Policy by press release
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Policy by press release refers to the act of attempting to influence public policy through press releases intended to alarm the public into demanding action from their elected officials. The practice is frowned upon, but remains effective and widely used. In modern times it appears that "dropping" the term is an equally effective way to dismiss an opponents claims, suggesting they are nothing more than fluff created to generate press buzz.
Perhaps the most common use of the term refers to an infamous period during the Eisenhower administration when "leaked" documents were a common way for the various branches of the US Military to attempt to garner funding for their pet projects when traditional chains of command failed, or actively ended them. Practically any idea, no matter how outlandish, could gain some traction by simply claiming that the Soviet Union was working on such a device.
One of the more famous cases was a claim that suggested the Soviets were working on a global-range nuclear aircraft. An article, complete with "leaked images", appeared in the December 1958 issue of Aviation Week.[1] The article described a system that was suspiciously similar to some of the designs currently under consideration by large US aviation companies. Concerns were soon expressed in Washington that the "the Russians were from three to five years ahead of the US in the field of atomic aircraft engines and that they would move even further ahead unless the US pressed forward with its own program".[2] In fact the entire article was a hoax, the aircraft appearing in the pictures was later revealed through 3rd parties to be the entirely conventional Myasishchev M-50 Bounder, which never entered production. There remains no evidence that the Soviets were even considering nuclear powered aircraft. Nevertheless the controversy managed to secure, for a time, continued funding of US efforts, culminating in the NB-36 testbed aircraft.
Another apparent case of policy by press release during this period was the famous Look article on flying saucers.[3] The article, in the 14 June 1955 edition, suggested that the recent wave of saucer reports were possibly due to an aircraft project being carried out in Canada, the Avrocar. The article included several images that appeared to be provided to them by Avro Canada, or someone in contact with them, including a description of the control system which was almost identical to the one used on the Avrocar. In the end the concept proved unfeasible, and the Avrocar project was eventually cancelled in 1961. This article nevertheless remains famous to this day, as it is often presented as a US Government misinformation campaign to deflect attention away from "real" UFO's, although to exactly what end varies.
The term is more commonly used today, especially in the U.S., in reference to environmental policy. The entire body of research into global warming or ozone depletion has been repeatedly described as policy by press release.[4][5][6]
[edit] References
- ^ Soviets Flight Testing Nuclear Bomber, Aviation Week, 1 December 1958, p. 27.
- ^ Soviet Nuclear Plane Possibility Conceded, Ford Eastman, Aviation Week, 19 January 1959, p. 29.
- ^ Is this the real Flying Saucer?, Look, Volume 19, June 1955
- ^ The Latest Ozone Scare: Policy by Press Release, Washington Times, 17 March 1992
- ^ Governor to push global warming fight - Bold policy gambits expected in bid to lower greenhouse gases, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 February 2006
- ^ Why the U.S. Should Withdraw from the Montreal Protocol, The National Center for Public Policy Research, February 1997
