Edward T. Walker brought us an eye-opening piece of scholarship about a hidden world – the world of elite public affairs consultants and their big money clients.
Grassroots for Hire: Public Affairs Consultants in American Democracy is based on meticulous research and tons of interviews. It’s a splendid platter of data.
According to Walker, some 40% of massive Fortune 500 corporations use PA consultants, ostensibly to find people who already would be supportive of the client’s agenda, and mobilize them, using same tool kit that real grassroots groups use.
But Walker observes that “a lack of disclosure about the funding” makes it difficult for citizens to interpret why they’re being mobilized.
Walker notes that PR companies justify their shadowy work with excuses like “…if the campaign doesn’t involve fraud or misrepresentation of citizens’ authentic views, then it shouldn’t matter who helped those individuals or groups find their voice.”
But Walker believes that the selective targeting of activists creates inequality. Campaigns can falsely appear to represent “the broader public interest,” when in fact, campaigns may engage a public that’s already over-represented.
Walker says “the strategy of funding third party advocacy without disclosure” has exploded since the 1960s and he states repeatedly in his book that this large industry is under-investigated and under-examined.
One sad outcome is that true grassroots groups face skepticism over whether or not they are bona fide.
Walker writes, “campaigns that are less than fully transparent about their sponsorship may decrease public trust in advocacy groups in general” with the result that much advocacy today is believed to be untrustworthy, inauthentic, and covertly funded.
Walker notes, however, that all is not lost. Critical observers who ask tough questions about funding can expose bad behavior.
Walker includes an example from 2006. A popular blog called Wal-Marting Across America, written by “Jim and Laura,” detailed the couple’s travels in an RV and their encounters with Walmart workers who always said good things about their employer. But it was soon disclosed that Walmart was paying for the RV rental, gas and fees for writing the blog. The stunt is now a case study.
When exposed, fake grassroots is considered abhorrent, and a lesson is sent out to other conglomerates.
Grassroots for Hire is a dry academic textbook and Professor Walker is very buttoned-up in his delivery of the facts. But it’s precisely the book’s neutral voice and non-inflammatory style that makes it so valuable.
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Top reviews from other countries
- Sandy RosenthalReviewed in the United States on 21 June 2019
BOOK REVIEW: I am grateful to Edward T. Walker.
Edward T. Walker brought us an eye-opening piece of scholarship about a hidden world – the world of elite public affairs consultants and their big money clients.BOOK REVIEW: I am grateful to Edward T. Walker.Sandy Rosenthal
Reviewed in the United States on 21 June 2019
Grassroots for Hire: Public Affairs Consultants in American Democracy is based on meticulous research and tons of interviews. It’s a splendid platter of data.
According to Walker, some 40% of massive Fortune 500 corporations use PA consultants, ostensibly to find people who already would be supportive of the client’s agenda, and mobilize them, using same tool kit that real grassroots groups use.
But Walker observes that “a lack of disclosure about the funding” makes it difficult for citizens to interpret why they’re being mobilized.
Walker notes that PR companies justify their shadowy work with excuses like “…if the campaign doesn’t involve fraud or misrepresentation of citizens’ authentic views, then it shouldn’t matter who helped those individuals or groups find their voice.”
But Walker believes that the selective targeting of activists creates inequality. Campaigns can falsely appear to represent “the broader public interest,” when in fact, campaigns may engage a public that’s already over-represented.
Walker says “the strategy of funding third party advocacy without disclosure” has exploded since the 1960s and he states repeatedly in his book that this large industry is under-investigated and under-examined.
One sad outcome is that true grassroots groups face skepticism over whether or not they are bona fide.
Walker writes, “campaigns that are less than fully transparent about their sponsorship may decrease public trust in advocacy groups in general” with the result that much advocacy today is believed to be untrustworthy, inauthentic, and covertly funded.
Walker notes, however, that all is not lost. Critical observers who ask tough questions about funding can expose bad behavior.
Walker includes an example from 2006. A popular blog called Wal-Marting Across America, written by “Jim and Laura,” detailed the couple’s travels in an RV and their encounters with Walmart workers who always said good things about their employer. But it was soon disclosed that Walmart was paying for the RV rental, gas and fees for writing the blog. The stunt is now a case study.
When exposed, fake grassroots is considered abhorrent, and a lesson is sent out to other conglomerates.
Grassroots for Hire is a dry academic textbook and Professor Walker is very buttoned-up in his delivery of the facts. But it’s precisely the book’s neutral voice and non-inflammatory style that makes it so valuable.
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- ConsumerSlaveReviewed in the United States on 26 January 2017
A fantastic eye opener
