Submitted by Anne Landman on
The House Global Warming Committee conducted a hearing to investigate the astroturf lobbying firm Bonner and Associates, which las
Submitted by Bob Burton on
A freshly-minted front group, which proclaimed that it promoted "balanced chemical safety reform that protects public health, innovation, and economic growth,” has been outed.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking a closer look at insurance giant Humana. Humana sent alarming mass mailings to people enrolled in one or more of its plans.
Submitted by John Stauber on
The Guardian notes the cashroots behind right-wing Astroturf: "When Obama beat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries,
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The industry group America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) isn't just "sending thousands of its employees to town-hall meetings and other forums .... to try to counter a tide of criticism directed at the insurers," as the Wall Street Journal reported recently.
Fake "grassroots" groups have started springing up like toadstools after a rain, and this time they're coming at us from every angle: they're on TV, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube: "Americans for Prosperity," "FACES of Coal, "The "Coalition to Protect Patients' Rights," "Americans Against Food Taxes," the "60 Plus Association," "Citizens for Better Medicare," "Patients First" ... It's making our heads spin! Issues affecting some of the country's biggest industries, like health insurance reform, a proposal to tax sodas and sugary drinks, and the FDA's possible reconsideration of the plastic additive Bisphenol A, have boosted corporate astroturfing up to a dizzying pace. With all these corporate fronts coming out of the woodwork, how can citizens tell true grassroots organizations from corporate fronts operated by highly-paid PR and lobbying firms? Here are some tips to help readers spot this kind of big-business hanky-panky.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
The recently launched coal industry front group, the Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal), has been in the news for its ties to a PR firm, the Adfero Group.
Submitted by John Stauber on
The Los Angeles Times reports that the health insurance industry has "rallied its lobbying and grassroots resources so successfully in the early stages of the healthcare overhaul deliberations that it is poised to reap a financial windfall.
Submitted by John Stauber on
"As nearly 2,000 progressives made their way last weekend to Pittsburgh for the annual Netroots Nation conference, the right made its stand in the same town with a conference called RightOnline, sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, a group that has gained notoriety for its involvement in organizing seemingly grassroots opposition to health-care reform," reports Adele Stan.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Why were employees of area oil companies bused to an "Energy Citizens" rally in Houston, Texas, organized by the American Petroleum Institute (API) to oppose climate change legislation?
Center for Media and Democracy (CMD)
520 University Ave, Ste 305 • Madison, WI 53703 • (608) 260-9713
CMD is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit.
© 1993-2024