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Comment by noodle | Hacker News Reader

i understand generally what you're talking about, but could you elaborate or provide an example? i've always been kind of curious, myself

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CEO selects appropriate thinktank, says, "I run an oil and gas company. I need you to produce articles that are critical of global warming. Here's one million dollars."

Thinktank goes and hires a couple of global warming "skeptics" for $50K/year. They produce writings and speakings, which the thinktank personnel shop around to appropriate outlets for minimal fees. Op-Eds are distributed to newspapers. Pre-edited 5-minute segments are distributed to TV news programs. The media outlets are happy to receive ready-to-publish content for cheap.

You the viewer receive all this information against global warming from a "neutral, non-partisan" thinktank. You are likely to believe it. The name of the CEO's oil and gas corporation is never mentioned.

Money laundering is taking money from illegal sources and turning it into clean, usable money. Thinktanks are engaged in the practice of idea laundering.

Harsh. But not wholly inaccurate. I think it really depends on who you work for. There are some think tanks that do policy and some that do politics. Policy is about the analytical development of rules and procedures. Politics is exactly what Jellicle described.

1. Harsh, but that is the most accurate description I've seen.

2. This is mostly how Gartner, Forrester, et. al. work.

Aren't these just PR firms then?

It's pronounced 'think tank.'

I prefer advocacy organization or research outfit. Think tank implies inaction. If you live in the western world moving policy is literally like moving mountains the higher the scale or wealthier the opposition. "Action Tank" anyone?

Think tanks: are they just PR firms? This person with important title from important-sounding organization says yes. Critics like this other guy say no. The more important person says the critics are wrong. The only thing that is certain is that the debate about whether think tanks are just PR firms continues.

Tom Logan from the Institute For Studies says that Think Tanks are an "Invaluable source of impartial opinion that help reflect the thoughts, movements and science that drives the world." Ribena de-Farquhar-Toss from the Policy Research (PR) Think Tank disagrees, suggesting that Think Tanks form "part of the process by which corporations and governments brain wash us into spending money we haven't earned on shit we don't need."

I have always referred to them as "Spin Factories", they provide the content that are used in PR and media to spin issues in a manner that is favorable to the sponsor(s).

Sure. Take for example clean energy (NOTE: I policy wonk'd in this area). There are some folks who want to 'disrupt' the field with technology. Some support this (most consumers should) and some don't (the more vertically integrated legacy suppliers). My job was to determine talking points to get attention from the powers that be in key parts of government (DoD, WH, States) and communicate a value proposition in support of the disruptive technology elements. Without calling them disruptive-we needed to learn what they valued. So my job was to use geospatial, market data, academic and legal to support policy recommendations. Then get people to hop on board. Clear(er)?

Where does one hire people like that?

Law schools. But I guess it depends on what you are trying to accomplish?

Can I contact you directly?

sure. Sorry for the delay.

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