Thinker, Faker, Spinner, Spy: Corporate PR and the Assualt on Democracy

Citation

Miller D & Dinan W (eds.) (2007) Thinker, Faker, Spinner, Spy: Corporate PR and the Assualt on Democracy. London: Pluto Press. http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745324449&

Abstract
The public relations industry is not just about celebrity gossip. This book shows how, whenever big business is threatened, spin doctors, lobbyists, think tanks and front groups are on hand to push the corporate interest, often at the public's expense. Written by leading activists and writers, this book reveals the secrets of the PR trade including deception, the use of fake 'institutes', spying and dirty tricks. The impact can be devastating -- when the public is denied access to the truth, the results are rising inequality and environmental catastrophe. The authors expose the misdeeds of famous companies including Coca Cola, British Aerospace, Exxon and Monsanto. They also reveal startling new information about the covert funding of various apparently independent thinks tanks and institutes. What can we do about it? The authors offer a guide to campaigns that can help us roll back corporate power and resist deceptive PR.

People

Dr William Dinan

Senior Lecturer, Communications, Media and Culture