The Weekly Spin (8-17-05)

[Catchawave]

THE WEEKLY SPIN, August 17, 2005
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THIS WEEK'S NEWS


== BLOG POSTINGS ==
1. When Real News Dents The Fake News Business
2. SourceWatch Updates

== SPIN OF THE DAY ==
1. You Can't Be Neutral on a Freedom Walk, Media Told
2. Judge Awards Costs Over Logger's SLAPP
3. Voice-Over America
4. Propaganda, Treason and Plot
5. Under the Care of the Great Brilliant Commander
6. Ethical Bump or Just a Pothole?
7. Sheehan's Story
8. Making Ads to Promote Drug Companies that Make Ads
9. The State of State Lobbying
10. Russo Marsh and Rogers' Kurdish Delight
11. Spinning Atoms Into Gold
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== BLOG POSTINGS ==

1. WHEN REAL NEWS DENTS THE FAKE NEWS BUSINESS
by Bob Burton
There's good news for citizens and bad news for investors in the
latest quarterly financial report of Medialink Worldwide, the
biggest player in the fake news business.
In the three months to the end of June Medialink the company
lost $923,000. This was on top of the $1.13 million loss for the
January to March quarter. The losses, the company's latest quarterly
financial report states, are just over double the amount lost in the
first half of 2004.
A few days after the latest quarterly results were released in
late July, Medialink's founder, President, Chief Executive and
Chairman of the Board, Larry Moskowitz was on a conference call
putting a brave face on the latest results.
Moskowitz, who was paid $334,000 in 2004, explained to
investors that one of the reasons for the latest losses was that
real news, especially in April, had reduced the amount of available
airtime for the company's bread and butter services such as video
news releases (VNRs) and audio news releases (ANRs).
For the rest of this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/3899

2. SOURCEWATCH UPDATES
by Bob Burton
Volunteer contributors continue to be the mainstay of SourceWatch,
our open-source encylopedia of the people, organizations and issues
shaping the public agenda. SourceWatch (formerly the "Disinfopedia")
is a "wiki," which means that anyone (including you) can edit
existing articles or create new ones about the topics of your
choice. Since its launch in 2003, it has become the 14th-largest
wiki on the Internet, and usage continues to grow. It now includes
more than 7,400 articles. In July approximately 1.86 million pages
from SourceWatch were served to web users.
For the rest of this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/3900

== SPIN OF THE DAY ==

1. YOU CAN'T BE NEUTRAL ON A FREEDOM WALK, MEDIA TOLD
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/16/AR2005081600670.html
The Washington Post "is withdrawing its offer of free advertising
for an organized event by the Defense Department," after its
sponsorship drew criticism from peace groups and the Newspaper
Guild, which represents 1,400 Post employees. The Pentagon's America
Supports You "Freedom Walk" will take place on September 11 and
include a concert by Clint Black, a country musician who the Guild
noted is best known for his "war-glorifying song 'Iraq and I Roll.'"
Instead, the Post "will make a donation directly to the Pentagon
Memorial Fund," for "a two-acre contemplation park in honor of the
184 people who died" at the Pentagon in 2001. Other media
organizations, including WTOP Radio Network, ABC/WJLA-TV Channel 7
and News Channel 8, are continuing their Freedom Walk sponsorship.
"If we were to find out that it was meant to be a political event,
we couldn't support it," said Stan Melton of WJLA and News Channel
8.
SOURCE: Washington Post, August 16, 2005
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/3913

2. JUDGE AWARDS COSTS OVER LOGGER'S SLAPP
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200508/s1439466.htm
The Australian forestry company Gunns has suffered another setback
in its lawsuit seeking A$6.8 million in damages against 20
environmentalists and environmental groups. In the Victorian Supreme
Court, Justice Bernard Bongiono directed the company pay most of the
defendants costs incurred to date. In a refiled claim Gunns alleges
that campaigning by the Gunns 20 constituted a "conspiracy" to
damage its business. Former journalist turned Gunns "brand manager",
Sarah Dent, declined to comment "because it's before the courts."
One of the defendants, Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown, told ABC
Radio's AM program that the third version of the writ included "a
claim there that I and others were conspiring against Gunns at a
meeting in Cygnet. In fact it was an evening's entertainment with
Dolly Putin and the Kazakhstan Kowgirls. It was a cabaret that was
on that night. There was absolutely nothing other than a fundraiser
occurring."
SOURCE: ABC News, August 17, 2005.
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/3911