Toxic Sludge Is Good for You: Lies, Damn Lies, and the Public-Relations Industry.by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton Common Courage Press. 236 pages. $16.95. Authors John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton have penned a startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. portrait of the poisoning of the American democratic process by the nation's professional spin doctors. Toxic Sludge exposes the bare-knuckled, invisible hand Invisible Hand A term coined by economist Adam Smith in his 1776 book "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations". In his book he states: "Every individual necessarily labours to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can. guiding and shaping public opinions. It's the hand of the master practitioners who work behind the scenes for the giant public-relations firms. P.T. Barnum may have been America's first P.R. expert, but it wasn't until this century that the industry really took off. Today it's a $10-billion-a-year business employing, according to Stauber and Rampton, 150,000 "flacks"--20,000 more than the number of working journalists in this country. The contemporary use of P.R. has moved way beyond issuing ho-hum news releases and engaging in damage control. The top P.R. firms now set out to change laws and regulations, develop phony grassroots political campaigns, infiltrate and spy on local citizens' organizations, and suppress information damaging to the interests of their corporate clients. Readers will find an inside view into how these flacks have distorted debate on such issues as nuclear-waste disposal, BGH (chat) bgh - Be Good Humans. , animal rights, national health care, NAFTA NAFTA in full North American Free Trade Agreement Trade pact signed by Canada, the U.S., and Mexico in 1992, which took effect in 1994. Inspired by the success of the European Community in reducing trade barriers among its members, NAFTA created the world's , and smoking. One chapter in the book, from which it takes its name, plows new ground with its revelations surrounding the spreading of big-city sludge. The book shows how governments are hiring P.R. firms to mold public opinion. Equally disturbing is how the mainstream media rely upon electronic and print materials provided by the P.R. industry for news stories aimed at an unsuspecting citizenry. This blurring of news and views is increasing, observe the authors, as media centralization and corporate downsizing (1) Converting mainframe and mini-based systems to client/server LANs. (2) To reduce equipment and associated costs by switching to a less-expensive system. (jargon) downsizing accelerate. The breadth of the ongoing mental meddling med·dle intr.v. med·dled, med·dling, med·dles 1. To intrude into other people's affairs or business; interfere. See Synonyms at interfere. 2. To handle something idly or ignorantly; tamper. taking place in American society and chronicled by this book will be eye-opening for even the most cynical and jaded politicos. The book is well documented and filled with personal testimony straight from the P.R. whizzes themselves on how they're changing our minds. It's a sobering account for any activist seeking political change. (Will Fantle is a freelance writer in Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire is a city located in west-central Wisconsin. The population was 61,704 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Eau Claire CountyGR6, although a small portion of the city lies in neighboring Chippewa County. .) |
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