Phil Elwood

And there was a series of efforts to get astroturf organizations and academics to argue that the mercury in tuna The molecule was too large to cross the blood-brain barrier. Something about the difference between ethyl and methylmercury.

And there was a series of efforts to get astroturf organizations and academics to argue that the mercury in tuna The molecule was too large to cross the blood-brain barrier. Something about the difference between ethyl and methylmercury.

Really, I'm not a biochemist, so I shouldn't have been talking about this at all, but, you know, used it to kind of push the agenda that they should eat more tuna. And shortly thereafter, we were caught by the New York Times, who wrote an expose on this PR firm's efforts to do this. And it was quite embarrassing. And I left the firm shortly thereafter.

Really, I'm not a biochemist, so I shouldn't have been talking about this at all, but, you know, used it to kind of push the agenda that they should eat more tuna. And shortly thereafter, we were caught by the New York Times, who wrote an expose on this PR firm's efforts to do this. And it was quite embarrassing. And I left the firm shortly thereafter.

Yes, that was part of it. It was an honorarium is what they called it.

Yes, that was part of it. It was an honorarium is what they called it.

Let's start with what a grassroots organization is. A grassroots organization is an organization built up of people who all have a common political alignment. So something like the One Campaign or the NRA is a grassroots organization. An Astroturf organization, by contrast, is a fake grassroots organization.

Let's start with what a grassroots organization is. A grassroots organization is an organization built up of people who all have a common political alignment. So something like the One Campaign or the NRA is a grassroots organization. An Astroturf organization, by contrast, is a fake grassroots organization.

Generally, it's a tax filing in Delaware with a bank account and the ability to issue press releases. And there is no grassroots support. It's all fake. So that's hence the term AstroTurf.

Generally, it's a tax filing in Delaware with a bank account and the ability to issue press releases. And there is no grassroots support. It's all fake. So that's hence the term AstroTurf.

They were one of these kind of in-between, half legitimate, half paid by industry organizations. But yes, they were mentioned in the New York Times article as being paid off by the Tuna Foundation.

They were one of these kind of in-between, half legitimate, half paid by industry organizations. But yes, they were mentioned in the New York Times article as being paid off by the Tuna Foundation.

Exactly. That's what they do. They put together names that sound completely benign.

Exactly. That's what they do. They put together names that sound completely benign.

Sure. I mean, it's like I was talking about before. I have to remain kind of the invisible hand behind what's going on in the story. And so it's a little like a Rube Goldberg machine sometimes. So you get a ball moving that runs into something else that causes something else to happen that causes a fire to light that causes the end result.

Sure. I mean, it's like I was talking about before. I have to remain kind of the invisible hand behind what's going on in the story. And so it's a little like a Rube Goldberg machine sometimes. So you get a ball moving that runs into something else that causes something else to happen that causes a fire to light that causes the end result.

So that's a little bit of what I do is plan these things out and think about how to use news coverage to influence outcomes in the real world.

So that's a little bit of what I do is plan these things out and think about how to use news coverage to influence outcomes in the real world.

Every news story has three elements, a villain, a victim, and a vindicator. The idea isn't to turn your client into the hero most of the time. It's to find a better villain. So if you can switch your client from being the villain to the vindicator or the victim rather than the villain, you're in a very good position. One of the things we talk about is don't be the slowest gazelle.

Every news story has three elements, a villain, a victim, and a vindicator. The idea isn't to turn your client into the hero most of the time. It's to find a better villain. So if you can switch your client from being the villain to the vindicator or the victim rather than the villain, you're in a very good position. One of the things we talk about is don't be the slowest gazelle.