Submitted by Laura Miller on
A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that Philip Morris attempted to influence media coverage of secondhand smoke. Citing internal industry documents, the study's author, Dr. Richard Hunt, says the company and its PR firm, Burson-Marsteller, made "a controversy out of secondhand smoke when there wasn't any." Hurt also said Philip Morris gave "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to training programs at the Herndon, VA-based National Journalism Center. "Hurt said the funds went to support speakers who would discount research on the dangers of secondhand smoke," PR Week writes. "They also backed an internship program to place reporters who supported the tobacco industry's position, Hurt said."
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