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Zusatztext “Ari Rabin-Havt tells the truth! and that's something rare in Washington! D.C.” —Sen. Harry Reid! U.S. Senate Democratic Leader “After 30 years in politics! I thought I was beyond the ability to be shocked—until I read Lies! Incorporated . An important book for everyone who is angry—and an essential one for anyone who isn’t angry yet.” —Paul Begala! Democratic Strategist “This book is a must-read if you want to understand the intentional manipulation of truth that is blocking progressive change.” —Thom Hartmann! Host of The Thom Hartmann Program “A provocative! powerful expose! shining a bright! penetrating light on the role deliberate lies play in Washington policy-making.” —Nancy Altman! co-author of Social Security Works! “Required reading for anyone who wants to understand how our policy-making process has been hijacked by special interests.” —Rep. Keith Ellison! Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus “A damning jeremiad on how modern public policy can be exploited by corporate chicanery.” — Kirkus Reviews Informationen zum Autor Ari Rabin-Havt and Media Matters Klappentext A stunning investigation of the history of organized misinformation in politics. In today's post-truth political landscape, there is a carefully concealed but ever-growing industry of organized misinformation that exists to create and disseminate lies in the service of political agendas. Ari Rabin-Havt and Media Matters for America present a revelatory history of this industry-which they've dubbed Lies, Incorporated-and show how it has crippled legislative progress on issues including tobacco regulation, public health care, climate change, gun control, immigration, abortion, and same-sex marriage. Eye-opening and indispensable, Lies, Incorporated takes an unflinching look at the powerful network of politicians and special interest groups that have launched coordinated assaults on the truth to shape American politics.Chapter 1 The Birth of Lies, Incorporated: Tobacco Lies, Incorporated, was born during a meeting of the titans of the tobacco industry at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on December 15, 1953. In attendance were the presidents of American Tobacco, Benson & Hedges, Philip Morris, and U.S. Tobacco—the four largest tobacco companies at the time—as well as the CEOs of R.J. Reynolds and Brown & Williamson. Previously, the group had gathered only for social occasions, at charity events and various industry award ceremonies. This meeting had a far more serious agenda. Earlier that month, Dr. Ernst Wynder of the Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research published the findings of a study linking cigarette tar to cancer in mice. The research attracted intense media attention and put a spotlight on the health risks associated with tobacco. Widely read publications including Life magazine, The New York Times , and the Reader’s Digest (in a piece titled “Cancer by the Carton”) had already published major articles on the dangers of smoking. The looming crisis had to be dealt with, and the leading tobacco barons joined forces to fight back. At the Plaza Hotel meeting, the heads of the tobacco companies met with John Hill, founder of the legendary public relations firm Hill & Knowlton. The company had built its reputation working for chemical companies, big oil, and other heavy industries. Profit was not Hill’s only motivation. He was a committed conservative, opposed to the idea of government regulations, even of carcinogens such as tobacco. As far back as 1912, Dr. Isaac Adler suggested a link between tobacco and lung cancer in the “world’s first monograph on lung cancer,” while indicating more research was needed, as his conclusions were “not yet ready for final judgment.” In 1939, Franz Hermann Müller of Cologne Hospital published a st...
