In the broad range of organizations that question the expanding role of marketing in public life, a group called the Anti-Advertising Agency Foundation For Freedom stands among the most ardently opposed to the traditional but uneasy co-existence of advertising and the editorial craft.

But the AAAFFF is the only one we know of that is willing to pay advertisers not to ply their trade, through an award that offers "creative freedom" and a "giant check." So says the press release:

CHICAGO -- The most creative and forward-thinking professionals of our time work in marketing. The Anti-Advertising Agency Foundation For Freedom wants them to quit. And they're offering cash.

The AAAFFF was organized by Steve Lambert and Anne Elizabeth Moore, both of whom have much to say about the world of marketing -- some of it tongue-in-cheek, some quite serious.

Their work to eliminate advertising in  grocery stores across the country and bus stops in Oakland has garnered national attention. Which, presumably, is the point. The group aims to question the role of advertising in public space "through constructive parody and gentle humor."

"Our work will de-normalize 'out-of-home' advertising and increase awareness of the public’s power to contribute to a more democratically-based outdoor environment," says its mission statement.

The contest might not solve the great debate, but it’s a start to rid the streets and cyberspace of mental clutter. The contest aims to do this one person at a time. Providing "tips, training, and networking opportunities" and the Anti-Advertising Agency says that it has known "you've always wanted to devote yourself solely to those pursuits."

On May 9, Moore updated readers on the progress of the Foundation For Freedom contest with some excerpts from respondents. This one in particular spoke to the goals of the Public Press project, in creating a culture of unmediated and civic-minded journalism:

I have worked for the past 4 years (since I graduated from a very prestigious culinary school) doing R&D for a food manufacturer ... Boy, throwing away 5,000 pre-packaged hamburger buns when they don't get used is even more egregious when you wake up to CNN telling you that people are rioting in Haiti and Egypt because they can't afford a loaf of bread. Poor people are so silly. I'm all ready to quit my job so that I can devote my time to the theatre which is my true love ... -- Midwestern Ad Man

Lambert's resumeof art projects and published work is thought-provoking, as is Moore's work with independent publishing. Neither is primarily focused on journalism, but their efforts to get a consumerism-drenched culture to consider alternatives is inspiring.