Thanks for the (False) Memories: the 2004 Falsies Awards
This year marks the beginning of a new tradition for the Center for Media and Democracy. To remember the people and players responsible for polluting our information environment, we are issuing a new year-end prize that we call the “Falsies Awards.” The top ten finalists will each receive a million bucks worth of free coupons, a lifetime supply of non-fattening ice cream, an expenses-paid vacation in Fallujah, and our promise to respect them in the morning.
You’ll have to read the whole list yourself at the site. I highlight number 10 below:
10. Wal-Mart Gets PR Help From Hill & Knowlton
“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 reported in October. 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 reported that several of H&K’s California offices had been working with Wal-Mart for several months on the PR effort, “primarily handling media relations tasks.” Wal-Mart has announced plans to increase retail space by 8 percent. The company, which is also facing a class action suit for sex discrimination, had a record setting in net sales for the six months ended July 31, 2004.
Hmmmm…they don’t bother to mention the biggest false story of the year, Dan Rather and the forged memo.
Nor do they mention AP’s fabricated story of alleged booing at the mention of Bill Clinton’s name at a Republican rally shortly after Clinton’s heart attack this summer.
But then again, the so-called “Center for Media and Democracy” is not noted for its objectivity.
Although I do give them credit for not repeating the left-wing shibboleth, “the ‘discredited’ Swift Vet allegations”.
Hank C. –
I guess pointing out that Kerry repeatedly lied, on the floor of the Senate, when he claimed to have been in Cambodia, is “trashing a decorated combat veteran’s reputation”?
And I guess that his treasonous (meeting with North Vietnamese officials while he was still a member the Naval Reserve) of and slanderous activities after he came home from Vietnam don’t tarnish this “decorated combat veteran’s reputation” either?
Also, he could have refuted the charges regarding how he obtained his medals, by releasing the documents related to those. But he chose not to. Why?
“Vietnam War = BAD, Democrat Presidential Candidate who used his experience there as a sleazy means of advancing his career, while slandering the rest who served there = GOOD”.
What a twisted world the Left lives in.
Seems like there could be many other falsies … but I don’t think Frank IBC is hitting the mark. The examples he brings up are possibly underreported stories not false stories. I heard these opinions expressed by the media and pundits during the campaign. I did not hear much in the way of media defending Kerry. So how are those Frank IBC lists falsies?
And give me a break about the SBV crap… there is so much contradictory evidence – or lack of evidence – to support their claims. Only by a compliant, biased and lazy media did their claims exist for most of 2004. Give a break… Bush used his elistist connections to get a position in the TNG that would keep him out of the war, did not fulfill his TNG duty, went to work on a political campaign but decided to party instead. And then he and his supporters pretty much gave the impression that he is a warrior worth respect. Where was the media discussing his war record?
Oh, let’s see, Kerry volunteered. Bush didn’t have enough manhood to do that. How can Bush, the chickenhawk, and his chickenhawk administration, be more of a warrior than Kerry? Discuss Kerry’s conduct after the war if you want (but remember he went to war and stood for his country while Bush had a good time) but stop trying to manufacture a story about his war record. The media certainly let the SBC manufacture the story about Kerry’s war record.