Ep 203: Ideological Shaping of the Possible Part II: How Corporate Think Tanks Function as Influence Laundromats
Jun 5, 2024
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Susan Rice discusses the influence of corporate-funded think tanks on US media and Democratic policymaking, exposing their ties to business interests. The podcast explores the power of these think tanks in shaping public opinion and policy, highlighting their questionable funding sources like weapons contractors and pharmaceutical companies. It also uncovers the hypocrisy of centrist Astroturf groups and the impact of biased expert opinions influenced by government and market interests.
Corporate-funded think tanks shape policies in DC by promoting donor agendas.
Think tanks like CNAS and CSIS influence media narratives and policy decisions.
Donor influence on think tanks blurs lines, serving corporate agendas under neutrality guise.
Deep dives
Corporate Influence in Think Tanks and Media
Corporate-funded think tanks, such as the Center for American Progress and the Progressive Policy Institute, play a significant role in shaping policies and narratives in Washington, DC. These think tanks receive substantial funding from corporate interests, including weapons contractors, pharma companies, and oil giants. Despite positioning themselves as neutral institutions, their policy recommendations often align closely with the agenda of their donors, influencing everything from healthcare to foreign policy.
The Influence of Corporate Lobbying on Policy Decisions
Think tanks like CNAS and CSIS, funded by major corporations and weapons manufacturers, exert significant influence on media narratives and policy decisions. These think tanks, backed by donors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and ExxonMobil, push for policies that benefit their corporate sponsors, from advocating for military contracts to shaping foreign policy directives. Their role in media discourse and policy-making highlights the impact of corporate lobbying on shaping public perception and political agendas.
Plausible Deniability and Donor Influence
Donor influence on think tanks leads to a nuanced approach to influencing policy while maintaining plausible deniability. Organizations like PPI and CNAS receive substantial funding from corporate interests, affecting their policy stances. The psychological aspect of denying direct influence allows these think tanks to operate within a grey area, serving corporate agendas under the guise of neutrality. The interplay between donors, think tanks, and media reveals how corporate interests shape policy narratives and public discourse.
Influence of Think Tanks on Policy Making
Think tanks play a significant role in shaping policies by acting as communication tools for corporations willing to invest in them, drawing a direct line between the think tanks and the policies promoted. The podcast highlights how these institutions, despite claiming neutrality, often align with policies favored by their funders to protect corporate interests, particularly evident in the pharmaceutical industry's involvement in healthcare policy. The narrative stresses the importance of recognizing the funding sources of think tanks to unveil potential biases and hidden agendas that influence policy decisions.
Challenges of Achieving Journalistic Transparency and Independence
The podcast discusses the challenges of ensuring journalistic transparency and independence, particularly in relation to reporting on experts affiliated with think tanks and industries. It points out the lack of disclosure requirements in media, allowing think tanks funded by corporate interests to promote their agendas under academic facades. The discussion emphasizes the need for journalists to press experts on industry ties in real-time and calls for a shift towards clearer disclosure laws to enhance media integrity and prevent undue influence from shaping public discourse.
"Susan Rice examines U.S. foreign policy strategy with The Post's David Ignatius," read the title of a 2016 Washington Post Live conversation. "Key player in war on climate change? The Pentagon," CNN insisted in 2020. "Democrats Need To Learn How To Get Excited About the Center-Left," The Messenger proclaimed in 2023.
These posts were all facilitated, sponsored, or authored by a member of a Democratic-aligned, corporate U.S. think tank. Whether the Center for American Progress, Center for a New American Security, Center for Strategic and International Studies, or any other Washington, DC-based "Center" with a capital C, center-right to center-left think tanks are ubiquitous in major American media and in Democratic policymaking.
This might seem unremarkable, even beneficial. Think tanks, after all, purport to be empirical institutions, designed to craft research-based policy proposals. But, given the prevalence of corporate funding in the DC think-tank world, these claims of neutrality contradict the anti-labor and anti-regulation records of major US think tanks, as well as their function as de facto corporate lobbying groups.
On this episode, Part II of our two-part series on the relationship between political party officials, media, and the corporate laundering machine, we examine the revolving door between Democratic administrations and corporate and despot-funded think tanks, looking at how those institutions effectively serve as a stomping grounds of business industry influence on everything from climate to labor, healthcare to infrastructure.
Our guest is The Intercept's Akela Lacy.
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