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Project Spin Shop TrueDialog.org’s
initial project addresses the problem of stealth public relations efforts that
influence state, municipal, and local government. Parading as “think
tanks” offering independent analysis, these not-for-profit public charities
typically represent partisan interests and for profit ventures. They represent
themselves as providing independent and objective analysis while promoting
partisan interests. The outline below sketches our approach confronting this
aspect of the "Culture of Spin." There are seven
different areas that TrueDialog.org has identified to begin this work. As we
start out, these suggested approaches are just starting points for developing a
hands-on strategy. These will evolve and advance as the best methods to
successfully expose spin shops and keep them from undermining authentic
political discussion and deliberation. 1)
With the Public The
end goal of the project is to raise public awareness of the difference between
legitimate public policy groups and spin shops. The deceptive practices stealth
PR firms use become ineffective with widespread recognition that these outfits
are in business to produce propaganda for partisan clients. As citizens
recognize spin shops for what they are, their power to undermine authentic
democratic dialog dissolves. Much of this educational outreach comes
through grassroots organizing. 2)
With Local Newspapers and Other Media Organizations Much
of the value that spin shops provide their patrons comes from delivering what
appears to be independent analysis. Say that a health insurer wishes to protect
its interests by criticizing health insurance reform legislation. The insurer
may have the spin shop deliver an opinion piece or study critical of the
legislation. If this critique came directly from the insurer, readers would
understand it as self-serving. By passing the same messaging through a spin
shop, it takes on the appearance of being independent, unbiased and
"objective." Legitimate
news organizations require that the sources for such pieces be accurately
identified. Still, most are understaffed and overworked. Spin shops help fill
the shortfall by providing topical, well-written material that editors can
simply plug-in with minimal effort. Citizen input and engagement can help news
organizations appreciate the need to determine what are the best practices here.
How should they deal with submissions from political groups that do not reveal
funding sources? TrueDialog.org will help enable citizens raise this issue
locally with editors and publishers. 3)
With Public Policy Organizations Spin shop abuses injure legitimate public policy research and education organizations. In the public’s perception, there is little to distinguish these. Academic organizations studying public policy issues have professional practices and standards to ensure the quality and validity of research. At present, there is no equivalent to the peer review process for non-academic public policy groups. As with editors and publishers, TrueDialog.org will provide tools for citizens to dialog with these groups to arrive at best practices. As these voluntary standards come forward, some groups will adopt them (e.g., transparency in funding and/or methods for validating studies) while others will not. This will aid the public’s ability to distinguish stealth public relations outfits from genuine public policy organizations. This approach is unlike legislative constraints that have to be applied cautiously to avoid constraining free expression. It is a free market approach where embracing professional standards to ensure the validity of public policy work is a powerful expression of the organization’s integrity. 4) With
Not-For-Profit Organizations Not-for-profit
organizations have struggled to gain a voice in public forums. Sadly, this
expansion of free speech has created an opportunity for exploitation by spin
shops. Efforts to reign in these abuses could cause unintended consequences for
fundamentally non-political groups that serve a multitude of public interests.
Unlike spin shops, there is no question that these public charities are what
they appear to be. Given this, outreach to the larger not-for-profit community
is essential to ensure their freedom of speech. They are also an invaluable
resource on how the not-for-profit world operates. 5) With your
State Legislature Many of the
campaign finance laws established to provide transparency in elections have
become outdated. These go back in the 1970's when cable TV was a novelty and
paid advertising dominated political promotions. Now, we are in a wildly
different, diverse media environment. Paid advertising is taking a backseat to
public relations strategies. Unfortunately, campaign finance disclosure laws are
focused on advertising and not public relations. Because of this shift in the
media landscape, our ability to know who is behind a campaign is evaporating.
Spin shops thrive because their stealth public relations campaigns sidestep
reporting requirements. The dynamic here is clear and easy to grasp. Legislators simply need to have it brought to their attention. That this problem will worsen until and unless it is addressed adds urgency. As True Dialog.org works with citizens to bring this issue forward, pragmatic legislative approaches to end abuses will continue to evolve. 6.)
With your State Ethics/Election Commission These
watchdog agencies are typically reactive. A complaint comes forward, they
determine whether it has validity and, if so, they address it. For the most
part, only a small group of political insiders ever engage this process. Part of
TrueDialog.org’s citizen activism will be to educate citizens about how these
agencies work and how to work with them. The
immediate aim here is making sure that organizations are in compliance with
existing state election laws. Spin shops typically push the boundaries and
attempt to sidestep these regulations. This is how citizens can push back. The
larger goal is to expand access so that more take responsibility for the honesty
and integrity of the political system. By taking ownership, citizens affirm
their citizenship. 7.)
With the Internal Revenue Service Recently, the Internal Revenue Service has becomes increasingly active in cracking down on organizations abusing not-for-profit status for politicking. In 2006, audits of tax-exempt organizations were up 43% from the year before. Also, the IRS has been actively in developing legislation to address these issues. Spin
shops, by design, actively seek ways to circumvent laws designed to keep
tax-exempt dollars from being used for political activities. TrueDialog.org will
educate citizen activists about where the boundaries are and how to blow the
whistle if they are crossed. Knowing that they are under watch will also deter
spin shops from flagrant abuses and promote compliance. *** Whatever the final shape of these approaches, the real measure of success comes through the quality of public engagement. This is how Project Spin Shop carries out TrueDialog.org's mission "to encourage and empower citizens to demand authenticity in public life." *** |
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All materials on this website are copyright © 2007 by TrueDialog.org. All rights reserved. |
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