By Steve Rhodes

The April 2 issue of The New Yorker has a fascinating must-read on Wal-Mart’s massive and sophisticated public relations efforts, led by the Chicago-born Edelman PR firm. The story demonstrates just what reporters, politicians, and citizens are up against in trying to pan for truth amidst the onslaught of highly-paid professionals whose job is to spin public policy in favor of the private, secret, and lucrative interests of the company’s executives. This is the company that the mayor and many of his city council cronies welcome to the city – the subject of several of the aldermanic runoffs in April. This article ought to make the rounds of those campaigns and city council chambers.
It’s also worth considering that the mayor and other politicians, including those running for presidents, run similar spin divisions with the purpose of imprinting images, narratives, themes, and buzz words (“rock star” anyone?) unlodgably in your mind. And it is among the highest priority of journalists to resist, reveal, and destroy those efforts in favor of reality.
Excerpts of The New Yorker story follow, as well as excerpts from the Edelman website, the Edelman president’s blog, and SourceWatch, which has a good summary of Edelman’s more notorious works.
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“Action Alley is the company’s war room, a communications center that was set up and is staffed by Washington-based operatives from Edelman, a public-relations firm that advises companies on issues of ‘reputation management.’ Wal-Mart corporate culture is parsimonious except in the matter of executive compensation, but, according to a source, the company has been paying Edelman roughly ten million dollars annually to renovate its reputation.”

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Posted on March 30, 2007

By The Beachwood Mayoral Affairs Desk

“No we’re not [breaking the promise] because we’re not putting any actual money up,” Daley said after it was revealed that city’s Olympic bid will include a financial guarantee built from taxpayer money. “This is in case . . . everything breaks down completely . . . This would be like an earthquake. If an earthquake takes place, and I doubt if it’s gonna take place.”
Other things the mayor doubted would happen.
1. “I doubt that there will ever be big Xs carved into Meigs Field.”
2. “I doubt we’ll have much trouble getting Block 37 built. It’s prime real estate!”
3. “You want to put WHAT all over the city? Plastic cows? Seriously, Lois, I doubt people will want to see that.”

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Posted on March 14, 2007

By Allison Riggio

For a ward under as much economic distress as the 15th, votes there sure cost a lot.
Toni Foulkes led the field of a dozen (well, 11 after ex-con and former Ald. Virgil Jones got tossed off the ballot) in last month’s election with 34 percent of the vote – after spending $225,000, about half put up by the Service Employees International Union. With 2,037 votes to her name, that’s about $110 a vote.
By contrast, her runoff opponent, Felicia Simmons-Stovall, spent $65,000 en route to winning 26 percent of the vote. With 1,603 votes to her name, that’s about $40 a vote.
That might bode well for Simmons-Stovall’s chances in April to win the seat vacated by retiring Ald. Ted Thomas, no matter how much more union money floods the ward.

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Posted on March 11, 2007

By Steve Rhodes

Does anyone but the local press corps believe the spin that, as the Tribune headline says, “Olympics Won’t Cost Taxpayers, City Says” (or as the online version says, “Taxpayers Are Safe, Chicago CFO Says“)?
“Chief Financial Officer Dana Levenson said the city would play a ‘subordinate role’ in the plan, which would kick in only if the Games were to operate in the red,” the Tribune reports.
Duh!
In other words, the city will pick up the slack if things go sour!
Beyond that, to say the city’s guarantee will be under so many layers of other financial guarantors that it is essentially meaningless is absurd. Then why require it?

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Posted on March 9, 2007

By Cyryl Jakubowski

Having no luck reaching Burt Natarus at his office for a post-election campaign story about the 42nd Ward for the Columbia Chronicle, I noticed that the now-deposed alderman says on his website that he takes calls at home¹. So on Monday – Casimir Pulaski Day – I called him at home. I was born and raised in Poland and let me tell you, Pulaski Day² is not a big deal. At least not to me. But to Burt – that’s another matter. Here is a transcript of my interview with the outgoing alderman, edited for clarity.
Cyryl: Hi, Mr. Natarus?
Burt: Yes.
Cyryl: How ya doing, sorry to be calling you at your house, this is Cyryl Jakubowski from the Columbia Chronicle newspaper.
Burt: What paper?
Cyryl: Columbia Chronicle. I think one of our reporters talked to you before.
Burt: Well I talked to them already. There’s really nothing left to talk about. If you’re in this business and you lose you have to learn how to lose. I’m over the hump, it’s no problem.
Cyryl: Well yeah, but I’m doing a post-election story . . .
Burt: Why bother?
Cyryl: Why bother? I’m interested . . .

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Posted on March 7, 2007

By Steve Rhodes

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton gave two very different speeches in Selma, Alabama, over the weekend at events commemmorating the Bloody Sunday march 42 years ago .
Obama’s speech was halting, filled with boilerplate (“I stand on the shoulders of giants;” “I am the fruits of your labor”) and uninspiring – unless you are one of his cultish worshippers who remind me of rock fans so blinded by adulation of their star that they’d wildly cheer a favorite song performed in farts and burps.
Believe it or not, I have no particular interest in who wins the Democratic presidential nomination. I am not supporting Hillary Clinton, nor am I intending to vote for her.
My interest is in merely evaluating the candidates and, especially, the media coverage they receive. And even Obama and his advisers admit the coverage they are getting is over-the-top. (Oh how I wish Obama was everything they say he is! How great would that be? But alas, that’s not what I see.)
And so it is again with Selma.

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Posted on March 5, 2007