Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
A survey by the Edelman PR firm has found what it calls a "trust vacuum" in Europe, as the public's confidence in businesses and governments hits an all-time low. Moreover, reports Julia Day, "Public relations executives have taken over from estate agents as the professionals the public trust least, according to a survey out today."
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"It looks like the Bush Administration is astroturfing, trying to artificially create the appearance of a grassroots movement supporting their policies," writes Jules Agee.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
When they aren't helping clients cope with real disasters, PR professionals hone their skills by simulating fake ones and rehearsing their responses. PR Week recounts the advice of "four seasoned crisis experts" as they respond to a disease outbreak at a fictional seafood plant. Their advice:
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Howard Kurtz reports that the New York Times has spiked a "My Job" column by Jeff Barge, a Manhattan public relations executive who described planting stories in major newspapers and blasted the PR industry as "a deceptive business" in which newspapers are fed "quotes that are just plain fabricated by the PR people." According to Times editor Judith Dobrzynski, Barge's piece was "too self-promotional." (The mention of Barge appears in the bottom half of Kurtz's column, under the subhead, "Unfit to Print.")
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
After a recent article in the British Medical Journal detailed drug company sponsorship of medical meetings on "female sexual dysfunction," a PR firm with clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry has launched a global campaign to "counter" the BMJ report. Michelle Lerner of the HCC De Facto PR firm said it would "violate ethical guidelines" to disclose the identity of her client.
Submitted by John Stauber on
Every February the powerful Public Affairs Council (PAC) holds its annual National Grassroots Conference for Corporations and Associations in some lovely southern location. PR Watch wanted to attend and report on this year's confab in Key West. We covered the 1997 conference and uncovered a goldmine of hidden information on how corporations wage powerful campaigns at the grassroots to promote their special interest agendas.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee (ENVY), which owns a nuclear power plant near Brattleboro, VT, has been conducting an opinion poll using leading questions designed to influence public opinion, not measure it. "They were trying to sneak in some propaganda disguised as an objective poll," said one local resident after being called. "They claimed they didn't know who was paying for the poll." ENVY has been fighting to keep the plant open as town meetings convene to discuss its fate.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil company, has turned to Hill and Knowlton to devise its communications strategy," reports O'Dwyer's PR Daily. "H&K's communications counsel comes as fear spreads of a big spike in energy prices triggered by the U.S. invasion of Iraq." Hill & Knowlton is the PR firm notorious for its deceptive PR campaign in 1990 to promote the first U.S. war in the Persian Gulf.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
PR Watch editor Sheldon Rampton participated in December in the World Information Conference in Amsterdam, which explored both positive and negative aspects of new information technologies. An interviewer captured his thoughts on some things that grassroots movements can learn from the PR industry: "There is an interesting seepage that's always going on as they try to control the thinking of others but they are forced to adopt a lot of the language and the symbolism of the people they are opposing. That has always been a very interesting aspect of PR.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The PR industry needs to mull "a shift in strategy if US goes to war," writes Sherri Deatherage Green. During the first few days of fighting, she says, PR pros should hold off on product promotions. "Few activities could be more futile than pitching stories when war reports fill every second of network time," she writes. "But if military action continues over time, companies should find tasteful and appropriate ways to revive their marketing." Also, "Understatement might be the best messaging approach during wartime.
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