Tobacco Giant Drops Print Ads for 2008

Actor was set to testify against tobacco giant RJ Reynolds

(NEWSER) - Alan Landers, the one-time face of Winston cigarettes, has died at 68 of lung and throat cancer in the middle of a multi-million dollar legal action against his former employers, the Guardian reports. Landers, who was to testify next month, was among about 9,000 Florida smokers suing cigarette companies for failing to warn them of their products’ health risks. More»

Big Tobacco wins a round in court over proposed warnings

(NEWSER) - Tobacco companies can't be forced to put ultra-graphic images on cigarette packages and advertising to scare away smokers, a federal judge ruled today. The FDA requirement, which was supposed to go into effect later this year, violates the companies' free-speech rights, declared US District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, reports BusinessWeek . The feds are expected to appeal, adds Reuters . More»

Generals will be weary of reporters

(NEWSER) - Journalists are going to have a much tougher job covering the war in Afghanistan in the wake of Stanley McChrystal's Rolling Stone debacle, senior National Journal correspondent James Kitfield predicts today. "There will be no embeds in Afghanistan in higher headquarters for quite a while," he tells NPR . "The trust between the military and the media has just been shot out of the water." More»

Firms seek to quash graphic NYC ads

(NEWSER) - Images of cancerous lungs, rotting teeth, and brain damage caused by smoking are "unappetizing," complain lawyers for tobacco companies suing New York City. RJ Reynolds, Philip Morris, and Lorillard are taking the city to court over anti-smoking ads that stores selling cigarettes are now legally required to post near the cash register, the New York Daily News reports. More»

(NEWSER) - From Rupert Murdoch to Twitter founder Evan Williams, moguls old and young descend on Sun Valley, Idaho, this week for an annual summit on media and technology. This year, reports the Financial Times, the dominant question concerns paid content—a debate that has spread from the troubled newspaper industry to all sectors of media. With advertising dropping by a worse-than-expected 8.5% this year, the power brokers have little choice but to find new models. More»