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See also the leak[1] of big oil PR maestro Rick Berman's 2014 speech to oil execs, pleading for funds to combat rational debate and reliable information about f
by ttctciyf 5y ago
See also the leak[1] of big oil PR maestro Rick Berman's 2014 speech to oil execs, pleading for funds to combat rational debate and reliable information about fracking.
“Think of this as an endless war,” he told them. “And you have to budget for it.”
> He said the industry needs to dig up embarrassing tidbits about environmentalists and liberal celebrities, exploit the public’s short attention span for scientific debate, and play on people’s emotions.
> “Fear and anger have to be a part of this campaign,” Berman said. “We’re not going to get people to like the oil and gas industry over the next few months.”
> Berman also advised that executives continue to spend big. “I think $2 to $3 million would be a game changer,” he said. “We’ve had six-figure contributions to date from a few companies in this room to help us get to where we are.”
> But always cover your tracks, he suggested, adding that no-one is better equipped at doing so than his firm. “We run all this stuff through nonprofit organizations that are insulated from having to disclose donors. There is total anonymity,” he said. “People don’t know who supports us. We’ve been doing this for 20-something years in this regard.” [2]
Plenty more in the transcript at [1], and the article at [2]!
1: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives-western-energy-alliance-speech-taped.html https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives...
2: https://www.desmog.com/2014/10/31/oil-and-gas-industry-s-endless-war-fracking-critics-revealed-rick-berman/ https://www.desmog.com/2014/10/31/oil-and-gas-industry-s-end...
- raxxorrax 5y agoPutins idea of outright banning foreign NGOs suddenly sounds reasonable.
- galangalalgol 5y agoThey would just set up domestic NGOs and funnel money into them through mules.
- pydry 5y agoI dont honestly know why anybody would allow the National Endowment for Democracy in. It's tantamount to giving another country the ability to vote in your elections.
- jtbayly 5y agoI thought we decided secret recordings were always unethical, even when they revealed buying and selling baby parts.
- pizza 5y agoWell, you know what they say about fairness and war..
- sweetheart 5y agoNot if its the only way to expose gross injustices.
- skapadia 5y ago> “Think of this as an endless war,” > "Fear and anger have to be a part of this campaign" > "exploit the public’s short attention span for scientific debate, and play on people’s emotions" He just described almost every religion out there. Scary...
- ttctciyf 5y agoI think it's more a broad brush description of age-old propaganda techniques[1], which have been widely employed by many organized religions over the years, just as they have been by others with an interest in controlling debate. One particularly interesting (IMO) tidbit was Berman's strategy of encouraging doubt and ignorance. Rather than argue facts, try and muddy the waters he suggests: > “Instead of getting the ‘he said she said’ debate, what you will get with the factual debate, often times, you’re going to get into people get overwhelmed by the science and ‘I don’t know who to believe,” Berman told the attendees at the conference. “But if you got enough on your side you get people into a position of paralysis on the issue.” > “You get into people’s minds a tie. They don’t know who is right,” he said. “And you get all ties because a tie basically ensures the status quo.” [2] Thus the utility of paid-for "expert" opinion taking issue with one strand or other of the broad scientific consensus on climate: not to win the public debate but to make reasoned debate ineffective and "ensure the status quo." This methodology is part of the subject matter of Agnotology - "the study of culturally-conditioned ignorance." [3] 1: https://propagandaprinciples.wordpress.com/propaganda-techniques/ https://propagandaprinciples.wordpress.com/propaganda-techni... 2: https://www.desmog.com/2014/10/31/oil-and-gas-industry-s-endless-war-fracking-critics-revealed-rick-berman/ https://www.desmog.com/2014/10/31/oil-and-gas-industry-s-end... 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnotology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnotology
- skapadia 5y agoThank you for those links/references - much appreciated!
- smokelegend 5y agoIsn't all marketing a form of propaganda?
- tclancy 5y ago>big oil PR maestro Rick Berman Certainly one way to refer to the guy who's been on the wrong side of a lot of oily debates [1]. I'll admit to disliking him extra because of what happened to his son, whose music I love. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Berman_(lawyer) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Berman_(lawyer)
- ttctciyf 5y agoYeah, he does cast his net wider than I implied :) > Rick Berman, a Washington lobbyist and arch-enemy of other lobbyists and do-gooders who would have government control—and even ban-a myriad of products they claim are killing us, products like caffeine, salt, fast food and the oil they fry it in. He's against Mothers Against Drunk Driving, animal rights activists, food watchdog groups and unions of every kind. - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-rick-berman-aka-dr-evil/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-rick-berman-aka-dr-evil/
- jimmaswell 5y agoReading the article, a lot of what this guy does isn't evil at all, it's fighting the good fight of personal responsibility in an age where far too many want the government to make all of theirs and others' decisions for them. I don't want further government control of fast food or caffeine either. The "animal rights activists" in question are PETA, known nutjobs who kill almost all animals they capture. Completely disingenous that the article tries to use that framing to make it sound like "this evil guy hates animals too!1" And there are legitimate criticisms of MADD too. Funny how this article tries so hard to be a hit piece and still couldn't stop me from being on the while glad this guy exists, despite some unfortunate stuff like the anti-union ads.
- ocschwar 5y ago> He said the industry needs to dig up embarrassing tidbits about environmentalists and liberal celebrities, exploit No wonder they freaked out over Greta Thunberg. She started too young to have a past, and she's too set in her ways to really get one.
- vernie 5y agoI don't know they seem to have really latched onto her ASD. Conservative commentators routinely dismiss her as a mentally-ill child.
- atoav 5y agoWhich says more about them than about the girl they are afraid of.
- IntelMiner 5y agoConservatives either dismiss her over her ASD, or make nauseating comments about her sexuality and particularly age
- ttctciyf 5y agoYeah, that is the strategy advised by Berman. The argument if stated formally would go: > Thunberg has <unfavorable characterization> > Therefore, we can ignore climate change. More typically, it would go (e.g.): > <Environmental activist / celebrity> has taken a plane flight. > Therefore, we should ignore scientific data about climate change. [1] That is why the argument is never stated formally, of course. 1: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9006353/emma-thompson-gas-guzzling-flight-extinction-rebellion/ https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9006353/emma-thompson-gas-guzz...
- ocschwar 5y agoYeah, I guess I was wrong to call it a "freak out." They did however seemingly decide to forget about votes from anyone in an aspie-heavy profession, it seems.
- deleted 5y ago
- refurb 5y agoThis describes pretty much every single business big enough for a PR budget. Work with non-profits, plant positive stories with media partners, don’t focus on argument but rather emotions. Sounds like politics to me?
- giarc 5y agoThis line "“We run all this stuff through nonprofit organizations that are insulated from having to disclose donors. There is total anonymity,” he said. “People don’t know who supports us. We’ve been doing this for 20-something years in this regard.” Seems pretty relevant today since the Supreme Court struck down a law regarding donations to non-profits. https://www.axios.com/supreme-court-political-donors-california-709684f8-7374-449d-a02d-275f3f150339.html https://www.axios.com/supreme-court-political-donors-califor...
- scns 5y agoThat reminds of Joseph Goebbels asking: "Wollt ihr den totalen Krieg?"