Public Relations

Big Food's Salty Spin

by Anne Landman — May 29, 2010 - 9:43pm

Man tasting a salt-reduced version of Campbell's V8 juice (Credit: Jessica Kourkounis, the NY Times)Big food companies are using well-established public relations techniques to fight bad publicity over the high salt content in processed foods, employing strategies developed earlier

Main Source: 
New York Times, May 29, 2010

Scandal-Plagued PR Firm Ketchum Wins $25.8 Million DHHS Contract

by Anne Landman — March 30, 2010 - 4:05pm

Last year, the Obama administration announced nearly $1.2 billion in grants to help hospitals and health care providers implement and use electronic health records, but the proposal has faced stiff resistance from skeptics who doubt whether such a system can adequately protect patient privacy. To overcome this obstacle, the U.S.

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ProPublica, March 30, 2010

Big Banks to Try Putting on Lipstick

by Anne Landman — March 26, 2010 - 2:29pm

The Financial Services Roundtable, which lobbies on behalf of around 100 of the country's top banks, credit card companies and insurance firms, will undertake a professionally-organized public relations campaign to try to improve the tarnished image of the financial industry.

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Bloomberg.com, March 24, 2010

Over Half of News Stories are Spin

by Anne Landman — March 19, 2010 - 12:33am

Independent journalists in Australia studied 2,203 news stories in ten different hard-copy Australian newspapers over a five day work week and found that nearly 55 percent of the stories analyzed were driven by some form of public relations. The most extreme paper was the Daily Telegraph, in which 70% of stories were triggered by some form of PR. The Sydney Morning Herald was the best at "only" 42 percent PR-driven stories.

Main Source: 
Crikey.com.au, March 15, 2010

Healthwashing Soda

by Anne Landman — March 10, 2010 - 1:09pm
  • Topics: Corporate Campaigns, Obesity, Public Relations, Tobacco

    • As state and local governments consider taxing soda and sugary drinks to raise money and address the national obesity epidemic, manufacturers of sugary drinks -- like countless other industries -- are taking PR cues from the tobacco industry to defeat the initiatives. The PR tactics they are using are starting to be old hat. By now, everyone should be able to spot them, but just in case you're not up to speed on your corporate PR literacy, here's what to look for:

    Step One: Position your product as the solution, not the problem

    Coca Cola, Pepsico and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group are running print and TV ads promoting their joint initiative to remove full-calorie, artificially-sweetened drinks from schools. At the same time, Americans Against Food Taxes, the front group for the sugary drink manufacturers, is sending out emails boasting that soda companies have replaced full-calorie soft drinks with "smaller-portion" and "portion-controlled" beverages, real juice and bottled water in schools. Voila'! Their products are no longer the problem, they are part of the solution. Even better, now they'll get kids to buy more bottled water -- which costs them next to nothing to make -- at a dollar a bottle. Score!

    High-Fructose Public Relations

    by Anne Landman — March 9, 2010 - 2:00pm

    Nutrition experts are battling sugar industry trade groups over over public information about the health hazards of sugar, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and other caloric sweeteners. Nutrition experts say that the sweeteners added to soft drinks and countless other foods and beverages increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and promote weight gain by adding empty calories to the average diet.

    Main Source: 
    USA Today, March 2, 2010

    Deceptive Big Bank Ads Will be Key to Election 2010

    by Mary Bottari — February 22, 2010 - 9:15am
  • Topics: Left Wing, Corporate Campaigns, Right Wing, Banking, BanksterUSA, Politics, Propaganda, Public Relations, Real Economy Project

    • Even before a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision blew the lid off corporate campaign spending, it was clear that the big banks would be key players in the 2010 election cycle.

    Unemployment will remain high, and so will resentment against the banks -- a volatile combination that will encourage savvy members of Congress to continue to fight for meaningful reform of the financial sector.

    Citigroup Offers New "Pick Pocket" Derivative

    by Mary Bottari — February 17, 2010 - 8:56am

    According to trade magazine RiskNet, credit specialists at Citigroup are considering launching the first derivatives intended to pay out in the event of a financial crisis. These types of derivatives function like an insurance policy, allowing parties to hedge against risk.

    Main Source: 
    RiskNet, February 8, 2010

    The "AB 32 Implementation Group": A Wolf in Green Clothing

    by Anne Landman — February 12, 2010 - 3:54pm

    In 2006, the California legislature passed AB 32, the "Global Warming Solutions Act," which requires the state to bring its greenhouse gas emissions down to 1990 levels by the year 2020.

    Main Source: 
    California Watch, January 16, 2010
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