President-elect Barack Obama said Wednesday that overhauling Social Security and Medicare would be “a central part” of his administration’s efforts to contain federal spending, signaling for the first time that he would wade into the thorny politics of entitlement programs.

Not surprisingly, Palestinians have taken to resisting their fate under the Israeli occupation. Since 2002, this resistance has taken as its central target the wall. For Palestinians, it is the wall that is the most tangible symbol of their condition. It is the element that communicates so prominently what they endure in terms of land confiscation, home demolition, crop destruction, and ex-communication of their communities. As the wall was first being built in 2002, local committees emerged in various Palestinian towns where the barrier was being constructed. The first widespread resistance to the wall occurred in the village of Jayyous, where the route of the wall separated 80% of the town's farmland from the farmers who owned and tilled this land. In order to get to their fields, farmers were forced to submit to a permit regime at a gate in the wall, which was open only one hour per day. Despite the presence of Israelis and people from numerous countries, demonstrations in Jayyous were unable to prevent the construction of the wall and confiscation of their farms. Nevertheless, the resistance in Jayyous inspired many other cities. One such campaign occurred in the village of Budrus, about 30 kilometers west of Ramallah. In Budrus, the route of the wall was poised to separate the village from roughly 3,000 dunams of its land. Under the leadership of a very creative local committee against the wall, chaired by a fellow named Ayed Morrar, the townspeople developed a campaign of peaceful demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience against the wall. In these actions, young women from the town played a heroic role. Their aim was not only to protest peacefully. On several occasions, these women actually jumped into bulldozers in an effort to disrupt the construction of the barrier. As a result, the town lost only a few dunams of land, instead of the proposed 3,000. Undoubtedly, the most important of these other resistance campaigns against the wall is the campaign organized by the village of Bil'in. In this campaign, however, Bil'in confronts an enormously formidable adversary not present in Budrus. What you see on the map is how the largest settlement bloc in the West Bank, Modi'in Illit, is encroaching onto land owned by various nearby towns, including Bil'in.

pspan class=inline leftimg src=http://www.prwatch.org/files/images/smoking.img_assist_custom.jpg alt= title= class=image img_assist_custom width=141 height=97 //spanMany of the of the a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=tobacco_industry title=reference on tobacco industry target=_selftobacco industry/a's underhanded strategies and tactics have been exposed, thanks to landmark legal cases and the hard work of public health advocates. But we are still uncovering the shocking lengths to which the industry has gone to protect itself from public health measures like smoking bans. Now we can thank the city of Pueblo, Colorado for an opportunity to look a little bit deeper into how the industry managed the deadly deceptions around a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=secondhand_smoke title=reference on secondhand smoke target=_selfsecondhand smoke/a. /p pA new a href=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5isVjqLbvrd8KOzD5ti4kFqnze4GgD95DSUMG0 title=reference on study target=_blankstudy/a, now the ninth of its type and the most comprehensive one yet, has shown a major reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks after a smoke-free law was put into effect./p pOn July 1, 2003 the relatively isolated city of a href=http://www.pueblo.us/ title=reference on Pueblo, Colorado target=_blankPueblo, Colorado/a enacted an ordinance that prohibited smoking in workplaces and indoor public areas, including bars and restaurants. For the study, researchers reviewed hospital admissions for heart attacks among area residents for one year prior to, and three years after the ban, and compared the data to two other nearby areas that didn't have bans (the part of Pueblo County outside city limits, and El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs). Researchers found that during the three years after the ban, stronghospital admissions for heart attacks dropped 41 percent/strong inside the city of Pueblo, but found no significant change in admissions for heart attacks in the other two control areas. /p pEight studies done prior to this one in other locales used similar techniques and yielded similar results, but covered shorter periods of time -- usually about one year after the smoking ban went into effect. The results of this longer, more comprehensive study support the view that not only does a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=secondhand_smoke title=reference on secondhand smoke target=_selfsecondhand smoke/a have a significant short-term impact on heart function, but that lives, and money, are probably being saved by new laws a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_smoking_bans title=reference on proliferating around the world target=_blankproliferating around the world/a in recent years that minimize public exposure to secondhand smoke./p br class=clear /pa href=http://www.prwatch.org/node/8115read more/a/p

pThe Chicago-based ad firm a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Leo_Burnett title=reference on Leo Burnett target=_selfLeo Burnett/a has agreed to pay $15.5 million to settle charges that it a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Overbilling title=reference on over-billed target=_selfover-billed/a the a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=U.S._Army title=reference on U.S. Army target=_selfU.S. Army/a for work on its 'Army of One' campaign, while still claiming that it believes the government's claims are without merit. Leo Burnett is charged with inflating its expenses on the Army account, by billing for work done by its Internet division as if the division were an independent subcontractor, and by excluding lower cost smaller subcontractors [when] proposing, negotiating and billing its hourly rate in 2000 and 2001. Details of the over-billing were provided by two former Leo Burnett employees who became a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=whistleblowers title=reference on whistleblowers target=_selfwhistleblowers/a and filed suit against the firm in 2004. Leo Burnett worked on the lucrative account for five years, attempting to craft a campaign that would help stop shortfalls in the Army's recruiting and retention targets, which were being hampered by the Iraq war. Leo Burnett is part of the a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Publicis_Groupe title=reference on Publicis Groupe target=_selfPublicis Groupe/a communications giant; a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Interpublic_Group title=reference on Interpublic Group target=_selfInterpublic Group/a's McCann-Erickson now has the Army contract. This isn't the first time a Madison avenue firm has become embroiled in an over-billing scandal, notes the iWall Street Journal/i. In 2002, a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=WPP title=reference on WPP target=_selfWPP/a's a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ogilvy_%26_Mather title=reference on Ogilvy amp; Mather target=_selfOgilvy amp; Mather/a paid $1.8 million to settle charges that it had over-billed the White House a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Office_of_National_Drug_Control_Policy title=reference on Office of National Drug Control Policy target=_selfOffice of National Drug Control Policy/a./p br class=clear /

After the withdrawal, Israel hoped the steel wall along the Rafah border and its oversight of the crossing point into Egypt would ensure that nothing went in or out without its approval. However, a small private industry of tunneling under the wall quickly burgeoned, becoming a lifeline for ordinary Gazans and a route for smuggling in weapons for Hamas. Egypt had little choice but to turn a blind eye, despite being profoundly uncomfortable with an Islamic party ruling next door. It faces its own domestic pressures over the humanitarian catastrophe that has been visibly created in Gaza. Israel believes the current invasion will have achieved nothing unless this time it regains absolute control of the Rafah border, undercutting Hamas's claims to be running the Strip. The "mechanism" therefore requires that technical responsibility be lifted from Egyptian shoulders. According to the Israeli plan, it will pass to the Americans, whose expertise will be called on to stop the tunneling and prevent Hamas from rebuilding its arsenal after the invasion comes to an end. Israel may additionally seek the involvement of international forces to diffuse the censure the Arab publics are likely to direct at Egypt as a result.

A diverse group of Jewish Canadian women are currently occupying the Israeli consulate at 180 Bloor Street West in Toronto. This action is in protest against the ongoing Israeli assault on the people of Gaza. . . . The group includes: Judy Rebick, professor; Judith Deutsch, psychoanalyst and president of Science for Peace; B.H. Yael, filmmaker; Smadar Carmon, an Canadian Israeli peace activist and others.

pspan class=inline rightimg src=http://www.prwatch.org/files/images/Climate_change.png alt= title= class=image thumbnail height=80 width=80 //spanReporter Dave Maza looks at a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Arthur_B._Robinson title=reference on Arthur B. Robinson target=_selfArthur B. Robinson/a of the a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Oregon_Institute_of_Science_and_Medicine title=reference on Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine target=_selfOregon Institute of Science and Medicine/a, a man long in the vanguard of a a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Global_warming_skeptics title=reference on small but vocal and persistent collection target=_selfsmall but vocal and persistent collection/a of scientists, industry advocates and commentators who dismiss human culpability for a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=climate_change title=reference on climate change target=_selfclimate change/a. ... Robinson's critics say his analysis is simplistic, but it remains persuasive a decade later with powerful policymakers like U.S. Senator a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=James_Inhofe title=reference on James Inhofe target=_selfJames Inhofe/a (R-Okla.), a visible and effective player in blocking a bill to limit greenhouse-gas emissions last fall. 'The influence Robinson and the others have is to muddy the waters and delay action on global warming,' says a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sheldon_Rampton title=reference on Sheldon Rampton target=_selfSheldon Rampton/a, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy, a nonprofit organization that promotes media literacy. 'I thought he was thoroughly discredited years ago,' Rampton says. 'But the global-warming skeptics certainly haven’t given up. And they seem willing to promote anyone who can be half-plausibly sold as an expert.' Robinson's views have been cited on a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fox_News title=reference on Fox News target=_selfFox News/a, MSNBC and other national newscasts, such as ema href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Exposed:_The_Climate_of_Fear title=reference on Exposed: The Climate of Fear target=_selfExposed: The Climate of Fear/a/em, an hourlong special report in 2007 by CNN Headline News' a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Glenn_Beck title=reference on Glenn Beck target=_selfGlenn Beck/a. The report relied heavily on Robinson's findings to attack former Vice President a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Al_Gore title=reference on Al Gore target=_selfAl Gore/a's a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=An_Inconvenient_Truth title=reference on An Inconvenient Truth target=_selfAn Inconvenient Truth/a./p br class=clear /

The Obama administration and Congress must decide what to do about re-authorization of the school accountability provisions of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), now two years overdue. This new EPI Policy Memo analyzes the failures of NCLB's accountability rules, and sketches out new directions that could renew a commitment to accountability in a way that avoids NCLB's distortion of American public education.div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=Z2oXo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=Z2oXo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=hPAyo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=hPAyo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=6TEnO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=6TEnO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=jBa6o"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=jBa6o" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=2SASO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=2SASO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=RMkFO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=RMkFO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=xdcZO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=xdcZO" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/epi/~4/490031395" height="1" width="1"/

This week's Snapshot shows how allowing the U.S. auto industry to go bankrupt would cost jobs in every single state.div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=nMWvo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=nMWvo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=1M7to"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=1M7to" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=oLzyO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=oLzyO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=mlx6o"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=mlx6o" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=b9aOO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=b9aOO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=tLjFO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=tLjFO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=Ub6jO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=Ub6jO" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/epi/~4/487612058" height="1" width="1"/

This week's Snapshot looks at new data that show how startlingly fast the gap has grown in this recession between the number of people out of work and looking and the number of available jobs.div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=XgD6o"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=XgD6o" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=Ad0so"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=Ad0so" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=WiG9O"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=WiG9O" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=gRZ4o"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=gRZ4o" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=RoVeO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=RoVeO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=BdhPO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=BdhPO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=YOg9O"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=YOg9O" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/epi/~4/480706850" height="1" width="1"/

EPI's vice president Ross Eisenbrey stated today that, "The auto rescue announcement is good news. Failure to provide the bridge loan would have cratered the economy, which is already in a deep hole. The Big 3 automakers and the United Auto Workers have a tough road ahead, but with support from the Obama administration, they -- and the communities they operate in -- can survive and prosper." EPI detailed the economic consequences of an auto industry failure in When Giants Fall, by EPI economist Robert Scott.div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=G8EKo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=G8EKo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=cQCoo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=cQCoo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=ogOYO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=ogOYO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=pPg0o"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=pPg0o" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=z2PoO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=z2PoO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=g8TpO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=g8TpO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=B82KO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=B82KO" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/epi/~4/474120430" height="1" width="1"/

The economy is undeniably in dire straits and needs help. EPI outlines a comprehensive rescue plan for these times -- one that can get Main Streeters on their feet and back to work, thus easing the impact of recession and helping to get the economy back on solid ground. Read the EPI Policy Memo requested by the Obama transition team, A Rescue Plan for Main Street, for the full details.div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=bDH8m"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=bDH8m" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=AmF7m"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=AmF7m" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=GeWiM"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=GeWiM" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=SuPOm"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=SuPOm" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=TbdJM"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=TbdJM" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=3HrxM"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=3HrxM" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?a=oUDcM"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/epi?i=oUDcM" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/epi/~4/433881609" height="1" width="1"/

National March on Washington, Saturday, January 10, Assemble at the White House (north side) at 1:00 PM

There are two kinds of seats at President-elect Obama's table: one for the rich, another for the common people. First, the rich. As of Jan. 6, 2009, Obama's Presidential Inaugural Committee had solicited and received more than $27 million, not even counting contributions of less than $200. Nearly $18 million comes from fewer than 400 persons donating the maximum of $50,000.

"SEIU has evolved into a dictatorship in which Andy Stern and others have consolidated power and decision-making authority and resources among a few." -- Sal Rosselli, president of SEIU's United Healthcare Workers-West, San Francisco Chronicle, January 3, 2009

Like much of the world, we have spent the last week watching in shock and disgust as Israel continues its assault on the Gaza Strip. With the body count rising and a new tragedy in full bloom, we feel that it is important to speak out as Jewish youth in Canada and to denounce what Israel is doing in our name. . . . Ours is a generation that is committed to ending Middle-East violence by opposing all forms of discrimination, calling for a just peace within the entire region, and condemning Zionism to the dustbin of history.

pThe industry-funded former civil rights group a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Congress_of_Racial_Equality title=reference on Congress of Racial Equality target=_selfCongress of Racial Equality/a (CORE) continues to bash environmentalists, to the benefit of the energy industry. In July 2008, CORE, the conservative a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=High_Impact_Leadership_Coalition title=reference on High Impact Leadership Coalition target=_selfHigh Impact Leadership Coalition/a (HILC) and the pro-drilling a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=front_group title=reference on front group target=_selffront group/a a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Americans_for_American_Energy title=reference on Americans for American Energy target=_selfAmericans for American Energy/a pushed for increased domestic oil and gas production, under the banner a href=http://www.prwatch.org/node/7579 title=reference on stop the war on the poor target=_selfstop the war on the poor/a. Now, CORE and HILC have a campaign called don't freeze us out, which supports a a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bush_administration title=reference on Bush administration target=_selfBush administration/a auction in Utah of oil and gas leases, some near national parks. Environmentalists, including a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_Redford title=reference on Robert Redford target=_selfRobert Redford/a, are urging President-elect a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Barack_Obama title=reference on Barack Obama target=_selfBarack Obama/a to overturn the already-completed auction. CORE's a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Niger_Innis title=reference on Niger Innis target=_selfNiger Innis/a vowed, We are not going to stand by as Robert Redford tries to slow the flow of home heating fuel from the Rockies and drive up home heating prices to millions of Americans in his lust for environmental headlines. Innis also recently appeared at a press conference in Washington ... in support of the Americans for American Energy Act sponsored by Rep. a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rob_Bishop title=reference on Rob Bishop target=_selfRob Bishop/a, R-Utah. CORE has received funding from a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ExxonMobil title=reference on ExxonMobil target=_selfExxonMobil/a./p br class=clear /

But while Israel's PR machine cranked its Mighty Wurlitzer to full blast, drowning out all opposing voices with its droning sound, a surprisingly substantial portion of the American public decided to dance to its own tune. According to a December 31 Rasmussen poll (so far the only measure of US opinion on the Gaza assault), while Americans remained overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, they were split almost evenly on the question of whether Israel should attack Gaza -- 44% in favor of the assault and 41% against it. The internals are even more remarkable. While Republicans supported the assault on Gaza by a large margin, a predictable finding, only 31% of Democrats did. Members of the Democratic base thus stood in sharp contrast to most of their elected representatives (freshman Rep. Donna Edwards is a notable exception), who backed the latest Israeli assault in lockstep, and seem to support Israel no matter what it does. The rift between the progressive base and the party played out on Barack Obama's Change.gov site, which was deluged in recent days with demands for a statement condemning Israel's assault on Gaza. So what accounts for the surprising trend in American opinion on Gaza?

pTo gain greater international support for Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Foreign Minister (and candidate for Prime Minister) Tzipi Livni directed the Foreign Ministry to lead a href=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050402.html title=reference on an aggressive and diplomatic international public relations campaign target=_blankan aggressive and diplomatic international public relations campaign/a. In addition to meetings with foreign officials and interviews with international media, Israeli officials are posting videos a href=http://www.youtube.com/user/idfnadesk title=reference on to YouTube target=_blankto YouTube/a and a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/weekinreview/04cohen.html title=reference on conducting press conferences target=_blankconducting press conferences/a via the microblogging site a href=http://twitter.com/israelconsulate title=reference on Twitter target=_blankTwitter/a. The Israeli military described one of its YouTube videos as a bomb attack on a Hamas truck carrying dozens of Grad rockets. Yet human rights groups say the truck belonged to a local resident, who was moving equipment out of his workshop, after the house next to it was bombed. Ahmed Samur, the person who says the bombed vehicle was his, told emHaaretz/em, These were not Hamas [who were killed], they were our children. a href=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7809371.stm title=reference on BBC News target=_blankBBC News/a writes that the incident shows how an apparently definitive piece of video can turn into something much more doubtful. Doubts have also been raised about the Israeli Foreign Ministry's a href=http://wisconsinpeaceandjustice.blogspot.com/2009/01/steve-burns-adventures-in-obfuscation.html title=reference on changing graph of the number of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel target=_blankchanging graph of the number of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel/a. Still, according to the BBC, Israel appears to think its [PR] efforts are working, to justify the air attacks and show that there is no humanitarian calamity in Gaza./p br class=clear /

pWhen television stations take the 'quick and dirty' route to health news coverage by airing sponsored videos produced by public relations firms or other companies, it's a real problem, writes journalism professor Gary Schwitzer. For example, Ivanhoe Broadcast News (which was mentioned in the Center for Media and Democracy's a href=http://www.prwatch.org/fakenews/intro title=reference on Fake TV News target=_selfFake TV News/a report) puts out single source stories with one spokesman from one institution touting one idea, complete with PR contacts. Yet, the a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Radio-Television_News_Directors_Association_and_Foundation title=reference on Radio-Television News Directors Association target=_selfRadio-Television News Directors Association/a (RTNDA) -- which is supposed to set standards of newsgathering -- recently partnered with Ivanhoe. RTNDA's foundation is offering a href=http://www.rtnda.org/pages/posts/rtndf-and-ivanhoe-announce-new-health-reporting-internships-and-fellowships255.php title=reference on two new training opportunities for journalists target=_blanktwo new training opportunities for journalists/a: a three-month internship providing professional training in health reporting at Ivanhoe headquarters, and a two-week fellowship to travel to the Ivanhoe headquarters to focus on health and medical reporting. Schwitzer asks, Why doesn't RTNDA partner with the NIH Medicine in the Media workshop or the MIT Science Journalism Fellowships or with the Association of Health Care Journalists or with [the University of Minnesota's] HealthNewsReview.org project? RTNDA has sided with the a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Public_Relations_Society_of_America title=reference on Public Relations Society of America target=_selfPublic Relations Society of America/a, in a href=http://www.prwatch.org/node/3667 title=reference on opposing target=_selfopposing/a a href=http://www.prwatch.org/node/6647 title=reference on attempts target=_selfattempts/a to ensure that a href=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=video_news_releases title=reference on video news releases target=_selfvideo news releases/a are disclosed to news viewers./p br class=clear /