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Saturday, Jun 16, 2012 2:15 AM UTC

Report: LA Wal-Mart lobbyist posed as reporter

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Topics: From the Wires,

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An associate at a lobbying firm working to bring a Wal-Mart store to Chinatown in Los Angeles has resigned after posing as a student reporter at a news conference held by a labor group opposing the store.

The Los Angeles Times (lat.ms/KLzwYh) says city records show Stephanie Harnett worked for Mercury Public Affairs, which was hired by Wal-Mart to promote the project.

The project provoked opposition from labor groups. Last week when one of them held a news conference, Harnett attended saying she was a college student journalist, and interviewed a warehouse worker.

Mercury released a statement saying it did not approve of or direct Harnett’s actions, and a Wal-Mart spokesman called them “unacceptable, misleading and wrong.”

A message left at a listing for Harnett was not immediately returned.

___

Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com

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