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Leeds Students Campaign against PR Company Involvement in the College

Burson-Marsteller, the world's largest PR network, is linking with Leeds Metropolitan University - the largest university provider of public relations education within the UK. As part of the partnership, Burson-Marsteller will provide input into LMU's courses, share research, provide visiting lecturers and offer undergraduate and graduate training programmes. In the summer Harold Burson will be receiving an honourary degree from Leeds Metropolitan University, at a time when most students have gone home.

Members of Leeds Globalise Resistance Collective sent e-mails, last week, to over 200 people on the mailing list (gathered at Globalise Resistance conference in Leeds). Following this, an in depth article appeared in Leeds Student in which some lecturers expressed concern at the proposal. NUS have called an "emergency meeting" on the issue and are going to let the collective know what action they are taking. It is hoped that the campaign will have the support of a wide range of groups within and around the university.

What's Wrong with Burson-Marsteller?
Public Relations companies are said to launder 40% of all news output. Multinational companies increasingly use this "perception management" to enhance their reputations. Burson-Marsteller (B-M) is the world's largest PR firm, with 63 offices in 32 countries and almost $275 million in fee income in 1999. Burson-Marsteller has a particularly bad reputation for representing governments who repeatedly perpetrate human rights abuses:

	The Nigerian government during the Biafran war, to discredit reports of genocide.
	The fascist junta that ruled Argentina during the 70's and early 80's, to attract foreign investment.
	The totalitarian regime of South Korea, to whitewash the human rights situation there during the 1988 Olympics.
	The Indonesian government, which got into power through a CIA-sponsored bloodbath. (It should be pointed out, however, that B-M denies that it is handling the issue of genocide in East Timor)
	Ideological barriers are no object. B-M also represented the late communist Romanian despot Nicolae Ceaucescu.
	Other third world human rights violators that have been represented by B-M include the governments of Singapore and Sri Lanka.

When commenting on his firm's work for Argentina's fascists, B-M founder Harold Burson said: "We regard ourselves as working in the business sector for clear-cut business and economic objectives. So we had nothing to do with a lot of the things that one reads in the paper about Argentina as regards human rights and other activities."

Businesses who have used the services of Burson-Marsteller for "damage limitation" include:

	The Exxon Corporation, following the Exxon-Valdez disaster in Alaska, one of the most devastating oil spillages the world has ever seen.
	Occidental Petroleum, Dow Chemicals and Shell, in 1995, in a legislation battle in California. These chemical corporations are trying to avoid new legislation that would force them to clean the local water supplies of DBCP, a soil fumigant pesticide that causes testicular cancer.
	Union Carbide, to handle the public relations crisis caused by the Bhopal tragedy in 1984.
	Monsanto and Eli Lilly - Biotech companies who have hired B-M to help fight the anti-biotech movement. It is alleged that B-M has paid academics to produce reports saying that products are safe. The companies were advised not to engage in public debate about safety of biotech products.
	SmithKline Beecham - Company owns its own animal testing facilities and has been accused of unnecessary cruelty in housing its animals.
	Dow Corning Corporation - Company produces breast implants. B-M hired to build up public opinion after questions about safety.
	Other clients include: Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Co., Glaxo Wellcome Inc., Government of Mexico, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Jacobs Suchard, McDonald's, The New York Times, Philip Morris, Sara Lee Corp., Unilever plc, The World Bank

B-M are also a threat to free press. In partnership with ITN, B-M runs Corporate Television Networks (CTN) - which uses ITN staff and facilities to make promotional videos for business clients. ITN claims that the two operations are separate, but a recent Guardian investigation found that reporters and television crews switched regularly between them.

Since the demonstrations in Seattle in 1999 a subsidiary of B-M produced an in depth "guide" of all the green/left groups involved, to pass to their clients. It provides details of the organisations involved, their ethos, and details of their organisational structure and leaders. This is a serious attempt to undermine any anti-corporate movement.

Latest News
UNISON members at the university are raising the issue inside their union.

Campaign contact: [email protected]