Less than two weeks after the Heartland Institute compared people who believe in global warming to the Unabomber on a Clear Channel Chicago (CCMO) digital billboard, Clear Channel has rejected an ad campaign highlighting corporate support for the controversial think tank on the eve of its annual climate-change-denial conference.
The proposed ads, which would be displayed on the exact same digital billboard the Heartland Institute used, point out that some of the world’s most prominent corporations “still support climate deniers” – and ask viewers if they do, too. The ads feature pharmaceutical maker Pfizer, software corporation Microsoft, and media giant Comcast. These corporations were chosen because they have significantly contributed to the Heartland Institute, but have thus far rejected calls to end their relationship with the controversial organization. The ads do not feature any known serial killers or terrorists.
Clear Channel Outdoors Chicago Branch President Par Ridder rejected the billboards in a telephone conversation with Forecast the Facts, explaining that Clear Channel “would not approve a billboard that criticized corporations.” When asked whether that was an official Clear Channel policy, Ridder declined to comment.
“Apparently Clear Channel thinks it’s fine to defame the millions of Americans who recognize the reality of climate change, but it’s not okay to hold accountable the corporations who make that kind of offensive propaganda possible,” said Brad Johnson, Campaign Manager for Forecast the Facts, the group leading the effort.
The rejected billboard was to be “crowd-funded” by contributions from the 150,000 people who have joined Forecast the Facts, SumofUs, 350.org, and others, to call on corporations to defund Heartland. The ad displays the Pfizer (PFE) logo and its $130,000 to the Heartland Institute in 2010. The text, “I still support Climate Deniers. Do you?” refers to the fact that pharmaceutical giant continues to defend its relationship with the anti-science group.
Real reason is their bottom line:
“We will not risk offending past, present, future or potential clients or risk being sued”
I’m not sure if they can claim common carrier immunity like ISPs can.
Real reason is their bottom line, yes: they’re a corporation too and, like us, they’re all in it together :/
At some classes I was covering today in Manchester CT- in the teachers lounge I had an encounter with a women who tried to feed me that story that climate change is not real. She was a certified faculty person. It becomes very difficult for many of us to penetrate this kind of denial.
Corporations aren’t just people– they are the only true innocents! Innocent of ethics or any value beyond the dollar, that is.
If corporations are people then they rank below crack whores on the scale of ethics and morals.
There are some things even whores won’t do; I’m not at all sure that’s true of Mitt Romney’s favorite “people”
will it be compulsory not to criticise big business? funny that they want govt out of the way..and yet use govt to get what they want..
@peter and all.. i’ve now added to the list of evil doers behind the AGW ‘scam’ its a bunch of ‘anti car driver’ treehuggers..
“The theory of man-made Global Warming has evolved into a massive international conspiracy involving green activists & luddites who use it to promote their extremist politics, governments who use it as an excuse to extort tax and impose social controls, some deceitful ‘scientists’ who take advantage of it to get cushy ‘research’ jobs, and journalists who prefer to spread scaremongering tales of doom and gloom rather than do any investigative research.
From the driver’s point of view, it is abused as one of the prime justifications behind many anti-car policies.
Find out the truth behind green/government propaganda and media bias by visiting these sites:
(i’ll list them later if a can be arsed to)
this is from:
http://www.abd.org.uk/links/gwt.htm
hey .in the list of deniers is…wait for it:
competitive enterprise institute
what a surprise
http://cei.org/
@peter and everyone i came across this item that is pertinant to your latest heartland stuff..its pretty rabid stuff (no surprises there)
“The Heartland Institute Under Attack”
http://cei.org/op-eds-articles/heartland-institute-under-attack
this is the ‘about’ of the CEI..
http://cei.org/about-cei
CEI also has published tv ads about the virtues of CO2: http://350orbust.com/2010/03/27/the-competitive-enterprise-institute-extolls-virtues-of-carbon-dioxide/
just saw this about solar power power and apple company
damn those extremist activists !!!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/18/apple-renewable-power-data-centres?commentpage=1#end-of-comments