short, sharp, and right on the point

A clear message from ffinlo costain about myths and facts of carbon offsetting ...

PR grief

There's a story on the wires that three clergymen have 'openly condemned' a new video game about violence and the occult.

At least some of this report on the three clergy's response is fictitious ....

A senior colleague of mine was asked his view by a ‘journalist’ who telephoned; he declined to comment, and he referred her to people in other parts of the Church of England with knowledge of the occult. So his alleged criticism of the game must therefore be a figment of her (or someone else’s) imagination.

It subsequently turned out that the "journalist" is associated in some way with the PR company promoting the game ~ who are now publishing a carefully-phrased statement by a spokesman of the video company, "responding" to the clergy and slagging off 'religious people' (meaning the church).

Certainly my colleague didn’t make the criticism ascribed to him. Perhaps the video company spokesman never said what he’s quoted as saying either.

It’s all just good PR … isn’t it?

My personal view is that this is carefully constructed, dishonest and manipulative and it's a model of disreputable practice.