Forget Lobbyists: Big Business Wants To Control American Minds, Not Just Their Lawmakers
Published on
Thursday, January 15, 2015
by Center for Public Integrity
Forget Lobbyists: Big Business Wants To Control American Minds, Not Just Their Lawmakers
Who needs lobbyists? See what big business spends to win American minds. List of top contractors for trade associations dominated by message mavens.
by
Erin Quinn, Center for Public Integrity
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Screenshot from an ad, paid for by the American Petroleum Institute, which was part of a
"Vote 4 Energy" campaign from 2012. (Image: via Youtube)
Forget lobbying. When Washington, D.C.’s biggest trade associations want to wield influence, they often put far more of their money into advertising and public relations, according to a new Center for Public Integrity investigation.
Take, for example, the American Petroleum Institute. The oil and gas industry trade group spent more than $7 million lobbying federal officials in 2012. But that sum was dwarfed by the $85.5 million it paid to four public relations and advertising firms to, in effect, lobby the American public — including $51.9 million just to global PR giant Edelman.
From 2008 through 2012, annual tax filings show, the API paid Edelman a staggering $327.4 million for advertising and public relations services, more than any other contractor.
It’s been well-publicized how much industry spends on lobbying the government, but little is known about how much money goes toward influencing the public. In an effort to find out more, Center for Public Integrity reporters examined the tax returns for trade associations that spent more than $1 million on lobbying in 2012. The IRS requires the groups to report their top five contractors.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/01/15/forget-lobbyists-big-business-wants-control-american-minds-not-just-their-lawmakers
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