[ Thanks to George
Mitchell for this link. ]
“Newspaper advertisements that an Oakland institute presented as
independent views supporting Microsoft’s position in its antitrust
trial were actually paid for by Microsoft, the institute conceded
yesterday.”
“The full-page newspaper ads, published in the New York Times
and the Washington Post by the Independent Institute last June,
were in the form of a letter signed by 240 academic experts. They
prompted news stories and courtroom discussion during the
trial…”
“According to its literature, the institute “adheres to the
highest standards of independent scholarly inquiry.” Its president,
David Theroux, describes himself as a scrupulously disinterested
academic, and adds: “We are not doing contract work. We’re
independent. Our intention is to do work that holds up to any type
of scrutiny.“