Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Blackwater USA has hired the PR firm Burson-Marsteller (B-M) for crisis management, following a September 16 incident in which the company killed 17 Iraqi civilians, according to the Iraqi government's investigation.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Over the past month, former ABC News consultant / reporter and self-described "terrorism analyst" Alexis Debat has been exposed for "having published fake interviews with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Alan Greenspan,
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Livestrong wristband (Source: Wikimedia Commons)"Having suffered a barrage of negative headlines while battling to shore up its finances and shrink its work force ...
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
In Twin Falls, Idaho, an opponent of a proposed nuclear power plant is wondering who's polling local residents about nuclear energy. Last weekend, Peter Rickards was called by "a man who said he was conducting a survey about energy in Idaho. Most of the questions ... involved nuclear power and alluded to the Idaho Energy Complex, a controversial nuclear facility proposed by Virginia-based Alternate Energy Holdings" (AEH). Rickards "suspects AEH or its affiliates may have commissioned the survey to test the waters of public opinion as plans for the project move forward. ...
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
While ExxonMobil and BP have "spent lavishly on image ads," Chevron's new "power of human energy" campaign is a particularly ambitious "bid to recast itself as an environmentally responsible corporate citizen." Advertising Age reports that its first ad, a 2 1/2 minute spot from the ad agenc
An abridged extract from Bob Burton's Inside Spin: The Dark Underbelly of the PR Industry.
A hallmark tactic of activist campaigns in the 1960s and 1970s was the use of consumer boycotts to punish recalcitrant companies. By the 1990s, however, the trend was more towards developing standards and accrediting retail products that passed muster. The theory was that an accredited product would be rewarded by consumers while the laggards would be under financial pressure to lift their game. One of the pioneering projects during the 1990s was the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which was established by a broad coalition of non-profit groups. Its aim was to shift timber production to sources designated as more sustainable and reduce the market share for forest products derived from the destruction of the world's great forests. Despite numerous problems, the FSC label had some impact, especially in Europe.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced four more fines against Comcast, for its cable channel CN8 having aired multiple video news releases (VNRs) without disclosure. But the bigger story is the FCC's reasoning behind the fines.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"As controversy rages over forthcoming federal Real ID requirements, state officials should be plotting public relations strategies to counteract the well-publicized rebellion," suggested speakers at the Government ID Technology Summit in Washington DC.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The coal industry front group Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) is seeking public relations help "in targeting the public, politicians, interest groups, and the media" on the national level, and also in Pennsylvania and Nevada. ABEC promotes coal as an "essential, affordable and increasingly clean" source of electricity.
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