Public Relations

Wall Street Fights Back

by Mary Bottari — January 31, 2010 - 2:18pm

A group of pinstriped traders, upset with the bank-bashing rhetoric emanating from Washington, launched a Wall Street defense campaign the same morning that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was being grilled by Congress.

Main Source: 
The New York Times, January 27, 2010

This Week in Banking: Root Canals, Rhetoric or Real Reform?

by Mary Bottari — January 29, 2010 - 9:25am
  • Topics: Banking, BanksterUSA, Democracy, Economy, Lobbying, Public Relations, Real Economy Project

    • The debate over banks and banking came front and center this week. In his toughest language yet, President Barack Obama vowed to veto financial reform legislation that is not tough enough on Wall Street. "The lobbyists are already trying to kill it," Obama told Congress in his State of the Union address. "Well, we cannot let them win this fight.

    Openly Gay Owner of Indiana PR Company Invited to Attend State of the Union Address

    by Anne Landman — January 27, 2010 - 11:47am

    The White House has invited a special guest to attend President Obama's State of the Union address: Trevor Yager, the openly gay founder and co-owner of TrendyMinds, a successful advertising and public relations firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The President will feature the agency for its growth and charitable contributions in 2009, and as an example of a business that has benefited from White House policies.

    Main Source: 
    Huffington Post, January 26, 2010

    PR Exec Tells How Industry Manipulates Public Opinion

    by Anne Landman — January 25, 2010 - 1:06pm

    James Hoggan, the director of the James Hoggan & Associates public relations firm, has authored a book titled Climate Cover Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming, in which he describes PR techniques that industry groups use to create the impression of a scient

    Main Source: 
    Allianz, January 22, 2010

    Luxury Cruises Resume to Haiti: Bad PR, Good Deed, or Both?

    by Anne Landman — January 22, 2010 - 12:05pm

    Cruise purveyor Royal Caribbean stirred up a public relations storm last week after it resumed taking vacationing tourists to its luxury Haitian beach resort, Labadee, located just 100 miles from the shocking scenes of rubble, suffering and desperation brought by the earthquake.

    Main Source: 
    Dallas Morning News, January 22, 2010

    Plastic Front Group With Flexibility

    by Bob Burton — December 29, 2009 - 4:25am

    A member of the Helena, Montana, chapter of the Coalition for Chemical Safety, a chemical industry front group, has been disavowed for calling for an all-out ban of the use of BPA, an additive in many plastic products. Richard Denison, a senior scientist with Environmental Defense Fund, noted that the woman was interviewed on Montana Public Radio’s Evening Edition.

    Main Source: 
    Chemicals & Nanotechnology (Environmental Defense Fund blog),December 15, 2009

    University of Colorado at Boulder Falls Prey to Philip Morris' Strategic Philanthropy

    by Anne Landman — December 4, 2009 - 2:26pm
  • Topics: Corporate Campaigns, Public Relations, Tobacco

    • The University of Colorado at Boulder has accepted a $12.1 million grant from cigarette maker Philip Morris (PM) to put on "Life Skills Training" (LST) programs in middle schools, nominally aimed at reducing students' use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

    Notwithstanding that a federal court in 2006 found Philip Morris guilty of engaging in 50 years of public fraud and racketeering, a 2006 peer-reviewed study of tobacco industry documents conducted by the University of California San Francisco's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education looked at why tobacco companies so robustly promote Life Skills Training. They found that since 1999, PM and Brown & Williamson have both worked to disseminate Life Skills Training programs into schools across the country. Why? As part of their effort, the two companies hired a public relations firm to evaluate the program. The evaluation showed that LST was not effective at reducing smoking, after either the first or second year of implementing the program. Despite this, the tobacco companies have continued to eagerly award grants to implement the program.

    Another Brick in Boral's Wall

    by Bob Burton — November 30, 2009 - 5:07am

    A major Australian building products company, Boral, has been forced to publish a full-page apology for its role in an astroturf campaign against BGC, which was seeking government approval for a new brickworks.

    Main Source: 
    Australian Financial Review, November 30, 2009 (registration req'd)

    Five Questions, Five Doses of Spin

    by Bob Burton — November 23, 2009 - 4:21am

    The Lansing State Journal is the latest in a long line of media outlets to provide a pro-nuclear platform to former Greenpeace activist turned corporate PR consultant, Patrick Moore, without disclosing his consultancy with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI).

    Main Source: 
    Lansing State Journal (Michigan), November 23, 2009
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