mediacrit.com » Labor News

Manipulating the Public Agenda: Why ACORN Was in the News, and What the News Got Wrong

Christopher Martin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:18:58 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A study by Christopher R. Martin, Ph.D. and Peter Dreier, Ph.D. Using the controversy over ACORN as a case study, this report illustrates the way the media help set the agenda for public debate, and frame the way that debate is shaped. It describes how “opinion entrepreneurs” (primarily business and conservative groups and individuals) [...]

Greenwashing Dirty Coal

Christopher Martin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:50:29 +0000

It happened again. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier had a special "green" tabloid section in their Sunday, April 20 newspaper, with big full-page ad by LS Power. After doing the same thing last year, it appears that Courier is operating in an irony-free zone where "green" and "coal-fired power plant" can mean the same thing.

WE SURVIVED THE STRIKE! Of course we did.

Christopher Martin — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:24:09 +0000

Back around November 5, when the Writers Guild of America first called a strike against the major entertainment studios, there were almost hysterical reports in the news media -- what are we going to do without new episodes of our favorite TV programs? Like, Omigosh! The January 25 Entertainment Weekly even had a special "Strike Survival Guide" issue with cover of a bearded Conan O'Brien (who, along with David Letterman, used the time off the screen to watch his facial hair grow) that boasted "67 tips to beat the entertainment dry spell."

Covering Coal Mining by Accident

Christopher Martin — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:06:45 +0000

At one point, in live, late night coverage, CNNâ€™s Anderson Cooper reminded viewers that this Appalachian region mines a lot of coal, which is used to fuel many of the power plants supplying electricity to viewers around the country. (In fact, more than half of the electricity used in the U.S. comes from coal.)

The Silence on Workplace Dangers

Christopher Martin — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 04:48:41 +0000

On March 23, 2005, a woman dining at a San Jose Wendyâ€™s restaurant claimed to find a finger in her chili. You might remember hearing about this. The incident generated immediate and extensive national coverage â€“ at least 170 stories in the LexisNexis major newspaper database through the end of May 2005. Meanwhile, in U.S. workplaces, an estimated two dozen finger amputations happen each day. At least some of those cases, one might assume, are interesting stories. Yet, stories of fingers amputated in workplace accidents hardly registered a blip in major newspapers.

Behind the Wal-Mart PR

Christopher Martin — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 05:05:52 +0000

There has been mounting criticism of Wal-Mart in recent years. Critics charge they kill off small local businesses, they contribute to urban sprawl, they squeeze suppliers into bankruptcy, they discriminate against female employees, they hire illegal aliens and fire union organizers. Last January, Wal-Mart fought back with a multi-million-dollar massive public relations blitz, including full-page advertisements in more than 100 newspapers, a new round of television commercials featuring happy blue-vested Wal-Mart workers, and a web site called walmartfacts.com (as an antidote to critical sites such as walmartwatch.com).

Minimum News on the Minimum Wage

Christopher Martin — Sat, 11 Sep 2004 06:18:32 +0000

If you are fortunate enough to not be working at the minimum wage, you might be shocked to learn that itâ€™s still $5.15 an hour. The last time the wage was raised was 1996-97, when it was raised from $4.25.