Fwd: biotech strategy leaked
sal (sals@rain.org)
Sun, 25 Jan 1998 17:06:01 -0800
>X-Sender: rwolfson@pop3.concentric.net
>Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 23:55:02 -0500
>To: info@natural-law.ca
>From: Richard Wolfson <rwolfson@concentric.net>
>Subject: biotech strategy leaked
>X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by
coyote.rain.org id JAA20325
>
>The following article from the German magazine 'Raum und Zeit' 91=A0
(Jan.98)
>(Ehlers Verlag).. was translated and posted by Franz Beck:
><mvi@intekom.co.za> on the newsgroup:=A0
<bangenfood-digest@MailingList.net>
>
>
>
>
>Propaganda Strategy of Biotech-Multinationals leaked out -
>-----------------------------------------------------
>
>by Ursel Fuchs, Dusseldorf
>
>
>The Gen-Multis (i.e. the biggest pharma groups) prepare for the
gigantic
>brain-washing worth several billion US dollars using the media. It
is
>probably the defusing and elimination of the instinctive=A0 fear of
the
>Europeans of gene-altered food imported mainly from the USA.
>
>This enormous drive to manipulate the public opinion in Europe in=A0
favour
>of the gentech industry is the best proof of how false all claims=A0 of
the
>harmlessness of gene-manipulated food have been - otherwise=20
this
>propaganda battle would not be necessary.
>
>To counteract magazine 'Raum und Zeit' publishes in this issue
(91,
>Jan/Feb 98) this strategy paper including an overview schema which
shows
>the main directions of the propaganda. And we publish=20
background
>information about the international public relations group
>Burson-Marsteller (B&M), which has a frightening influence on
the=A0 politics
>in the world.
>
>Please copy the strategy paper, overview scheme and background=A0
information
>on B&M and distribute to food stores and retailers, because=A0 they
are the
>main target of the strategy. Ursel Fuchs gives the overview=A0 of the
attack
>on the public opinion.
>
>The image of the gentech industry is not at all blameless. The=A0
popularity
>of their products, specially the food sector, is=A0 questionable.
This
>industry in trouble uses the old art of talking the=A0 products
clean,
>because if arguments don't work, rhetoric must work. This=A0 is the
task of
>Public Relations (PR), in this case experts like=A0 Burson-Marsteller,
a
>Vermont based PR specialist. They manipulate the=A0 public opinion
with
>information placement in media and campaigns. B&M
> is part of the Young & Rubicam PR conglomerate, third in the
US
>advertising ranking.
>
>Their expertise: crisis communication for politics and industry.
For
>example to pacify the frightened consumers in the case of BSE (mad
cow
>disease), burst silicon breast implants, chemical accidents like
Union
>Carbide in Bhopal, India. After heavy criticism of chemical
giant
>Monsanto's soya beans, Monsanto founded the information bureau
within
>Burson-Marsteller 'soya beans / biotechnology' to pacify the storm
at=A0 the
>consumer front.
>
>A defensive and many times offensive reception by the consumer is
the=A0 last
>thing the global conglomerates need to raise and establish
>gene-technology. This is why the consumer attitude has to be changed:
the
>skeptic, critical attitude, well founded worry and open refusal
against
>genetically manipulated food and the unrestricted use of
genetically
>manipulated plants - we call it brain washing.
>
>A public relations (PR) strategy paper of Burson-Marsteller found its
way
>into the offices of Greenpeace e.V., Hamburg. Ursel Fuchs reports:
"It
>will be the main focus to change the public opinion about the
Biotech
>industry - from simple acceptance to absolute enthusiasm!" (Lutz
Mn
>ller-Kuhrt, Analyticon AG, Berlin in "Meeting the needs of the
life
>science industry", Ernest & Young, business
consultants)
>
>But the enthusiasm is mediocre in Germany, specially for genefood:
about
>80% of Germans find that gene technology should not be used; Austria=A0
voted
>in a referendum in spring 1997 against the free use of=A0 transgenic
plants
>and no gentech food. In Bavaria a referendum has=A0 been started to
label
>gene-tech free food as such. It is clear that the=A0 gentech industry
has
>some image problem.
>
>Its not that they talk of crusades to establish gene technology,
but
>rather of not to leave the consumer an option to choose. The big ones
of
>the gentech industry feel encouraged from getting the=20
Novel-food
>regulations so perfectly dished up by the politicians of the
European
>Parliament, which gives them unrestricted chances to market
genetically
>manipulated living beings.
>
>The 600 companies of the biotechnology and gene technology, amongst
them
>all chemical and pharma enterprises of rank and name plus eleven=A0
national
>research groups, founded EuropaBio, the European association of=A0
biotech
>companies. The mission of this conglomerate which has a balance=A0
sheet
>total of over 500 billion US $ is, according to their internet=A0 home
page,
>"to create a favourable climate for bio - and gene=A0
technology".
>
>"First, EuropaBio works with regional and national politicians
and=A0 policy
>makers to create an environment of regulations and laws in which=A0 the
bio
>industry of Europe can grow and expand" explain the biotech=A0
companies.
>
>They present very self confident EuropaBio as the source of
information:
>its offices sends continuously PR reports to all member companies
and
>decision makers. At the same time they regard themselves as pipeline
to
>channel information into the media to "strengthen the public
opinion=A0 about
>the advantages, the success and the potential of the biotech=A0
industry."
>Such a mission is in the gray area between paid advertisement=A0 and
news
>publications, which the public takes quickly for the bare=A0 truth. New
is
>here the concentration of power and the financial muscle=A0 of the
giants.
>
>EuropaBio has all companies of rank and name in the global monopoly
of
>gene technology behind it - here only a few: Hoffmann-La Roche,
Novartis
>(created from a merger of Ciba Geigy and Sandoz), Bayer,
Rhone-Poulenc,
>Monsanto, Novo Nordisk, Smith Kline Beecham, Royal Gist B
rocades,
>Hoechst, Nestle, Zeneca, Genzyme Europe .. and many more.
>
>The B&M strategy paper which found its way to Greenpeace shows
which
>resistance strategies make the gene technology vulnerable:
mainly
>information about the danger to health and the environment and
profit
>motivation. The experts warn the industry to avoid these
"killing=A0 fields"
>and to circumvent them. They suggest to have the politicians=A0
represent the
>industry interest very innocently.
>
>The paper shows in detail how the acceptance of gene products by
the
>public shall be constructed. The reader, spectator or listener must
be=A0 fed
>with "advantage for the consumer", combined with symbols
which=A0 suggest
>hope, satisfaction, care and self esteem. This is in line with=A0
the
>guideline (of B&M): "perceptions are realities"
>
>Information for the press are to be styled carefully, specially
amongst
>others also for private stations, so that the media functions like a
new
>marketing instrument. This shall prevent the media being a forum
for
>serious discussion to shed light on the use of gene technology and
its
>impact on the future of the society.
>
>"To achieve the desired change in the public perception the
industry
>should refrain to present itself as its own attorney - this may work
in
>politics, but out of experience not in the case of public perception
of
>the industry." warn the PR experts. "In the past the
industry behaved=A0 like
>a 'murder with an axe who has to hide something'. This campaign=A0
should
>change that image." says Peter Linton, the speaker of=A0
Burson-Marsteller in
>Brussels in an interview with "The Guardian" on 6.=A0 August
97.
>
>"They believed they would bring good news, but to their surprise
they
>realized that their products were considered contaminated." he
added.
>
>"Because deep rooted suspicion of possible risks are deadly for
every
>product, it's important to assure first the politicians that the
products
>are save" suggest the advertiser. This includes the knowledge
that the
>public is typical European, which means that the public is
considerably
>more suspicious towards official statements than the public in the
USA.
>
>"Tell good stories instead of dishing up facts", because
fact based
>arguments have not the desired news value. On the other hand a good=A0
story
>goes around the world in minutes.
>
>"Use symbols instead of logic!" is a further tip, which
shows how they
>rate the grown-up consumer. B&M advises strongly to speak about
the
>products and its advantages instead of technologies, using product=A0
stories
>with the people profiting in the foreground instead of the=A0
advantage: the
>advantage must be shown in persons profiting.
>
>"Recent studies show that Europeans are generally more open to=A0
information
>that new, genetically altered plants need less chemicals ...=A0 so it
is
>essential and perfectly realizable that these new breeds are=A0
presented to
>the European public as environment friendly and therefore=A0 more
wanted than
>the conventional field products."
>
>With such strategies shall EuropaBio according to the plans of their=A0
ghost
>writers become the most reliable, best and most competent source=A0
of
>information for the journalists. "who can source practical,
friendly=A0 to
>the editor stories, timely and fitting for the readership, and
not
>propaganda for the industry."
>
>For the first EuropaBio conference end of June 97 in Amsterdam the
media
>presence had to be avoided: this would give the gentech opponents
the
>opportunity to be screened on TV and would mean that "We would
prepare=A0 the
>meal and Greenpeace would eat it..."
>
>Greenpeace is apparently a feared opponent of the gentech industry
with
>its shopping basket campaign (Einkaufskorb-Kampagne:
>http://www.greenpeace.de)
>
>National campaigns to advance the gentech acceptance plan ambitious=A0
public
>information campaigns. "Greenpeace people must be called to=A0
order" demands
>Harry Walter (68), advertising manager from Krefeld, who=A0 planned
for
>decades the political campaigns of the SPD (Socialist Party=A0 of
Germany).
>This campaign should be started with the assistance of=A0 seven
professors
>from Germany, Switzerland and Austria; amongst them=A0 Hans-Gnnter
Gassen
>(Biotechnologiezentrum Darmstadt), Klaus-Dieter Jany
>(Bundesforschungsanstalt fnr Ern_hrung, Karlsruhe) Volker Pudel
(G=AD
>ttingen) and many more. The campaign shall be financed by the
state,
>province and industry.
>
>And where are the worst opposing Europeans? The priory list of
>Burson-Marsteller ranks first France, then Germany, Italy, Spain,=A0
Belgium,
>The Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark. They have to be convinced=A0
first of
>the advantages of genetically altered plants and food,=A0 according to
the
>calculations of the strategy paper.
>
>What will be implemented the European public will know in the
coming
>months. Nobody should be surprised if not all is about stories in=A0
printed
>media, radio and TV, because "in the American PR business is=A0
established",
>writes the Znricher Wochenzeitung, "that the public action=A0
groups who are
>pro-industry oriented, achieve things which the industry=A0 itself
would
>never have achieved. But top priority: It must not leak out=A0 that the
'Wise
>Use' groups are sponsored by the industry.."
>
>The Propaganda Strategy Paper:
h=
ttp://home.intekom.com/tm_info/geleak1.htm=A0
-
>
>_________________________________________________________
>Richard Wolfson,=A0 PhD
>Consumer Right to Know Campaign,
>for Mandatory Labelling and Long-term
>Testing of all Genetically Engineered Foods,
>500 Wilbrod Street
>Ottawa, ON=A0 Canada=A0 K1N 6N2
>email:=A0 rwolfson@concentric.net
>
>Our website,
http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/geindex.html
>contains more information on genetic engineering.
>
>To receive regular news on genetic engineering and this
>campaign, please send an email message with 'subscribe GE'
>to rwolfson@concentric.net for details. To unsubscribe, send
>the message "unsubscribe"
>__________________________________________________________
>__________________________________________________________
>
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