Sheldon Rampton is an American editor and author. He was editor of PR Watch, and is the author of several books that criticize the public relations industry.
Career
In 1995, Rampton teamed with John Stauber as co-editors of PR Watch, a publication of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). They were described as liberal,[1] and their writings are regarded by some members of the public relations industry as one-sided and hostile, but their work drew wide attention.[2]ActivistCash, a website hosted by Washington lobbyist Richard Berman, has castigated them as "self-anointed watchdogs," "scare-mongers," "reckless" and "left-leaning."[3] Rampton and Stauber have in turn argued that the ActivistCash critique contains a number of "demonstrably false" claims.[4] According to a review in The Denver Post, their 1995 book, Toxic Sludge Is Good for You, offered "a sardonic, wide-ranging look at the public relations industry."[5]
^Chisun Lee, a writer for the Village Voice, noted of Rampton and co-author John Stauber's work:
There isn't likely to be much corporate support there. These guys come from the far side of liberal. Saying so is not to detract from their exhaustively detailed reportage and calmly convincing tone; indeed, the book is generally light on rhetoric, and there's hardly a radical quoted.
^Manning, Anita (4 February 2001). "Their message: Don't trust experts The public must be skeptical, authors say (profile)". USA Today. ProQuest408879145.
^Rosenberg, Paul (4 February 2001). "All's safe in twists of public relations experts Authors decry manipulation to downplay dangers (book review)". Denver Post.
