Business Week reports that, "just because a new President vowed to change business-as-usual in Washington and Congress heightened scrutiny," not much has really changed, except perhaps for the terminology. "At a time when lobbying is under assault, the most effective practitioner is sometimes someone who technically isn't a lobbyist."

An entity might succeed with a strategist as opposed to a federally registered lobbyist, and instead use executives to contact lawmakers. The article also suggests that more are now using grassroots campaigns, and "taking the fight to the people."

As a follow up, a Business Week blog asks, "How reliable are Lobbyist Registration Data?" The article notes that registration and disclosure rules are simply a hassle that can be avoided, as opposed to a way to provide the public with more information. "If you don't contact lawmakers, Hill staffers and key Administration officials for clients, you can do all the 'lobbying-related activity' you want without registering."

For example, in April the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted an audit of a random sample of lobbyist filings and found that about 16 percent of the reports had incorrect entries or failed to disclose the required contributions. The blog continues: "So it's impossible to say how much - if at all - the recent decline in the number of lobbyists reflects a decline in the number of people trying to influence policy and legislation."