GreenEarthAl
10-07-2004, 11:30 AM
THE WEEKLY SPIN, Wednesday, October 6, 2004
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sponsored by the Center for Media and Democracy (www.prwatch.org)
...
3. WAL-MART GETS PR HELP FROM HILL & KNOWLTON
http://www.prweek.com/news/news_story.cfm?ID=223776&site=3
"Wal-Mart is working with Hill & Knowlton on a PR campaign designed
to rehabilitate the much-maligned company's reputation in
California and pave the way for 40 new Wal-Mart Supercenters in the
state in the next few years," PR Week reports. The world's largest
retailer published an "open letter to California residents" in 15
California newspapers on September 23. "As the company has grown,
we've become a target for negative comments from certain elected
officials, competitors and powerful special interest groups,"
Wal-Mart wrote. PR Week reports that several of H&K's California
offices have been working with Wal-Mart for several months on the
PR effort, "primarily handling media relations tasks." Wal-Mart
announced plans to add 55 million square feet of retail space in
2005, representing an 8 percent increase in retail space for the
company, which had a record setting $134.5 billion in net sales for
the six months ended July 31, 2004.
SOURCE: PR Week (sub. req'd.), October 4, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1096862403
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1096862403
7. SCENES FROM SPIN ALLEY
Notwithstanding efforts to put a Bush spin on Thursday's
presidential debate, several opinion polls agree that John Kerry
beat George Bush in Thursday's presidential debate. Even Republican
pundit Jay Nordlinger says that Bush "did poorly," "seemed a little
desperate," "reminded me of Dan Quayle," engaged in "robotic
repetition" of memorized phrases, and "gave the appearance of being
what his critics charge he is: callow, jejune, unserious."
Conservatives did manage to come up with a few "undecided" voters
who said they thought Bush won, but it turns out the undecideds
were actually Republicans activists posing as independent.
Web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1096702110
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1096702110
13. THE JOHN KERRY ATTACK MATRIX
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65142,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1
In some respects, the real presidential debate will take place in
cyberspace, reports Wired magazine. "The Bush campaign has launched
a massive rapid-response effort called Debate Facts to rebut
challenger John Kerry's assertions during the debates," writes
Louise Witt. "The campaign will provide a live feed to about 5,000
conservative blogs that subscribe to its news alerts. Debate Facts
is similar to the "war room" the Bush campaign and the Republican
National Committee set up in Boston during the Democratic
convention - only much larger and more sophisticated." Staffed with
a large team of policy, Internet and PR experts, Debate Facts will
work closely with Republican luminaries including Karl Rove, Karen
Hughes, Rudy Giuliani and John McCainto spin the post-debate
debate, using carefully crafted talking points that they have
compiled into a 150-page book called The John Kerry Attack Matrix.
SOURCE: Wired, September 30, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/September_2004.html#1096516801
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1096516801
15. OPERATION AMERICAN REPRESSION
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/09/29/military_justice/index.html
"An Army Reserve staff sergeant who last week wrote a critical
analysis of the United States' prospects in Iraq now faces possible
disciplinary action for disloyalty and insubordination," reports
Eric Boehlert. "If charges are bought and the officer is found
guilty, he could face 20 years in prison. It would be the first
such disloyalty prosecution since the Vietnam War. The essay that
sparked the military investigation is titled "Why We Cannot Win"
and was posted Sept. 20 on the conservative antiwar Web site
LewRockwell.com. Written by Al Lorentz, a non-commissioned officer
from Texas with nearly 20 years in the Army who is serving in Iraq,
the essay offers a bleak assessment of America's chances for
success in Iraq."
SOURCE: Salon.com, September 29, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/September_2004.html#1096430400
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1096430400
---------------------------------------------------------------------
sponsored by the Center for Media and Democracy (www.prwatch.org)
...
3. WAL-MART GETS PR HELP FROM HILL & KNOWLTON
http://www.prweek.com/news/news_story.cfm?ID=223776&site=3
"Wal-Mart is working with Hill & Knowlton on a PR campaign designed
to rehabilitate the much-maligned company's reputation in
California and pave the way for 40 new Wal-Mart Supercenters in the
state in the next few years," PR Week reports. The world's largest
retailer published an "open letter to California residents" in 15
California newspapers on September 23. "As the company has grown,
we've become a target for negative comments from certain elected
officials, competitors and powerful special interest groups,"
Wal-Mart wrote. PR Week reports that several of H&K's California
offices have been working with Wal-Mart for several months on the
PR effort, "primarily handling media relations tasks." Wal-Mart
announced plans to add 55 million square feet of retail space in
2005, representing an 8 percent increase in retail space for the
company, which had a record setting $134.5 billion in net sales for
the six months ended July 31, 2004.
SOURCE: PR Week (sub. req'd.), October 4, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1096862403
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1096862403
7. SCENES FROM SPIN ALLEY
Notwithstanding efforts to put a Bush spin on Thursday's
presidential debate, several opinion polls agree that John Kerry
beat George Bush in Thursday's presidential debate. Even Republican
pundit Jay Nordlinger says that Bush "did poorly," "seemed a little
desperate," "reminded me of Dan Quayle," engaged in "robotic
repetition" of memorized phrases, and "gave the appearance of being
what his critics charge he is: callow, jejune, unserious."
Conservatives did manage to come up with a few "undecided" voters
who said they thought Bush won, but it turns out the undecideds
were actually Republicans activists posing as independent.
Web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1096702110
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1096702110
13. THE JOHN KERRY ATTACK MATRIX
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65142,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1
In some respects, the real presidential debate will take place in
cyberspace, reports Wired magazine. "The Bush campaign has launched
a massive rapid-response effort called Debate Facts to rebut
challenger John Kerry's assertions during the debates," writes
Louise Witt. "The campaign will provide a live feed to about 5,000
conservative blogs that subscribe to its news alerts. Debate Facts
is similar to the "war room" the Bush campaign and the Republican
National Committee set up in Boston during the Democratic
convention - only much larger and more sophisticated." Staffed with
a large team of policy, Internet and PR experts, Debate Facts will
work closely with Republican luminaries including Karl Rove, Karen
Hughes, Rudy Giuliani and John McCainto spin the post-debate
debate, using carefully crafted talking points that they have
compiled into a 150-page book called The John Kerry Attack Matrix.
SOURCE: Wired, September 30, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/September_2004.html#1096516801
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1096516801
15. OPERATION AMERICAN REPRESSION
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/09/29/military_justice/index.html
"An Army Reserve staff sergeant who last week wrote a critical
analysis of the United States' prospects in Iraq now faces possible
disciplinary action for disloyalty and insubordination," reports
Eric Boehlert. "If charges are bought and the officer is found
guilty, he could face 20 years in prison. It would be the first
such disloyalty prosecution since the Vietnam War. The essay that
sparked the military investigation is titled "Why We Cannot Win"
and was posted Sept. 20 on the conservative antiwar Web site
LewRockwell.com. Written by Al Lorentz, a non-commissioned officer
from Texas with nearly 20 years in the Army who is serving in Iraq,
the essay offers a bleak assessment of America's chances for
success in Iraq."
SOURCE: Salon.com, September 29, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/September_2004.html#1096430400
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1096430400