Tobacco

ActivistCash.com Exposed as Tobacco Front Group

by Sheldon Rampton — January 4, 2002 - 12:00am

The Wall Street Journal recently gave a plug to ActivistCash.com, a new website that claims to expose where "activists get their money." ActivistCash.com attacks environmental, health and animal rights activists as "nannies," "anti-choice zealots" and "hypocrites" who pretend to represent grassroots citizens while taking money from foundations.

Main Source: 
http://www.prwatch.org/improp/ddam.html

Hollywood's Other Propaganda War

by John Stauber — December 20, 2001 - 8:50am

Hollywood has negotiated a truce in the culture wars and won great PR for itself by enlisting in the propaganda war against Osama bin Laden. But Hollywood is squarely on the wrong side, with the bad guys, in a different 'good versus evil' showdown involving a politically powerful international cabal that kills and maims more civilians than Osama could dream in his most optimistic musings. Public health advocates condemning Hollywood's 'product placement' promotion of tobacco are running an advertising campaign of their own in Variety magazine to shame and pressure Hollywood executives.

Main Source: 
http://smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/ourads/ad_mediabosses_variety.html

Tom Lauria: From Big Tobacco to the New Afghanistan

by Laura Miller — December 17, 2001 - 12:00am

Former tobacco industry spokesman Thomas Lauria has been working for the Northern Alliance since mid-September when he became their media liaison. Lauria, with lobbyist Otilie English and Northern Alliance spokesman Haron Amin, worked to increase awareness of the Alliance, lobbied for American military support, and tried to "dampen" reports of Alliance human right's abuses. With Northern Alliance officials now occupying high posts in Afghanistan's interim government, Lauria has been picked as one of Afghanistan's Washington-based representatives.

Main Source: 
PR Week, December 17, 2001

Booze/Tobacco Lobbyist Attacks Foundations, Grantees

by John Stauber — December 13, 2001 - 5:08pm

DC-based lobbyist Rick Berman runs the Guest Choice Network, a front group funded by tobacco, booze and food companies. Now, with much

Main Source: 
http://www.activistcash.com/

Killer Named Philip Morris Says "Call Me Altria"

by John Stauber — November 16, 2001 - 8:32am

Tobacco and food conglomerate Philip Morris wants to change its name to Altria, perhaps because the Latin-esque moniker connotes "altruism," as in the millions and millions of dollars the company donates each year to arts, culture and social welfare groups to whitewash its evil image. Now the whitewashing includes an alias. Philip Morris has waged perhaps the most successful, expensive and deadly PR campaign of the past century, misleading the public to prevent regulation of its addictive tobacco products.

Main Source: 
New York Times

Tobacco Industry Sponsors "Sound Science"

by Sheldon Rampton — November 6, 2001 - 3:17pm

Doctors Elisa Ong and Stanton A. Glantz have published a study documenting the tobacco industry's attack on so-called "junk science" to discredit the evidence that secondhand smoke -- among other environmental toxins -- causes disease. "Philip Morris used public relations firms and lawyers to develop a 'sound science' program in the United States and Europe that involved recruiting other industries and issues to obscure the tobacco industry's role," they write.

Main Source: 
America Journal of Public Health, November 2001

Cigarette Companies Continue Lobbying in Washington

by Laura Miller — October 20, 2001 - 11:00pm

Big tobacco continues to pour money into lobbying Congress according to a story published in the Winston-Salem Journal. "Each day that Congress meets, the nation's four largest cigarette manufacturers spend more than $100,000 pushing their agenda on Capitol Hill." Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. and Lorillard Tobacco Co. spent $44.2 million lobbying Congress in two and a half years ending June 30, according to reports filed by corporations and lobbying firms with the U.S. House and Senate.

Main Source: 
Winston-Salem Journal, October 21, 2001

Tobacco Report Reveals Global Retreat

by Sheldon Rampton — August 12, 2001 - 11:00pm

A secret report reveals that three of the world's biggest tobacco companies -- British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco and Philip Morris -- are considering a new set of self-imposed, international advertising restrictions including curbs on print ads, TV, outdoor, product placement and promotional events. Many of these restrictions are already being forced on the tobacco industry as a result of growing international pressure to reduce cigarette consumption.

Main Source: 
Advertising Age, August 13, 2001

PR Week Offers Free Advice to Philip Morris

by Sheldon Rampton — August 5, 2001 - 11:00pm

Now that Philip Morris has apologized for its role in commissioning a report claiming that the Czech Republic benefits from the premature deaths of smokers, the August 6 issue of PR Week asked PR pros, "How can Philip Morris regain PR ground following the publication of the Czech report?" Advice from the experts included:

  • "More advertisements praising the philanthropic activities of its Kraft and Miller subsidiaries would be wise."
  • "The best thing for it to do is minimize its public profile."
  • "Partner itself with a consumer watchdog group."
Main Source: 
PR Week, August 6, 2001
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