 50,000 people and an additional 3,400 plants at
  which more than 1,000 people were at risk," reports the New York
  Times. Moreover, "the Bush administration, the chemical industry,
  Democrats, Republicans and environmentalists" agree that "voluntary
  measures put into place by the industry after the 2001 terrorist
  attacks are not enough." So why is there a "fierce struggle" in
  Congress over industry oversight language for the Homeland Security
  budget bill? Strong lobbying by the chemical industry, which is
  claiming "that Democrats and environmentalists are trying to hijack
  what had been an antiterrorism matter and use it to advance their
  own agenda," which they say includes reducing use of highly toxic
  chemicals. The Hill profiles lobbyists on chemical security issues,
  including from such industry mainstays as the American Chemistry
  Council and American Petroleum Institute.
SOURCE: New York Times, September 21, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5207

11. WILL THE TIGER SWITCH THINK TANKS?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115878081072569175.html
  Following sharp criticism from Britain's Royal Society, Exxon Mobil
  says it is reviewing which of the groups "that challenge the
  scientific validity of concerns about global warming" it will
  continue to fund. Exxon gave at least $6.8 million to nonprofit
  groups in 2005, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute,
  which recently ran "television ads that argued that carbon dioxide,
  widely seen as the main global-warming gas, is helpful." The Royal
  Society, made up of Britain's leading scientists, took the
  "unprecedented step" of writing to Exxon to demand the oil giant
  stop funding groups that have "misrepresented the science of climate
  change by outright denial of the evidence." The Society also
  criticized Exxon's "corporate citizenship reports," which claim that
  "gaps in the scientific basis" make it very difficult to link
  climate change and human activity. In the Guardian, George Monbiot
  writes about the history of corporate climate change denial, going
  back to the PR firm APCO, Philip Morris, PR Watch "usual suspect"
  Steve Milloy and his front group, the Advancement of Sound Science
  Coalition.
SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (sub req'd), September 21, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5206

12. HER WAY OR THE UGLY HIGHWAY
http://www.bulldogreporter.com/dailydog/issues/1_1/dailydog_pr_biz_update/index.html
  On September 5, 2006, President Bush nominated Mary Peters as
  Secretary of the Department of Transportation. PR firms should be
  thrilled. During her short tenure as head of the Federal Highway
  Administration she made plans to spend an average of $8 million for
  the services of private PR firms, including almost $3 million a year
  to "advertise visually-appealing highways and routes." Despite a
  chorus of criticism, Peters is holding firm to her belief that the
  plan, which was written with PR as its base, is critical to
  "position the brand" and "develop a core identity." If Peters is
  confirmed as Transportation Secretary she will succeed Norman
  Mineta, the final member of Bush's Cabinet who was a Clinton
  appointee.
SOURCE: Bulldog Reporter's Daily 'Dog, September 21, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5205

13. WHITE HOUSE INCREASED CLIMATE CHANGE SPIN, AFTER KATRINA
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/19/noaa/
  Through a Freedom of Information Act request, Salon.com obtained "a
  large batch of emails" which show that, on climate change issues,
  the Bush administration was "controlling access to [government]
  scientists and vetting reporters," reports Paul D. Thacker. The
  emails are from, to or about employees of the National Oceanic and
  Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Hurricane Center.
  "After Hurricane Katrina, NOAA press officers had to get clearance
  from the Department of Commerce for scientists to discuss global
  warming and hurricanes with the press," Thacker reports. Commerce
  "was happy to have a ... politically reliable NOAA hurricane
  researcher named Chris Landsea speak to the press. At the time,
  Landsea was stating publicly that global warming had little to no
  effect on hurricanes." Still, a Commerce communications official
  sent emails stressing that Landsea must be "on message" and "on his
  toes. Since [redacted] went off the menu, I'm a little nervous on
  this, but trust he'll hold the course." Other emails suggest that
  Commerce kept NOAA scientist Tom Knutson, who "did not toe the line
  on the administration's view of global warming and hurricanes," from
  appearing on CNBC.
SOURCE: Salon.com, September 19, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5201

14. FCC KILLED THE RADIO STUDY (BUT WILL NOW INVESTIGATE)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6373358.html?display=Breaking+News
  U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Kevin Martin has
  launched investigations into two reports on media ownership by FCC
  staff that were never released. One study found that local ownership
  of TV stations correlates with more news coverage. The other study
  found that "while there was a 5.9 percent increase in the number of
  radio stations in the country between March 1996 and March 2003,
  there was a 35 percent decrease in the number of radio owners,"
  according to Senator Barbara Boxer, who recently made public copies
  of both studies. "I, too, am concerned about what happened to these
  two draft reports," Martin wrote Boxer. Martin launched his own
  investigation, asked the FCC's Inspector General to conduct a
  separate inquiry, and promised to include the studies "as part of
  the open localism and media ownership proceedings" addressing
  whether the agency should allow further consolidation of media
  ownership.
SOURCE: Broadcasting & Cable, September 19, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5199

15. POUNDS AND POUNDS MORE GOVERNMENT PR IN BRITAIN
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/30/nspin30.xml
  "Spending on [British] Government spin has trebled under Labour,"
  reports Graeme Wilson, "and taxpayers are now supporting an army of
  more than 3,200 press officers." Moreover, "the amount being spent
  on Government advertising, marketing and public relations has risen
  three-fold since" Tony Blair became prime minister, to ??322 million
  last year. "Critics have expressed concern that Government spending
  on advertisements and public relations tends to peak in election
  years, prompting suspicions that Labour is using public money to
  sell its key policies to voters." Britain's Central Office of
  Information defended the spending, the details of which were
  released by the Conservatives, by saying the Labour government is
  "radical and reforming" and must "explain its policies, decisions
  and actions" and "inform members of the public about their rights
  and liabilities."
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK), August 30, 2006
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5202

16. WANTED: ACTIVISTS TO HELP GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT "THE BEST WAR EVER"
http://thebestwarever.com
  CMD's dynamic duo of Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber have written a
  new book, "The Best War Ever: Lies, Damned Lies and the Mess in
  Iraq." It is now in stores and available through Internet
  booksellers. "The Best War Ever" is a must-read for anyone who wants
  to effectively counter pro-war arguments and support the growing
  peace movement.
       Rampton and Stauber are available for print, radio, and
  television interviews, and we need your help! You can help us
  identify local media outlets that should be covering this book and
  the issues it brings to light. Please send us the name of the media
  outlet, name of the program if applicable, the contact person, and
  how to reach them. And please also tell us if you would be willing
  to help us pitch it to them and the best way for us to contact you.
  Send your information to editorATprwatch.org (please replace AT with
  @)
       With your help, we can make "The Best War Ever" the most
  talked-about book this Fall. And don't forget to send your friends
  to www.thebestwarever.com so that they can watch our four-minute
  video and sign the Voters for Peace pledge.
SOURCE: The Best War Ever
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5196

== UPCOMING EVENTS ==

1. SAN FRANCISCO - THE BEST WAR EVER
Date: 09/27/2006 - 13:30 to 09/27/2006 - 15:00
  Co-author John Stauber speaking at Stacey's books.
        Location: Stacey's Bookstore, San Francisco, CA
        URL: www.staceys.com/sanfranciscoevents.html
For the further information, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5019

2. WASHINGTON, DC - THE BEST WAR EVER
Date: 09/27/2006 - 17:30 to 09/27/2006 - 19:00
  Co-author Sheldon Rampton speaks at Borders
        Location: Borders Bookstore, Washington, DC
        URL: www.bordersstores.com/stores/store_pg.jsp?storeID=50
For the further information, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5021

3. BERKELEY, CA - THE BEST WAR EVER
Date: 09/27/2006 - 20:00 to 09/27/2006 - 22:00
  Co-author John Stauber speaking at Cody's Books 
        Location: Cody's Books, Berkeley, CA
        URL: www.codysbooks.com/
For the further information, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5020

4. LOCAL DEMOCRACY CONVENTION - MADISON, WI
Date: 09/28/2006 - 17:00 to 10/01/2006 - 15:30
  Gather with community organizers and pro-democracy activists in
  beautiful Madison, Wisconsin, to share and learn from important
  democratic successes. Network with others working on common issues.
  Strategize together about how to build the democracymovement in this
  country, from the grassroots, up.
       The Local Democracy Convention will feature some of the most
  cutting-edge local democracy organizing going on in the US and
  around the world. Convention participants will have opportunity to
  attend plenaries, panels, skills-building workshops, strategy
  sessions, and a party or two.
        Location: Madison, WI
        Organizer: Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic
  Revolution
        URL: http://www.localdemocracy.org/
For the further information, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5185

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The Weekly Spin is compiled by staff and volunteers at the Center
for Media and Democracy (CMD), a nonprofit public interest
organization. To subscribe, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/cmd/subscribe_sotd.html

Daily updates and news from past weeks can be found in the "Spin of
the Day" section of CMD's website:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin

Archives of our quarterly publication, PR Watch, are at:
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues

CMD also sponsors SourceWatch, a collaborative research project
that invites anyone (including you) to contribute and edit
articles. For more information, visit:
http://www.sourcewatch.org

PR Watch, Spin of the Day, the Weekly Spin and SourceWatch are
projects of the Center for Media & Democracy, a nonprofit
organization that offers investigative reporting on the public
relations industry. We help the public recognize manipulative and
misleading PR practices by exposing the activities of secretive,
little-known propaganda-for-hire firms that work to control
political debates and public opinion. Please send any questions or
suggestions about our publications to:
editor@prwatch.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Contributions to the Center for Media and Democracy are
tax-deductible. Send checks to:
CMD
520 University Avenue, Suite 227
Madison, WI 53703

To donate now online, visit:
https://www.groundspring.org/donate/index.cfm?ID=2344-0|1118-0

For more information on this topic or related issues you can search the thousands of archived articles on the OCA website using keywords:

Become an OCA Member! Sign up below:

First Name
Last Name
Email
Email Preference	HTML EmailText Email
Phone
Street
Street 2
City
State	Select One... Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Other
Zip
Country	United StatesAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCongDemocratic Republic of theCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicIvory CoastDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGambiTheGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKoreNorthKoreSouthKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniFormer Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiFederated States ofMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and The GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbia and MontenegroSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe