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Description of Thinker, Faker, Spinner, Spy

Bringing together leading activists and writers from the US and beyond, this book unmasks the covert and undemocratic world of corporate spin. Wherever big business is threatened or corporate advantage can be gained, spin doctors, lobbyists, think tanks and front groups are on hand to push the corporate interest, often at the wider public's expense. This book challenges the notion that corporate PR is only about celebrity gossip. They show how it extends much further, and how the techniques of the PR industry are now in use across a wide range of political fields, driven by corporate interests. The authors reveal the secrets of the PR trade, including deception, the use of fake 'institutes' and think tanks, behind the scenes influence-peddling, spying and dirty tricks. Most importantly, they show the devastating impact spin has had - as the public are denied access to the truth, the results are rising inequality and environmental catastrophe.The book covers the misdeeds of some of the best-known companies including BP, Coca Cola, British Aerospace, Exxon and Monsanto, as well as the covert funding of apparently independent thinks tanks and institutes in the US, EU and around the globe. "Thinker, Faker, Spinner, Spy" also offers a guide to resisting deceptive PR. The authors describe concrete campaigns involving the internet and new communication technology to roll back corporate power and the influence of PR.

Title Information

ISBN:

9780745324449

Pages:

296 pages

Format:

Paperback

Product Code:

244475

Publisher:

Pluto Press

Published:

20/06/2007

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Contents of Thinker, Faker, Spinner, Spy

Introduction: Unearthing Corporate spin William Dinan and David Miller; Section 1. Global corporate power and corporate spin; 1: PR and the subversion of democracy David Miller and William Dinan; 2: Achilles has two heels: crises of capitalist globalisation Leslie Sklair; 3: A tour of the PR industry Chris Grimshaw; Section 2. How corporations use spin to undermine democracy; 4: Powers behind the throne: The DCI Group and the Corporate web Laura Miller; 5: Spinning farmed Salmon David Miller; 6: Exxon's Footsoldiers: The Case of the International Policy Network Andy Rowell; 7: Biotech's fake persuaders Jonathan Matthews; 8: Fighting dirty wars: spying for the arms trade Eveline Lubbers; 9: Manufacturing a neo-liberal climate: recent reform initiatives in Germany Ulrich Mueller; Section 3. The subterranean world of the power brokers; 10: Globalising Politics: Spinning U.S. "Democracy Assistance" Programs Gerald Sussman; 11: Behind the Screens: Corporate Lobbying and EU Audio-visual policy.