Public Image Ltd.

[mattd]

wake up! wake up! It's yer moderate voice of anarchic reason SchNEWS 
Published in Brighton by Justice? - Brighton's Direct Action collective 
ISSUE 337, January 11th, 2002 FULL OF MELCHETT "The majority of NGOs and 
activists do not understand how public relations
firms are helping corporations manipulate them. This is a fundamental
strategic mistake." - Andy Rowell author of Green Backlash. This week Peter 
Melchett the former head of Greenpeace UK made famous for
helping to trash genetic crops in Norfolk has turned coats and become a
consultant for Burson-Marsteller - the biggest public relations (PR)
company in the world. Ironically Burson-Marsteller (B-M) are the PR Company 
for the genetic
engineering company Monsanto. They specialise in 'greenwashing' - making
corporations look like they're being nice to the environment when in fact
they're doing the complete opposite. B-M have done PR makeovers for such
nice companies as Union Carbide after the Bhopal gas leak killed up to
15,000 people in India, and Exxon after the Exxon-Valdez oil tanker ran
aground in Alaska causing the worst oil spill in history. They even
defended the 1980's military dictatorship in Argentina that saw 35,000
civilians 'disappear'. Melchett says he isn't compromising his principles 
as he will choose which
companies to work with (but with the likes of Monsanto, BP, Nestle, Shell,
Unilever, Sainsbury's and British Nuclear Fuels on their books that's some
choice!). But talking to environmentalists is standard a tactic used by PR 
companies
to green a company's image. Managing Activism, published by the UK
Institute of Public Relations, describes this process, in typical PR speak,
as "two-way symmetrical communications" which "offer a way forward where
the company does not have to give in to activists or persuade them to give
in." And the hiring of activists is described by PR Watch as "a crude but
effective way to derail potentially meddlesome activists." It seems that
Melchett is being led up the genetically modified garden path. CON 
MERCHANTS "It is easier and less costly to change the way people think 
about reality
than it is to change reality." - PR adviser Morris Wolfe. The modern PR 
industry dates back to the 1930s when companies realised they
could use World War I style propaganda to deal with social movements and
unions. PR companies are not interested in facts only images. B-M advise
clients to concentrate on 'stories - not issues' and 'symbols - not logic',
because "...symbols are central to politics because they connect to emotions,
not logic." And these 'symbols' end up being reported in the media as crap
lifestyle stories with the real issues not discussed. This is especially
unsurprising since B-M is in partnership with ITN (Independent Television
News) running the Corporate Television Networks (CTN) - which use ITN staff
and facilities to make promotional videos for business clients - CTN videos
have ended up in ITN broadcasts. When the likes of Melchett give 
endorsements it makes the stories and
symbols gain credibility with a cynical public. When cash strapped
environmental charities take a few quid from companies, they do little to
further their causes, yet greatly benefit the image of the companies
involved. The WorldWide Fund for Nature accepted $1 million from oil firms
Chevron and BP for a conservation project in Papua New Guinea (between them
BP and Chevron make over $20,000 million profit per year). In return,
leaked documents from Chevron revealed, "WWF will act as a buffer for the
joint venture against ... international environmental criticism." In 2000
WWF held back publication of a damning report on tropical forest
destruction, for fear of upsetting the companies it named. It is not just 
charities and activists that are used by the PR companies.
There are a whole load of front groups set up to present a different
picture to what environmentalists are saying. In 1989 B-M set up the Global
Climate Coalition to discredit warnings about climate change; people
involved in the Coalition include most of the big oil companies, motor
manufacturers and chemical companies. PR companies also specialise in 
creating their own grass roots groups. In
North America and Australia this has led to the rise of the Wise Use
Movement. Using campaigning tactics similar to environmental groups they
scare farmers, forestry workers, miners, etc. into thinking that the
environmental movement is out to destroy jobs and ways of life. Thousands
of timber jobs in North America have been lost to automation, economic
rationalisation and export of raw logs, but environmental protection is
used as an easy scapegoat. Behind these groups which present a front of
concerned citizens and workers, are big businesses. For example People For
the West! who claim a membership of 18,000 is funded by 200 companies and
12 of its 13 directors are mining company executives! So how do PR 
companies deal with yer uncompromising activists? Well it is
that age-old tactic, divide and rule - exploit differences in the movement
by co-opting the more conservative elements and ridiculing the radicals. PR
companies divide activists up into categories such as radicals,
opportunists, idealists and realists. 'Idealists' are educated and
altruistic and should be changed into 'realists' who are willing to work
within the system for change and 'opportunists' are simply careerists who
want jobs and power. So Melchett seems to have migrated from an idealist to
an opportunist. The most problematic group are the 'radicals' who want to
change the system or have underlying political motives, the tactic of the
PR gurus is to isolate the radicals from the support of the realists and
idealists. Labels like extremists and terrorists are attached to anyone who
refuses to compromise or takes effective action. But since PR companies are
not interested in issues, only stories then this sort of doublespeak is
unsurprising. SchNEWS thinks maybe a leaf should be taken out of the PR 
experts' book and
we should start describing radical capitalists as uncompromising extremists
using terror tactics to destroy the environment and wreck people's lives in
the pursuit of profit.
* Further Info: PR Watch produces a regular bulletins: www.prwatch.org,
read 'Global Spin' by Sharon Beder (Green Books) or 'Green Backlash' by
Andy Rowell (Routledge).             WORLD POWER PROPAGANDA
             Burson-Marsteller is the biggest PR company in the
             world, with offices in 32 countries and 1,700
             employees.             B-M is owned by the WPP group, who own 
17 other PR
             companies.             Believe it or not but WPP began life as 
Wire &
             Plastic Products a small British company making
             shopping baskets! In 1985 it was bought up by Martin
             Sorrell, financial director of Saatchi & Saatchi, he
             then acquired lots of marketing and PR companies and
             is now the world's largest communications group with
             a massive ability to influence the way people 
think. 
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REBEL ALLIANCE Get together of Brighton's direct action groups (7-8pm), 
followed by Life
Before Profit - a rally to stop the corporate killers (8-9.30pm), then DJ's
(till 12.30 am).
Monday 21st January at the Komedia, Gardner Street, 
Brighton. 
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POSITIVE SchNEWS We know that reading SchNEWS can sometimes be a bit of a 
wrist slashing
experience, so we thought we'd dedicate a page of the first issue of 2002
to positive news stories. - Stories of people getting together in their
communities to come up with grass-roots solutions to some of the world's
problems... enjoy it while you can because it'll be back to the depressing
stuff next week.
END Excerpt.
That's not me obviously so unless you wanna 
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