WELCOME TO THE WEEKLY RADIO SPIN, A LOOK AT THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE CENTER FOR MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY. I’M JUDITH SIERS-POISSON. AND I’M DIANE FARSETTA. IN OUR TOP SPIN, WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CLOSE AT HAND, CONCERNS ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION AND ACCURATE VOTE COUNTS ARE GROWING. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY’S CENTER FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY POLICY RELEASED A REPORT THAT FOUND IT’S EASY TO MANIPULATE ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES IN NEW JERSEY. THE REPORT STATES (QUOTE), "IT TAKES ABOUT 7 MINUTES, USING SIMPLE TOOLS, TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER PROGRAM IN THE A-V-C ADVANTAGE WITH A FRAUDULENT PROGRAM THAT CHEATS.” (END QUOTE) THE REPORT WAS COMPLETED IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. BUT A COURT ORDER KEPT THE AUTHORS FROM PUBLISHING IT, UNTIL JUST BEFORE THE ELECTION. PRINCETON’S LOCAL ELECTIONS BOARD ALSO DENIED A REQUEST BY CENTER FELLOWS TO OBSERVE POLL WORKERS, CLAIMING THAT THE ELECTION IS "TOO IMPORTANT" TO ALLOW EXTRA PEOPLE IN THE POLLING PLACE. (JUDITH) HOW POWERFUL IS BIG TOBACCO? A BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL STUDY FOUND THAT IN THE EARLY 1990S, THE GERMAN AIRLINE LUFTHANSA WANTED TO BAN SMOKING ON DOMESTIC FLIGHTS. THE GERMAN TOBACCO INDUSTRY DISAGREED, AND DELAYED THE BAN FOR SEVEN YEARS. THE STUDY AUTHORS ALSO FOUND THAT GERMAN TOBACCO COMPANIES WORKED TO KEEP CIGARETTE VENDING MACHINES ACCESSIBLE TO CHILDREN, TO STOP HIGHER TAXES ON CIGARETTES, TO BLOCK A BAN ON TOBACCO ADVERTISING, AND TO RECRUIT DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS TO SERVE AS "EXPERT WITNESSES" TO TESTIFY AGAINST THE HEALTH DANGERS OF TOBACCO. (DIANE) THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS TWO FOR TWO, AND THAT’S NOT A GOOD THING. THE U-K’S FIRST PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON NUCLEAR ENERGY, UNDER FORMER PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR, WAS RULED A “SHAM” BY THE HIGH COURT. NOW, ITS SECOND CONSULTATION HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR USING MATERIAL THAT WAS (QUOTE) "INACCURATELY OR MISLEADINGLY PRESENTED." (END QUOTE) GREENPEACE CHARGED THAT THE POLLING FIRM RUNNING THE CONSULTATION DESIGNED MATERIALS THAT LED PARTICIPANTS TO SUPPORT NUCLEAR POWER. BRITAIN'S MARKET RESEARCH STANDARDS BOARD AGREED WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP. CURRENT PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN SUPPORTS BUILDING NEW NUCLEAR PLANTS. HIS PERSONAL POLLSTER USED TO CO-CHAIR THE FIRM THAT RAN THE SECOND CONSULTATION. BUT, THE BROWN GOVERNMENT SAYS THE CRITICISM WON'T AFFECT ITS NUCLEAR PLANS. A SPOKESMAN STATED, (QUOTE) "THE OUTCOME OF THE CONSULTATION STANDS, WHATEVER THE VIEW OF THE MARKET RESEARCH STANDARDS BOARD." (END QUOTE) (JUDITH) YOU MAY REMEMBER JUDITH MILLER, THE FORMER NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER. SHE SPENT MORE THAN TWO MONTHS IN JAIL BEAUSE SHE REFUSED TO TESTIFY ABOUT HER CONVERSATIONS WITH DICK CHENEY'S CHIEF OF STAFF, SCOOTER LIBBY, ABOUT THE OUTING OF C-I-A OPERATIVE VALERIE PLAME WILSON. LIBBY HAS SINCE BEEN CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO THIRTY MONTHS IN PRISON. NOW, MILLER HAS A NEW JOB –AS A CONTRIBUTOR TO FOX NEWS. HER WORK WILL FOCUS ON NATIONAL SECURITY, TERRORISM, AND GENERAL INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. A FOX NEWS EXECUTIVE EXPLAINED THE DECISION TO HIRE MILLER THIS WAY. (QUOTE), "WE'VE ALL HAD STORIES THAT DIDN'T COME OUT EXACTLY AS WE HAD HOPED. ... SHE HAS EXPLAINED HERSELF AND SHE HAS NOTHING TO APOLOGIZE FOR." (END QUOTE) BETWEEN THE NEW YORK TIMES AND HER NEW POST AT FOX NEWS, MILLER WORKED WITH THE RIGHT-WING MANHATTAN INSTITUTE THINK TANK, WHICH WAS FOUNDED BY A FORMER HEAD OF THE C-I-A. (DIANE) AND NOW IT’S TIME TO PLAY “SIX DEGREES OF SPIN AND FAKIN’,” OUR LOOK AT THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MEDIA MANIPULATORS. EARLIER, WE MENTIONED DICK CHENEY’S FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF, LEWIS “SCOOTER” LIBBY. AFTER GRADUATING FROM LAW SCHOOL, LIBBY WORKED AS A LAWYER IN PHILADELPHIA. HE THEN WAS OFFERED A POSITION AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT BY HIS OLD POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR AT YALE, PAUL WOLFOWITZ. WOLFOWITZ WAS MOST RECENTLY THE HEAD OF THE WORLD BANK. HE’S ALSO SERVED AS DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY. WOLFOWITZ IS CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ, AND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL NEOCONSERVATIVES. LIBBY LATER WORKED FOR WOLFOWITZ, AT THE PENTAGON. IN 2001, LIBBY WENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE, WHERE HIS TITLES INCLUDED ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT, CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE VICE PRESIDENT, AND NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS ADVISER TO THE VICE PRESIDENT. BEFORE HIS FALL IN 2005, LIBBY WAS SEEN AS A POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR TO NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR CONDOLEEZZA RICE. DESPITE BEING DISGRACED PUBLICLY AND CONVICTED OF CRIMINAL CHARGES, LIBBY WAS NAMED A SENIOR ADVISOR BY THE RIGHT-WING HUDSON INSTITUTE THINK TANK IN 2006. THAT’S THIS WEEK’S EDITION OF THE WEEKLY RADIO SPIN. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE CENTER FOR MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY’S WEBSITE, AT WWW-DOT-P-R-WATCH-DOT-ORG.