All science & democracy resources
Video
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Chris Borland: From NFL Star to Science Champion
Chris Borland had a brilliant pro football career in front of him. An All-American in college, he led the 49ers in tackles as a rookie—then suddenly quit the sport for good. What went wrong?
Case Study
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BP and Other Companies Exploited a Regulatory Agency to Continue Negligent Offshore Drilling
The fossil fuel industry’s problematic dealings with a weak regulatory agency were a factor in the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Case Study
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How the NRA Suppressed Gun Violence Research
The NRA used its influence over a Congressman to codify language preventing the CDC from funding research into gun violence, which kills and injures tens of thousands of people in the US each year.
Case Study
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Pfizer Pressured the FDA to Downplay the Risks of Its Arsenical Animal Drug
After an FDA study revealed that chickens treated with Pfizer’s drug, Roxarsone, had dangerously high levels of arsenic in their bodies, the company colluded with the agency to downplay the risks in its communications.
Activist Resource
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Stopping the Disinformation Playbook
Too often, companies use the Disinformation Playbook to make public policy work for them, instead of for all of us. But the Playbook is not unstoppable—and it's time to push back.
Case Study
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The Case of ExxonMobil and the American Geophysical Union
Despite decades of deception on the climate risks of fossil fuel extraction, ExxonMobil for years sponsored the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, one of the nation’s most prominent scientific associations.
Case Study
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Philip Morris Funds University Research—with Strings Attached
Philip Morris funded university research programs, sometimes with contracts that breach university ethics requirements, as part of a concerted public relations and marketing strategy to improve tobacco’s tarnished image.
Case Study
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The Fossil Fuel Industry Hid the Truth about Its Funding of Fracking Research
The Marcellus Shale Coalition, a fossil fuel trade association, has tried to use the reputation and credibility of universities and its scientists to promote natural gas
Case Study
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How the American Chemistry Council Sowed Uncertainty about Formaldehyde Risks
The American Chemistry Council worked for decades to downplay formaldehyde risks and to delay and obstruct standards proposed by the EPA.
Case Study
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The Indoor Tanning Association Used Misleading Ad Campaigns to Distort Skin Cancer Science
Trade associations representing indoor tanning salon owners have repeatedly made misleading representations in their advertising and marketing, downplaying evidence of the link between tanning bed exposure and melanoma.
Case Study
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Corn Refiners Association Used Front Groups to Spread Disinformation about Sugar and Health
The sugar industry quietly funded public relations firms and front groups to sow disinformation about the health effects of added sugar.
Case Study
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GlaxoSmithKline Tried to Silence the Scientist Who Exposed the Dangers of its Drug Avandia
When Dr. John Buse found that a diabetes drug had the side effect of higher risk of heart disease, GlaxoSmithKline officials threatened his integrity and career.