your last ** footnote:

"curediabetesnow.info" sounds like it is going to be an anti-stem-cell astro-turf.

"protectpatientsfirst.org"? Probably more "tort reform", i.e. remove accountability for MDs, hospitals, and insurance companies.

Thanks for this excellent reporting (got here via TNH).
kid bitzer | 08.23.06 - 8:52 am | #

Thanks for the nice comment. I thought the same thing about the "Protect Patients First" group, but I don't get the diabetes-anti-stem cell connection, could you elaborate?
Thomas Nephew | Homepage | 08.23.06 - 11:33 am | #

Thanks for exploring this in more depth. I had been frequenting a certain blog by a well-known progressive writer which seemed to be infected by such a 'Netvocate,' who insisted on responding to every comment on a post with a 'personal' rebuttal that really amounted to nothing more than rightwing talking points. The person listed an e-mail address at the domain "x.com" and that turned out to lead to the PayPal homepage.

I don't have the tools or the knowledge to dig into IP addresses and really trace this person, but it just seemed too neat to be true. I suppose it could have been someone who really believes that claptrap, who is just trying to preserve anonymity on the Net, but given the context (visible progressive writer) it made the hairs on my neck stand up.

Unlike everyday trolls, this person would not quit, and is probably still there.
who, not that | 08.23.06 - 3:57 pm | #

Sounds a little like Al (or is it AI?) at "Political Animal"/Washington Monthly.

I don't think you can generally look into the visits to a site you don't own (unless you're able and willing to hack into it, ie, convincingly pretend you're an owner.) The thing to do might be to ask the "visible progressive writer" to look into it a bit (and maybe tell him/her about this post as an example). Big shots often seem to have more professional setups than mine, that might store information about visits longer, keep histories of visits and so forth. But even so, IP addresses often don't tell you very much, so you and/or the writer shouldn't necessarily expect a conclusive answer.
Thomas Nephew | Homepage | 08.23.06 - 4:50 pm | #

These creatures have been working usenet and yahoo member-only "disease" groups for sometime. In those cases, they are entirely funded by the marketing departments of pharmaceutical companies. It's part of the "research and develpment" (R&D) budget that is tacked onto the price tag for your medication, particularly the one being hyped in all the media, but no real proof of lowering mortality or study of side effects. Yet. (That's where you come in ).

The bigget offenders in disease astro-turfs are breast cancer, heart, diabetes, and arthritis. They are a spin-off from their pharma sponsored (and literally bought and paid for) non-profit disease advocacy organizations which sponsor all those neat funding raising ventures.

Even agochemical producers (who are just as likely to do pharmaceuticals too under another name) have been working this for a long time.

See George Monbiot 2002 Guardian article on Monsanto.
Pony | 08.28.06 - 1:27 pm | #

The Monsanto file:
http://ngin.tripod.com/deceit_index.html

No matter which side of the GMO issue you're on, this is an object lesson in how public opinion is being created.
Pony | 08.28.06 - 8:45 pm | #

You might want to take a look at this as well: http://feministlawprofs.law.sc.e...w.sc.edu/? p=919
Ann Bartow | Homepage | 08.29.06 - 10:11 am | #

Ringling Brothers! It's like a bad Batman episode.

Along those lines (and the Monsanto story "Pony" forwards), there's the tobacco whistleblower story told in The Insider. This kind of stuff -- hardball corporate PR and worse -- is certainly happening; it's just hard to know just how endemic it is, and it's a little scary to think about. All else being equal, richer companies and people in charge who believe "big corporations are always right" make me guess it's on the rise.
Thomas Nephew | Homepage | 08.29.06 - 12:02 pm | #

A useful site for astroturf updates:

http://www.prwatch.org/taxonomy/...nomy/term/110/ 9
Pony | 08.29.06 - 3:14 pm | #

Thanks very much, Pony. I've added this to an 8/31 update here, and left a comment about it at the "Making Light"'s astroturf roundup post mentioned in that update.

[return to "Their Voice. Amplified..."]
Thomas Nephew | Homepage | 08.31.06 - 1:49 pm | #

Check out my videoblog-- I am investigating astroturfing on the internet, and you may find it interesting.

just occurred to me that i am astroturfing you in a way... quite ironic really!
Angela | Homepage | 09.23.06 - 1:49 am | #