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{{Show badges|Tobaccowiki}}'''Echo chamber''' is a colloquial term used to describe a group of media outlets that tend to parrot each other's uncritical reports on the views of a single source, or that otherwise relies on unquestioning repetition of official sources. In the United States, the [[Republican Party]] uses a network of [[conservative foundations]], coordinated by the [[Philanthropy Roundtable]], to support an echo chamber of [[think tanks]], [[industry-friendly experts]] and subsidized described in [[conservative media]] that systematically spread its messages throughout the political and media establishmenthttp://www.mediatransparency.org/stories/apparat. Typically, the message starts when conservative voices begin making html an allegation extensive report (e.gMarch 2004) by Jerry M., Democratic candidates are engaged in "hate-mongering" with regard to Bush)Landay for Mediatransparency. Columns start getting written on this themeorg], which spreads beyond the subsidized supporting conservative media, eventually begins appearing in places like the New York Times[[think tanks]], [[industry-friendly experts]] and becomes a talking point and "accepted fact" throughout the subsidized [[conservative media. To influence ]] that systematically spread their messages throughout the political and mediaestablishment. Typically, conservatives have also set up several organizations that serve as recruiting, training and career advancement programs for budding journaliststhe message starts when conservative voices begin making an allegation (e.g. On university campuses, Democratic candidates are engaged in "hate-mongering" with regard to Bush). Columns are written on this theme, first in conservative foundations support several networks of conservative professorsmedia (including blogs), including the [[National Association of Scholars]] and but eventually appearing in mainstream media like the ''New York Times''. This process can be used to turn an unsupported allegation or a [[Collegiate Networkpartisan]] of the [[Intercollegiate Studies Institutetalking point]], which links and provides funds to more than 70 conservative student papersinto an "accepted fact. The student papers in turn serve as conduits to the mainstream media, through organizations such as the " [[National Journalism CenterMaureen Dowd]]] that provides training, ideological indoctrination and in a job bank that helps conservative student journalists begin their careers with internships and permanent job placements at publications including the [[New http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/15/opinion/15DOWD.html?ex=1079845200&en=9608024a3e06a163&ei=5070 ''New York Times]'' column run on 15 February 2004], [[Washington Post]]described the deceptive condition as one where "the bogus stories ... ricocheted through an echo chamber of government and media, [[Wall Street Journal]]making it sound as if multiple, [[ABC]]reliable sources were corroborating the same story."  To influence the media, [[CBS]]conservatives have also set up several organizations that serve as recruiting, [[Fox News]]training and career advancement programs for budding journalists. On university campuses, conservative foundations support several networks of conservative professors, including the [[TimeNational Association of Scholars]], and the [[NewsweekCollegiate Network]], and of the [[Associated PressIntercollegiate Studies Institute]], which links and provides funds to more than 70 conservative student papers. Opinion pollsters and image makers such The student papers in turn serve as [[Frank Luntz]]conduits to the mainstream media, through organizations such as the [[Michael Deaver]], [[Ed RollinsNational Journalism Center]]that provides training, ideological indoctrination and a job bank that helps conservative student journalists begin their careers with internships and permanent job placements at publications including the [[Wirthlin WorldwideNew York Times]] and , [[Zogby InternationalWashington Post]], [[Wall Street Journal]] help develop the messages that echo in the echo chamber, by identifying hot-button “cultural” issues such as guns[[ABC]], abortion, family values and the flag that have enabled the party of privilege to position itself as the party with which lower-middle and middle-class voters identify. Relatedly[[CBS]], see [[incestuous amplificationFox News]], [[Time]], [[Newsweek]], and the [[Associated Press]] . Part of the "echo chamber" effect relies not only on repeating a given stance through Opinion pollsters and image makers such as many separate channels as possible[[Frank Luntz]], but on casting alternative sources of information [[Michael Deaver]], [[Ed Rollins]], [[Wirthlin Worldwide]] and opinion as doing [[Zogby International]] help develop the same thing messages that echo in the opposite direction. Longecho chamber, by identifying hot-standing accusations of the button "liberal-dominated mediacultural"issues such as guns, suggesting abortion, family values and the flag that have enabled the bulk party of mass media today forms some sort privilege to position itself as the party with which lower-middle and middle-class voters identify. Part of liberal the "echo chamber, denies " effect relies not only on repeating a given stance through as many separate channels as possible, but on casting alternative sources of information and opinion as doing the idea that same thing in the reverse may in fact be opposite direction. Long-standing accusations of the case. Also"liberal-dominated media", it's notable suggesting that the cultural body bulk of music is not experiencing the fresh joy mass media today forms some sort of great new songs about peace and love and anti-war which was so remarkable during liberal echo chamber, denies the idea that the quagmire of reverse may in fact be the 60'scase.  Although conservatives pioneered the "Itecho chamber" technique, they are not the only people to use it. ''s a hammer of justice; itThe Hill's a bell of freedom; it's a song about love between the brothers and the sisters, all over this landnewspaper reported that [[John Forbes Kerry: U.S.Presidential Campaign 2004|Kerry campaign]] officials [[Joe Lockhart]] and [[Laura Nichols]] asked House and Senate press secretaries " Much more diverse to schedule their bosses on television and uplifting than "Batttle Hymn of the Republic". This lack of new music isnradio so that Democrats could create an 't because the musicians are overseas in uniform. Itecho chamber's because at where the slightest peep sounding of antipro-war lyricKerry spin would create its own reality, " following the radio stations blacklist the artistsfirst 2004 presidential debate on September 30. The reason for this stems from a reduction in the diversity of radio-station and media ownership[http://thehill.com/news/09282004/debate. Whether motivated by individual politics or by a desire to stay on good terms with aspx] == Examples == * In September 2004, ''The Hill'' reported that the administration that empowered them, media moguls like [[ClearchannelJohn Forbes Kerry: U.S. Presidential Campaign 2004|Kerry campaign]] and other Democratic Party leaders viewed members of Congress as part of their "echo chamber": "[[Rupert MurdochLast week's]] are widely believed to place restrictions on meeting between Kerry officials and congressional press secretaries is the ideas expressed through sixth of the media outlets they controlyear, and it tracks with a larger effort by the House Democratic leadership to look at each individual lawmaker as a potential megaphone for the national message. == Examples == *" [[David BrockCastagnetti]], a conservative journalist the House liaison for the Kerry campaign, remarked, "We want them [[American Spectatormembers of Congress]], received $11,000 to amplify our message. We're encouraging members to host debate parties in funding from the their districts."[[John Mhttp://thehill. Olin Foundationcom/news/09282004/debate.aspx]] and the *[[Bradley FoundationDavid Brock]] to support attacks on University of Oregon law professor , a conservative journalist for the [[Anita HillAmerican Spectator]], after Hill testified before Congress that she had been sexually harassed by Supreme Court nominee received $11,000 in funding from the [[Clarence ThomasJohn M. Olin Foundation]]. Brock wrote an article attacking and the [[Bradley Foundation]] to support attacks on University of Oregon law professor [[Anita Hill and later a book]], titled ''The Real Anita after Hill''testified before Congress that she had been sexually harassed by Supreme Court nominee [[Clarence Thomas]]. He Brock wrote an article attacking Hill and later regretted writing the a book and , titled ''The Real Anita Hill''. He later regretted writing the book and wrote a mea culpa titled ''Blinded by the Right'', in which he admitted that his writers were "a witches' brew of fact, allegation, hearsay, speculation, opinion, and invective. ... I didn't know what good reporting is. Like a kid playing with a loaded gun, I didn't appreciate the difference between a substantiated charge and an unsubstantiated one.” In fact, Brock stated, "Every source I relied on either thought Thomas walked on water or had a virulent animus toward Hill. I had no access to Hill’'s supporters, and therefore no understanding of their motivations, no responses to any of their charges, and no knowledge of whatever incriminating evidence they might have gathered against Thomas that was not introduced in the hearing. ... The conspiracy theory I invented about the Thomas-Hill case could not possibly have been true, because I had absolutely no access to any of the supposed liberal conspirators. ... All of my impressions of the characters I was writing about were filtered through their conservative antagonists, all of whom I believed without question." *Brock also says that the "[[Troopergate]]" allegations against [[Bill Clinton]] were instigated by [[Peter Smith]], a conservative financier and top contributor to [[Newt Gingrich]]'s political action committee, [[GOPAC]]. Brock says he received $5,000 initially from Smith to investigate allegations (later proven baseless) that Clinton had fathered a child with an African-American prostitute in Arkansas. "I was programmed to spring to action like a trained seal," Brock recalls in his book. "Peter offered me $5,000 for my trouble, not through the ''Spectator'' but paid directly to me by check; getting by on my Anita Hill book advance, I was a whore for the cash. Although accepting a payment like this was most unusual and unethical for a journalist, in my mind it was no different from taking money from politically interested parties like the Olin and Bradley foundations." *During the 2000 elections, the media echo chamber claimed falsely that [[Democratic Party]] presidential candidate [[Al Gore]] had pretended he invented the Internet, claimed he and his wife were the role model for characters in ''Love Story'', and repeated a number of other false stories about Gore that painted him as someone with a bad habit of telling lies. *In the buildup to war in Iraq, the echo chamber repeated and the [[Bush administration]]'s claims that Iraq possessed [[weapons of mass destruction]], was tied to [[Al QuedaQaeda]], and that the people of Iraq would welcome a U.S. invasion as "liberation." *"News outlets ideologically allied with Bush have been happy to assist in confusing the public" "That half or more Americans think Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attack -- perhaps the most media-covered event in our history -- stands as '''a horrific indictment of U.S. media today. Such levels of ignorance can't be found in other countries'''." [http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1201-13.htm] *Newsweek Magazine and NBC television partnered for a week of unbalanced promotion of corporate interests. [http://www.citizen.org/congress/civjus/tort/media/] *[[talk radio]] *Major New Study on [http://www.cissm.umd.edu/documents/WMDstudy_full.pdf '''Media Coverage of Weapons of Mass Destruction'''] concludes[http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0309-12.htm], [http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000456632]: **Many stories stenographically reported the incumbent administration's perspectives on WMD, giving too little critical examination of the way officials framed the events, issues, threats and policy options. **Too few stories offered alternative perspectives to the "official line" on WMD surrounding the Iraq conflict **most journalists accepted the Bush administration linking the "war on terror" inextricably to the issue of WMD **most media outlets represented WMD as a "monolithic menace" without distinguishing between types of weapons and between possible weapons programs and the existence of actual weapons *''Knight Ridder '' (March 15, 2004) reported that "...A June 26, 2002, letter from the [[Iraqi National Congress ]] to the Senate Appropriations Committee listed 108 articles [in major English-language news outlets worldwide] based on information provided by the INC [ [[Iraqi National Congress]] ]'s Information Collection Program, a U.S.-funded effort to collect intelligence in Iraq. The assertions in the articles reinforced [[George Walker Bush|President Bush]]'s claims that [[Saddam Hussein ]] should be ousted because he was in league with [[Osama bin Laden]], was developing nuclear weapons and was hiding biological and chemical weapons. Feeding the information to the news media, as well as to selected administration officials and members of Congress, ''helped foster an impression that there were multiple sources of intelligence on Iraq's illicit weapons programs and links to bin Laden.''" [Italics added.] == SourceWatch Resources Philip Morris & the Echo Chamber Technique== *In 1998 [[media censorshipJohn Scruggs]] *, a Washington D.C. lobbyist for [[media reformPhilip Morris]] == External links == *described the "echo chamber"[http://wwwapproach to advocacy as constituting the repetition of a selected message by the most credible sources that surround a decision maker.pfaw"The more a particular view or piece of information 'echoes' or resonates through this group, the greater its impact.org/pfaw/general/defaultGrassroots efforts are so effective in modern day advocacy programs because they cause many constituents to repeat the same message to the target Member.aspx?oid=2052 Buying a Movement: Right-Wing Foundations and American Politics]Grasstops or "Influentials" campaigns work because those highest on the hierarchy scale, with the greatest degree of credibility," (Washington, DC: People for repeat the American Way, 1996)same or similar messages. Or [http://wwwYou will note that the echo chamber effect can work in two different ways.pfaw First, the same message can reverberate among multiple sources toward the target Members.org/pfaw/dfiles/file_33.pdf download a PDF version] of For example, the same information from polling data captured in a single poll can be repeated by the full reportmedia, congressional colleagues, lobbyists and advertising. *Dan MorganSecond, "[http://wwwsimilar but complementary messages can be repeated by a single source...washingtonpostEither the repetition or "piling on" approach provide the same result: enhanced credibility and influence of the essential message," he explained.com[http:/ac2/wp-dynlegacy.library.ucsf.edu/A46598-2000Jan28 Think Tanks: Corporations' Quiet Weapontid/xiz37c00]," Washington Post, January 29, 2000, p. A1.  == SourceWatch Resources ==*Jeff Gerth and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, [http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/05/science/05LOBB.html "Drug Industry Has Ties to Groups With Many Different Voices"], New York Times, October 5, 2000. [incestuous amplification]]*[[Iraqi National Congress]]*Robert Kuttner, "[http[media censorship]]*[[media reform]]*[[The U Network]]*[[John Forbes Kerry://wwwU.prospectS.org/print/V13/13/kuttner-r.html Philanthropy and MovementsPresidential Campaign 2004]]," The American Prospect, July 2, 2002. *Curtis Moore, "[http[Banana Republicans://wwwThe Echo Chamber]] == References ==* [[Stephen Halper]] & [[Jonathan Clarke]].sierraclub2004.org/sierra/200207/thinktank_printable.asp Rethinking ''[[America Alone; The Neo-Conservatives and the Think TanksGlobal Order]]," Sierra Magazine, July/August 2002''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 194-196.  == External links ==*Robert WJohn Scruggs, "[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/xiz37c00 The "Echo Chamber" Approach to Advocacy]", Philip Morris, Bates No. 2078707451/7452, December 18, 1998. Hahn, "[http://www.policyreview.org/OCT02/hahn.html The False Promise of 'Full Disclosure'*Hans Nichols, "[http://thehill.com/news/09282004/debate.aspx Dem lawmakers primed for big post-debate spin: Kerry seeks to avoid mistake that hurt Al Gore in 2000]," ''The Hill'', September 28, 2004.*[http://www.ncrp.org/Releases/PR-03-12-2004.htm National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy](NCRP) "has issued a new report on the grantmaking of politically conservative foundations, revisiting the analysis and conclusions reached in NCRP's seminal report on conservative philanthropy in 1997. The new report greatly expands on the 1997 research, looking at 79 conservative foundations and their grants to 350 archconservative policy nonprofit organizations between 1999 and 2001."*The [[Hudson Institute]]'s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal [http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=hudson_upcoming_events&id=162 wonder if they "got it, well, Right"].*"[http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=2052 Buying a Movement: Right-Wing Foundations and American Politics]," (Washington, DC: People for the American Way, 1996). Or [http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/dfiles/file_33.pdf download a PDF version] of the full report.*Dan Morgan, "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A46598-2000Jan28 Think Tanks: Corporations' Quiet Weapon]," Washington Post, January 29, 2000, p. A1.*[http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat/National+Reporting Jeff Gerth] and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, [http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/05/science/05LOBB.html "Drug Industry Has Ties to Groups With Many Different Voices"], New York Times, October 5, 2000.*Robert Kuttner, "[http://www.prospect.org/print/V13/13/kuttner-r.html Philanthropy and Movements]," The American Prospect, July 2, 2002.*Curtis Moore, "[http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200207/thinktank_printable.asp Rethinking the Think Tanks]," Sierra Magazine, July/August 2002.*Robert W. Hahn, "[http://www.policyreview.org/OCT02/hahn.html The False Promise of 'Full Disclosure']," [[Policy Review]], [[Hoover Institution]]," Policy Review, Hoover Institution, October 2002. *[http://www.mediatransparency.org Media Transparency] provides descriptive summaries of many groups and individuals associated with the right, plus a database of conservative grants and foundations. *David Brock, ''Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative'' (New York, NY: Three Rivers Press, 2002). *Jeff Chester, [http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20031222&s=chester "A Present for Murdoch"], ''The Nation'', December 2003: "From 1999 to 2002, his company spent almost $10 million on its lobbying operations. It has already poured $200,000 in contributions into the 2004 election, having donated nearly $1.8 million during the 2000 and 2002 campaigns." *[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3541 Jim Lobe for ''Asia Times'']: "the structure's most remarkable characteristics are how few people it includes and how adept they have been in creating new institutions and front groups that act as a vast echo chamber for one another and for the media" *Valdis Krebs, "[http://www.orgnet.com/divided.html Divided We Stand]," Political Echo Chambers