|
|
NavigationTopicsUser login |
public relationsWeekly Radio Spin: Smokin' the CompetitionSubmitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 12:03.
Topics: activism | advertising | arts/culture | children | corporate social responsibility | corporations | crisis management | ethics | health | internet | lobbying | marketing | politics | public relations | race/ethnic issues | science | social justice | tobacco | U.S. government
Shinawatra's Own GoalTopics: issue management
Former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, has called in the founder of of the U.K-based PR firm, Bell Pottinger, Tim Bell, to help rebuild his image. Shinawatra, who bought the Manchester City soccer club last year, has infuriated supporters, players and board members by signaling his intent to dump the popular club manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson. Players recently canvassed the possibility of boycotting a promotional tour of Thailand. PR Week reports that Shinawatra relied on a PR campaign to help puff his image when he first bought the club. "Many fans were won over earlier this season by a dizzying round of star signings and Shinawatra clips on You-Tube, including one of him attempting to sing Blue Moon. Shinawatra was soon known as ‘Frank Sinatra' by the City fans, a name conjured up by the PR team to soften his image," David Quainton reports. Philip Morris in the Driver's Seat on FDA Tobacco BillTopics: corporate campaigns | corporations | ethics | health | human rights | issue management | lobbying | public relations | race/ethnic issues | social justice | tobacco
Big Push for Big OilTopics: advertising | corporations | public relations
Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the American Petroleum Institute has launched a multimillion-dollar PR and advertising campaign to convince the public that "rising energy prices are not the producers' fault and that government efforts to punish the industry, especially with higher taxes, would only make pricing problems worse," reports Jeffrey H. Birnbaum. Consumer groups such as the Consumer Federation of America are complaining that the industry "is using its outlandish profits to make even more money, and that its advertisements use statistics selectively." DCI Group's Work for Burma's Dictators Embarrasses John McCainTopics: democracy | human rights | international | issue management | public relations | war/peace | Election 2008
Doug Goodyear, the CEO of the Washington D.C. PR and lobbyshop, DCI Group, was selected to manage the forthcoming Republican National Convention (RNC), in St. Paul, Minnesota, because of his "management experience and expertise," a spokeswoman for John McCain said. Michael Isikoff reported in Newsweek that in 2002 DCI was paid $348,000 to represent Burma's military junta. "It also led a PR campaign to burnish the junta's image, drafting releases praising Burma's efforts to curb the drug trade and denouncing 'falsehoods' by the Bush administration that the regime engaged in rape and other abuses," Isikoff reported. Goodyear defended the company's work: "It was our only foreign representation, it was for a short tenure, and it was six years ago," he said. Shortly after the story broke, the RNC issued a media release quoting Goodyear stating he had resigned "so as not to become a distraction in this campaign." DCI's other clients have included Exxon, Google and AT&T. When Recycling Isn't: Lessons from a Nuclear Industry ConferenceSubmitted by Diane Farsetta on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 19:00.
Topics: corporations | environment | front groups | global warming | lobbying | media | nuclear power | public relations
Of course, the emphasis and even the language are different. But presenters at the "Nuclear Energy Assembly," held in Chicago from May 5 to 7, discussed financing for new nuclear plants, nuclear waste storage and nuclear weapons proliferation concerns. Nuclear power opponents argue that the industry shouldn't expect or need government support, some fifty years into its existence. In a hotel conference room populated mostly with gray-suited older white men, industry executives repeatedly called for an expansion of federal loan guarantees for new nuclear plants. Early on in the conference, NEI president and CEO Frank L. "Skip" Bowman said, "We use loan guarantees in this country to support ship building, steel making, student loans, rural electrification, affordable housing, construction of critical transportation infrastructure, and for many other purposes. Please don't tell me that America's electric infrastructure is any less important." He added, "I wish someone would tell me when the word 'subsidy' became a slur, a four-letter word. ... What is there of value in American life that is not subsidized, to some extent?" Weekly Radio Spin: Better Living Through Chemical Warfare?Submitted by Diane Farsetta on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 12:53.
Topics: corporations | global warming | journalism | mad cow disease | pharmaceuticals | public relations | think tanks | U.S. government | Weekly Radio Spin
Where There's PR Smoke, There's Grassfire.org, DudeTopics: astroturf | environment | front groups | global warming | public relations | right wing | science
Columnist Dimitri Vassilaros received a news release about a grassroots "petition to stop climate alarmism" and attacking Al Gore's work. He checked it out and found that "for an organization that claims 'we are grassroots to the core,' Grassfire.org acts as if it is hiding a lot of Astroturf. The politically conservative nonprofit is happy to talk about its worthy online petition campaigns," but is "very tight-lipped about talking about itself. ... The Maxwell, Iowa, address for donations to the grassroots organization is clearly displayed on its Web site. But its 2006 IRS 990 form states its address is Bethesda, Md., near Washington, D.C." The SourceWatch article on Grassfire revealed its relationship to Craig Shirley and his "slick Washington-area PR firm, Shirley & Banister Public Affairs. ... When asked a few times about the organization's finances, [Grassfire's] Mr. De Jong first said he didn't know the size of the organization that he speaks for. He also said he 'could ask around' about that 990 form. When I offered to ask the bookkeeper for him, De Jong said, 'She will call, dude. Relax. I'll take care of it for you. I am a man of my word.' As of Thursday noon, no one had called this dude." Colombia Seeks UK PR HelpTopics: human rights | international | issue management | lobbying | public relations
The Colombian government -- which is dogged by controversy over its human rights record -- is seeking help from British PR firms to help promote a "modern" image amongst journalists and politicians. Colombia's deputy head of mission in the UK, Andelfo Garcia, told PR Week that "the stereotype of Colombia is not right. We are a growing country with a good story to tell. We need someone to help us reach out to the UK media, its politicians and its businesses." The UK-based Colombia Solidarity Campaign and other groups have shone the spotlight on Colombia's poor human rights record. In the U.S., Colombia has hired Johnson, Madigan, Peck, Boland & Stewart and Andrew Samet from Sorini, Samet & Associates to help lobby the U.S. Congress to pass the U.S. - Colombia Free Trade Agreement. In early April, Colombia terminated its contract with the PR firm Burson-Marsteller, after taking exception to comments by its CEO, senior Hillary Clinton campaign adviser Mark Penn. Pill Shills and Marketing IllsTopics: advertising | corporations | front groups | health | media | pharmaceuticals | public relations | science | U.S. Congress
|
Weekly SpinRecent blog posts
The Politics and PR of Cervical CancerA four-article series by CMD's Associate Director, Judith Siers-Poisson. Upcoming events |