Consumer WebWatch Launches New Column Investigating Scams and Schemes on the Web.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

YONKERS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2003

Founder and Managing Editor of Time.com and ABCNews.com to Write

Biweekly Column for www.consumerwebwatch.org

Consumer WebWatch, a non-profit research project with a mission to improve the credibility of online content, this week debuts a new investigative column by Robertson Barrett, which will run twice a month on the Consumer WebWatch (http://www.consumerwebwatch.org) site.

The increase of online scams has raised a red flag for many consumers. Now, more than ever, consumers are concerned about the safety of using the Internet to shop, bank and find information. Barrett's new investigative column is an effort to provide Consumer WebWatch readers with answers to their credibility questions and educate consumers about potentially dishonest online practices. Barrett's column is driven by reader inquiries; if there is a credibility issue you would like addressed, please contact Consumer WebWatch at http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/news/Barrett/form.htm.

Barrett has written previous articles for Consumer WebWatch that provided readers with important advice on spyware and Internet anonymity tools. He served as a spokesman for Consumer WebWatch on these and other issues in the national press.

"Robertson's a true Internet pioneer and is not susceptible to marketing hype, doubletalk and techno-baloney," said Beau Brendler, the project's director. "Having him aboard is a major step toward fulfilling Consumer WebWatch's mission in a personalized way."

Barrett's first column tackles dubious charity claims made by e-commerce sites as a way to drive business. He investigates whether AmericasCalling.com - a site owned and operated by W. Craig & Company, an online marketing firm - lives up to its claims to donate two percent of subscribers' monthly long-distance phone bills to NoHungryChildren.org, a site also owned by W. Craig & Company that purports to donate funds to charities.

In his column, which can be found at http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/news/Barrett/0903_charity.htm, Barrett also provides consumer tips for finding out whether cause-related giving campaigns are legitimate.

Beginning Tuesday, September 16, Barrett's column will run twice a month on www.consumerwebwatch.org. In addition to founding and serving as a managing editor for Time.com and ABCNews.com, Barrett also served as vice president and general manager of The FeedRoom, a nationwide broadband news network in partnership with NBC and Tribune, and of Channel One Interactive, the educational television network's new media division.

Consumer WebWatch is a project of Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine and ConsumerReports.org. The project is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, which invests in ideas that fuel timely action and results; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities; and the Open Society Institute, which encourages debate in areas in which one view of an issue dominates all others.

The material above is intended for use by legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports(R) is published by Consumers Union, an independent, nonprofit testing and information-gathering organization, serving only the consumer. We are a comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal finance, health, nutrition, and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, our mission has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers.