The Open Access Movement Must Be Doing Something Right…
February 2, 2007 by FredFrom the Washington Post:
…Dezenhall told the association’s professional and scholarly publishing division, he could help — in part by simplifying the industry’s message to a few key phrases that even a busy senator could grasp.
Phrases like: “Public access equals government censorship,” and “government [is] seeking to nationalize science and be a publisher.”
The publishers liked what they heard. “Eric helped us see the issues in a few high-concept messages,” one member summarized in an enthusiastic follow-up to the meeting.
Dezenhall is a famous PR hit man who has been hired by companies like Exxon and Enron to help clean up their deservedly tarnished public images. The memos also apparently indicate that Dezenhall considered the argument for federally mandated open access to be “airtight.”
When the foes of free culture have to start launching expensive (Dezenall’s rate is a palty $300,000-$500,000 for half a year) PR campaigns to lie to the public, you have to feel that we must be doing something right, no?
