Corporations

The Marlboro Man Goes Under The PR Knife

Submitted by Laura Miller on

Tobacco behemoth Philip Morris executives announced late last year that it was time for a full-scale corporate makeover centering on changing the company's name to Altria. "After spending the quarter billion dollars ceaselessly touting their philanthropic efforts, the tobacco giant still ranked second to last -- beating only exploding tire maker Bridgestone Firestone -- in a survey of corporate reputations, conducted by The Reputation Institute and Harris Interactive.

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Main Source: 
CorpWatch, March 14, 2002
Topics: 
Corporate Social Responsibility
Tobacco

Corporate America's Trojan Horse In The States

Submitted by Laura Miller on

In a new report, Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council examine the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). "While ALEC purports to be a 'good-government' group operating in the public interest, its sole mission is to advance special-interest legislation across the nation on behalf of its corporate sponsors and funders," the report says. "The organization's behind-the-scenes advocacy has been surprisingly effective -- leading, according to ALEC material, to the enactment of more than 450 state laws during the 1999 and 2000 state legislative sessions.

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Main Source: 
Defenders of Wildlife & Natural Resources Defense Council
Topics: 
Right Wing
Corporations
Lobbying

Mad, Bad and Dangerous

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

In Trust Us, We're Experts, PR Watch editors Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber examined the ways that industry PR manipulates science and gambles with your future. Now British science writer Colin Tudge is exploring similar themes. Whether the topic is pharmaceuticals or genetically modified foods, he says, "people distrust what scientists tell them. And they are perfectly right to do so. ...

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Main Source: 
New Statesman, March 4, 2002
Topics: 
Corporations
Science

Enronitis

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

In the wake of the Enron meltdown, Business 2.0 magazine is running several articles offering "free advice for the suddenly non-credible," in which PR gurus offer their recommendations for helping clients who have been caught lying, cheating or committing atrocities. Perhaps the most interesting comments appear in the reader response section, which invites people to comment on the financial status and standards of their own companies. Most of the responses suggest that Enron is not an isolated case.

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Main Source: 
Business 2.0, March 1, 2002
Topics: 
Corporations
Ethics

Global Climate Coalition Melts Down

Submitted by Laura Miller on

The Global Climate Coalition, a front group for the auto, oil, coal and other industries responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions that are changing the climate, recently announced that has disbanded, explaining that it "has served its purpose by contributing to a new national approach to global warming.

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Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, February 27, 2002
Topics: 
Front Groups
Climate Change
Corporations

The Corporate Confidence Game

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

Nearly 70 percent of Americans say they do not trust corporate America, according to a recent survey conducted for the Interpublic's Golin/Harris PR unit. According to O'Dwyer's PR Daily, the surveys says that the Enron meltdown is only one of a number of recent events that have created "a crisis of confidence and trust in the way we do business in America." Industries that are especially mistrusted include: oil & gas; insurance; investment brokers; utilities; airlines; telecom; advertising; the media; PR; accounting; chemical; pharmaceuticals; and management/consulting.

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Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, February 26, 2002
Topics: 
Corporations

Court Ruling Gives Green Light to Media Mega-Mergers

Submitted by John Stauber on

The stranglehold that a dozen giant corporations now exert on media in the US will tighten even more in the wake of a federal court ruling. The ill effects of corporate media control such as mind numbing content, self-censorship to serve advertisers, neglect of minority opinions and dissent, sensationalized if-it-bleeds-it-leads news, plagiarism of PR as 'news,' are all set to worsen. Schiesel and Carter write in the New York Times, "Investment bankers, start your engines.

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Main Source: 
New York Times
Topics: 
Corporations
Media

Enron as Metaphor

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"As the Enron scandal progresses, opportunistic politicians are trying their best to turn the company's name into political shorthand to discredit just about anything," writes Bryan Keefer. Terms like "Enronomics" and "Enronization" have entered the vocabulary as shorthand ways of discrediting political opponents. "In political parlance, 'Enron' has now become a verb and an adjective," Keefer writes.

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Main Source: 
Salon.com, February 20, 2002
Topics: 
Corporations
Rhetoric

Memo Reveals Ralph Reed's PR / Lobby Plan for Enron

Submitted by John Stauber on

"Just before the last presidential election, Bush campaign adviser Ralph Reed offered to help Enron Corp. deregulate the electricity industry by working his 'good friends' in Washington and by mobilizing religious leaders and pro-family groups for the cause. For a $380,000 fee, the conservative political strategist proposed a broad lobbying strategy that included using major campaign contributors, conservative talk shows and nonprofits to press Congress for favorable legislation.

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Main Source: 
Washington Post, February 17, 2002
Topics: 
Corporations
Lobbying
Public Relations

Enron Whistle-Blower Offered Lay a PR Plan

Submitted by Laura Miller on

"Sherron Watkins, Enron's VP of corporate development, who in August predicted accounting scandals would destroy the company, told the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Feb. 14 that she offered a PR campaign to former chairman Kenneth Lay," O'Dwyer's PR Daily writes. "In her Oct. 30 memo to Lay, the former accountant said she outlined for him ways to handle the PR crisis and urged him to lay the blame on the company's then CEO Jeffrey Skilling and CFO Andrew Fastow. 'I was providing this to Mr.

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Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, February 15, 2002
Topics: 
Crisis Management
Corporations

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