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Grading CompaniesSource: Foreign Policy, No. 125 (Jul. - Aug., 2001), p. 100Published by: Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, LLCStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3183343 .

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Net Effect

The Not-So-Hot Zone

Amutated strain of the AIDS

virus can be transmitted through the air. Underarm deodorants can cause breast can- cer. A new form of toxic shock syndrome is killing women.

None of these statements is true, but at one time or another a lot of people have believed oth- erwise. These days, rumors about diseases spread across interna- tional borders faster than the dis- eases themselves-and the Inter- net typically provides the means for spreading those rumors.

But if the World Wide Web is a fertile medium for incubating irra- tional beliefs about illnesses, it can also be an effective tool for innoc- ulating against them. The U.S. Cen- ters for Disease Control and Pre- vention maintains a site devoted to debunking "Current Health Related Hoaxes and Rumors" (www.cdc.gov/hoaxrumors.htm) seeking, for example, to assure a worried public that, contrary to what they might have read online,

Costa Rican bananas do not cause the "flesh-eating" disease necrotizing fasciitis.

Meanwhile, in Great Britain, the attempt to halt the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has led to the closure of rural paths and parks, costing the countryside tourism industry ?100 million per week. The "Foot and Mouth Disease" home page (www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/dis- eases/fmd/), maintained by the British Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (MAFF), tries to convince would-be tourists that there are still plenty of open footpaths (as long as hikers fol- low "sensible precautions" such as cleaning their boots between walks) and lots of rural charm to be found. "It is perfectly safe," the site claims, "to visit country pubs, village teashops, stately homes, craft fairs, coun- try museums or anywhere else in the countryside where there is no livestock."

Don't panic. MAFF also assures the public

that FMD does not harm humans. But others in cyberspace disagree. Dr. Michael Greger of the Organic Consumers Association recently published his research on the human health risks of FMD at his "Mad Cow Disease" site

(www.purefood.org/madcow.htm). The page links to an archive of more than 8,000 articles on FMD

and mad cow disease worldwide. Collectively, the articles imply that, assurances of government health experts notwithstanding, the mad cow epidemic will get worse before it gets better. Or, put another way, sometimes a lit- tle public panic might not be such a bad idea after all.

Grading Companies www.cfrib.org

While the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP)

may not garner as much splashy press coverage as rock-throwing demonstrators, it plays a critical role in shaping the future of corporate governance. Since 1969, the New York-based nongovernmental organi- zation has provided accurate, impartial analyses of cor- porations' social and environmental records. CEP grades companies according to seven indicators-disclosure, environment, minorities' advancement, women's advancement, workplace, family benefits, and charitable giving-and publishes these in the "Corporate Respon- sibility Reporter" on their Web site and in their popular

publication Shopping for a Better World, which has reached nearly 1 million people over its lifetime.

CEP recently changed its name to the Center for Responsibility in Business and launched a new Web site, www.cfrib.org. The center hopes to increase its Web hits from the current 50,000 per year as part of its goal to reach 15 million consumers. Visitors to the new site can read arti- cles highlighting topics and companies of the week and vote in weekly surveys. Through a ticker-style "Did you know?" feature, readers can see snippets from researchers in the field: for example, how much the Bush adminis- tration has reduced the Energy Department's budget, or a comparison of the amount of energy used to make new and recycled paper. New features, including special sec- tions for students, parents and children, and senior citi- zens, will be functional on the site within the next year.

FOREIGN POLICY (ISSN 0015-7228), July/August 2001, issue number 125. Published bimonthly; six times annually in January, March, May, July, September, and November by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace at 1779 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036-2109. Subscriptions: U.S., $24.95 per year; Canada, $33.95; other countries, $39.95. Periodicals postage paid in Washington, DC, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to FOREIGN POLICY, P0. Box 2030, Marion, OH 43306-8130 Printed in the USA.

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