Another Joseph Goebbels clone [RE-wrenches]

[Lawrence Elliott]

Thanks Holt.

I have seen more blatant lies in the past from our foolish professor
Stott.

Left,right,conservative,liberal, Rush Limbaugh and Professor Stott.

And we thought Mr Goebbels was dead.
We just need to keep seeking the truth in all things.

Check out the web of lies on this web site.

Did a Google search to see if " I could unearth this cockroach"

Putting the ESEF case was Prof. Phillip Stott, another academic featured
in the anti-organic 'Counterblast' programme and a regular media
panellist. Prof. Stott publishes his own web-site, under the headline
'Anti-ecohype - a cure for ecocondria', with essays on the need for DDT
and GM technology, and allegations that rainforest depletion and
extinction rates are exaggerated. While anyone claiming such a breadth
of 'expertise' is likely to have little credibility in academic circles,
his prevalence in the mass media is a very real cause for concern.

Web of deceit?
One of the problems for PR companies is that campaign groups
increasingly choose to target consumers directly through web-sites. As
one Burson-Marsteller executive stated, "These actively vocal, online
communities are becoming increasingly important as influencers, since
their 'voices' are not filtered by the off-line media."8 The internet is
the most interesting PR battle ground, with industry-sponsored sites
attempting to discredit "anti-consumer" groups such as PETA, Greenpeace
or organic food proponents. In December 2001, B-M announced an alliance
with internet intelligence experts, Cyveillance, to provide advanced
information on negative comments on corporations' behaviour. Despite
these increasingly complex technologies, the internet remains a more
level playing field, as more capital does not necessarily guarantee a
more effective web presence.

Crisis management
In 'Dispensing the Truth', an exposé of the diet drug Fen-Phen, released
last year, B-M is associated with as one of the two "worst" examples of
PR practice during the crisis. Fen-Phen, made by Fisons and
Wyeth-Ayerst, caused the deaths of many women, who took the drug simply
to lose weight. It is alleged that the drug companies were aware of the
product's limited effectiveness and possibly fatal side-effects.
Following the discovery of concealed medical studies, B-M recommended
that Wyeth-Ayerst refute any mistakes or responsibility.9 Such a failure
to engage with the public over past mistakes make it difficult for the
scientific community to ensure that problems are not replicated in the
future.

Smoke screen
The National Smokers' Alliance (NSA) was set up by Burson-Marsteller for
client Phillip Morris as a 'grassroots' group of individual smokers
fighting regulation on smoking in public places as an infringement of
basic American freedoms. With millions of dollars of tobacco industry
money, Burson-Marsteller ran newspaper advertising campaigns, set up a
toll-free number, paid canvassers and tele-marketers and published
newsletters. By 1995 the NSA claimed a membership of 3 million and was
headed by B-M's vice president.3 Membership claims seem unlikely,
despite sign-up incentives, as the NSA received less than 1% of its
funding from members' dues, enough for only 7,400 members.4 While the
message of the group was to 'empower' smokers to make their voices
heard, internal memos reflected concern about this strategy, stating "We
don't want to 'empower' them to the point that they'll quit".5

Whose future?
The future success of B-M in many ways lies in the success of those
calling for corporate accountability. The company sought new custom
after the Seattle protests, by writing to companies claiming to be
familiar with the groups responsible for shutting down the WTO talks.10
The fact that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is now on both the
legislative and corporate agenda is a major triumph for democracy.
However, the fact that companies like B-M are now concentrating their
efforts on CSR is cause for concern. Campaigners are calling for
independent monitoring of company claims and a recognition that
voluntary measures should complement, not replace, government
regulation. The revolving door between campaign groups and the PR
industry is damaging in this regard, as characterised by Peter
Melchett's controversial transfer from Greenpeace to B-M. The
recruitment of critics has been a constant feature of B-M's strategy; it
is effective not only in gaining insider information, but also in
splitting the opposition and gaining respectability.


What can you do?

Avoid investing in the WPP Group and avoid doing business with other
companies holding shares in them.

Respond to questionable statements in the media. Write letters to
newspapers and phone radio stations, putting the other side across.

Be sceptical of discussions of 'sound science', and calls for the 'wise
use' of resources or 'reasonable' regulation. Doubts about industry
involvement can be checked by searching Prwatch.org (despite its US
focus). Media outlets can then be informed of group funding and
potential bias.

Baby Milk Action (BMAC) produced an educational pack last year called
'Seeing through the spin'. Please send them any information on corporate
PR in schools for inclusion in future editions. Baby Milk Action, 23
St.Andrew's Street, Cambridge, CB2 3AX

Further Information "Trust us we're experts!", S. Rampton & J. Stauber,
2001 l PRWatch.org ( Web page of the Centre for Media and Democracy) l
'Green backlash: Global Subversion of the Environmental Movement', Andy
Rowell, 1996

Dirty hands - a few of Burson-Marsteller's less public clients

Regimes

Argentina's fascist junta11
Indonesian Government11
El Salvadorian Government12
Nigerian Government (during Biafran war)11
Saudi Arabia - BKSH, a Burson-Marsteller subsidiary which deals with
government lobbying, was hired on September 14th to promote Saudi
interest in the US following the terrorist attacks.13
Mexican Government (to promote NAFTA)14
Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu14
South Korea (to avoid discussion of human rights issues during the 1988
Olympics)14
UNITA - The US-sponsored Angolan guerrilla army.
Corporate

Union Carbide (after the Bhopal disaster, which killed thousands)

Babcock & Wilcox (for Three Mile Island nuclear accident)

Exxon (following the Exxon-Valdez oil spill)

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