1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 1: If you're going to do the job properly, you have 2 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: to find unconventional ways to communicate to the public. It's 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: not a question of convincing the press of anything, it's 4 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 1: a question of convincing the public. 5 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 2: Keeping with our mad Men theme this season, Ivy Lee 6 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,320 Speaker 2: was the father of public relations, the Burt Cooper, if 7 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 2: you will, and Daniel Edelman was the Roger Sterling. He 8 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 2: took Lee's foundation and spun it into a whole psyops operation, 9 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 2: using a combination of human psychology and a bit of 10 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 2: the old razzle dazzle to schmooze legislators, trick the media, 11 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 2: and keep big tobacco and oil clients happy. Herb Schmertz, 12 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 2: that guy you heard of top, was the don Draper, 13 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 2: Slick and handsome, always with an expensive suit. He was 14 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 2: the smartest guy in the room and mostly thought that 15 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 2: both journalists and other PR guys were idiots. Schmertz is 16 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 2: the guy who really turned media into another propaganda tool 17 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 2: for the fossil fuel industry. He ran PR for Mobile 18 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 2: Oil from nineteen sixty nine to nineteen eighty eight and 19 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 2: became a master of media manipulation. Schmertz didn't just focus 20 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 2: on placing particular stories he said about fundamentally changing the 21 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 2: relationship between corporations and the media. To Schmirtz, the press 22 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 2: was more of an obstacle between him and the public, 23 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 2: or mobile and policymakers. 24 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: And to do the job properly, you have to really 25 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: go around the press, or beyond the press, or against 26 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: the press to get a story up so that the 27 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: public focus is on it, not the press. If you're 28 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: just going to limit yourself to getting the press to 29 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: focus on you're not doing the entire job. 30 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 2: All of our mad men seemed to forever be just 31 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 2: one step ahead of the press and their ability to 32 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 2: establish oil as such an essential part of American life 33 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 2: that you couldn't really question it, to the point where 34 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 2: for a long time journalist didn't even question it. Is 35 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 2: a big part of how it became so easy later 36 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 2: to spread climate denial and delay climate action. I'm Amy Westervelt, 37 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 2: and this is Drilled. Season three, The mad Men of 38 00:01:55,440 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 2: Climate Denial Oil Industry pr began in part as a 39 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 2: response to journalists. Remember Ida Tarbell from our first couple episodes, Well, 40 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 2: she wasn't the only muckraker with the oil tycoons in 41 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 2: her sits By the time Schmirtz came around, Ivy Lee 42 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,800 Speaker 2: and Daniel Edelman had definitely messed with the media's minds. 43 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 2: But Schmertz, maybe more than any of these guys, fundamentally 44 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 2: changed the structure of media in a way that really 45 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 2: opened up the floodgates for disinformation. He invented the advertorial 46 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 2: for a start. He also invented issue advertising, which is 47 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 2: now the only type of advertising the oil industry does. 48 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 2: You'd think all they do is farm algae and research 49 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 2: carbon capture and worry about climate change if you only 50 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 2: paid attention to their ads. America is built on diverse views, different. 51 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:51,119 Speaker 1: Ways of doing the same thing. 52 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 3: Well, we all agree we need climate solutions while meeting 53 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 3: our rise and demand for cleaner energy. 54 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 2: Schmertz also bullied journalists into Coveringgoyle's side of the story, 55 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 2: and he encouraged his peers to do the same, which 56 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 2: sadly worked really well. And he lobbied for corporate First 57 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 2: Amendment rights and against any media regulations that would make 58 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 2: it harder for him to use the press as a tool. 59 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 2: Schmertz's contributions to the art of spin are so vast. 60 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 2: We're going to bring you his story in two parts. 61 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 2: But like so many of the rest of our mad 62 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:27,399 Speaker 2: Men this season, Schmertz began his career in military intelligence, 63 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 2: and that's where we'll pick up. Known during his heyday 64 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 2: for dapper suits, cigars, and generally being something of a 65 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 2: dandy for the first half of his life, Herb Schmertz 66 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 2: seemed more destined to be Secretary of Labor than a 67 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: famous pr guy. Unlike Ivy Lee and Daniel Edelman, Schmertz 68 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 2: started out as a lawyer, not a journalist. After graduating 69 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 2: from Columbia Law School in nineteen fifty five, Schmertz was 70 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 2: drafted into the Army. 71 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 4: French and Vietnam Forces advance under cover of a heavy 72 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 4: Barra Jana Delta region of northern Indo China. 73 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 2: Vietnam War was just beginning, and given his law background, 74 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 2: Schmertz was sent straight to work in counterintelligence in Washington, 75 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 2: d c. After two years there, it was back to 76 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 2: law for Schmertz. Labor law. Following in the footsteps of 77 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 2: his older brother. In nineteen sixty, Schmertz signed on to 78 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 2: work for JFK's campaign. 79 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: Canty, do you. 80 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:35,840 Speaker 3: Want a Mahad for President? 81 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 5: Who's season through and threw? 82 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 2: But that he was a Democrat and idealist, and he 83 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,039 Speaker 2: helped the campaign with voter registration and reaching out to 84 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,159 Speaker 2: special groups, including labor and various ethnic communities in New York. 85 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 2: As a thank you for his campaign work, Schmirtz was 86 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 2: made General counsel for the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, 87 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 2: a government agency tasked with mediating big labor disputes in 88 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 2: the country. Four years later, Schmurtz was back back in 89 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 2: private practice, but still consulting regularly for the government. 90 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 6: Dogs The whole length of the Eastern Gulf coasts lie 91 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 6: as idle as these in New York when sixty thousand 92 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 6: long shoremen staged a stunningly unexpected strike. 93 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,480 Speaker 2: When longshoreman from Maine to Texas went on strike in 94 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 2: nineteen sixty four, it was Herb Schmertz that President Johnson 95 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 2: called in for help. When he went to work for Mobile, 96 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 2: Schmertz was actually still working in labor. He handled the 97 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 2: company's labor relations for five years, but his background in 98 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 2: law and political campaigning, combined with his relationships with various 99 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 2: labor unions, made Schmirtz an even greater, if unexpected fit 100 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 2: for the company's public affairs office. By this point, nineteen 101 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 2: sixty nine. Raleig Warner was Mobile's CEO. He wanted Mobile, 102 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:54,840 Speaker 2: which always seemed to be playing catch up to Exxon, 103 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 2: to be more of a visible player in the industry. 104 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,480 Speaker 2: Schmertz had a lot of ideas on that front, starting 105 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 2: with the idea of humanizing Mobile, giving the company a 106 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 2: personality complete with ideas that needed to be shared. Here. 107 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 2: He is much later in life describing his strategy. 108 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:15,359 Speaker 5: Well, it was multifasceted. It was a personality where we 109 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 5: believe very strongly about the importance of public policies. Secondly, 110 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 5: we believe fervently that it was custodians of vast resources 111 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 5: and employment every else that we were not doing our 112 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 5: job if we did not participate in the marketplace of ideas. 113 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 5: Third part of our personality was we believed in a 114 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 5: democracy is composed of a group of free institutions. We 115 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 5: believe in free markets, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, 116 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 5: academic freedom, freedom to organize and participate in union activities. 117 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 2: Schmertz believed that freedom of speech was a right that 118 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 2: corporations should have just as much as individuals. Sound familiar. 119 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 2: One of his first moves was to share Mobile away 120 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 2: from just advertising you know, gas and toward what came 121 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:08,359 Speaker 2: to be known as issue advertising. If you hear an 122 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 2: oil company ad today, it's almost always about an issue. 123 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 2: Consider this Exon Mobile carbon capture ad. 124 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:19,559 Speaker 7: For example, Energy is a complex challenge. People want power, 125 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 7: and power clients account for more than a third of 126 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 7: energy related to carbon emissions. The challenge is to capture 127 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 7: the emissions before they're released into the atmosphere. Exce On 128 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 7: Mobile is a leader in carbon capture. Our team is 129 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 7: working to make this technology better, more affordable, so we 130 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 7: can reduce emissions around the world. 131 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 5: That's what we're working. 132 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 8: On right now. 133 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 2: They don't even mention that Exon Mobile has a consumer 134 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:44,760 Speaker 2: product you can buy. You wouldn't know from this commercial 135 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 2: that they even supply gas stations. That all started with 136 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 2: Herb Schmirtz, but he didn't stop there. In nineteen seventy, 137 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 2: when The New York Times opened up its op ed 138 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 2: pages to advertising for the first time, Schmertz developed a 139 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:01,679 Speaker 2: new kind of ad the advertise. He wanted mobiles ads 140 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 2: to be just as smart and provocative as any editorial 141 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,119 Speaker 2: that might appear in the section. Otherwise. He hired legit 142 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 2: writers to write them, and eventually ran them every week 143 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 2: for decades. They ran the gamut, from squawking about taxes 144 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 2: to complaining about the media to unexpected takes in favor 145 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 2: of public transit. Schmertz talked about one of his editorials 146 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,680 Speaker 2: on the PBS show The Open Mind. 147 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 3: Thanks for joining me today, quite pleasure to be here, Dick. 148 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 3: I want to turn as quickly as possible to a 149 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 3: new fairy tale. The mobile ad or op ed piece 150 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 3: or editorial call of what you will that you're on 151 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 3: pference pamphlets, but they appear in newspaper. 152 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 2: Yes, a new kind of fairy tale was the title 153 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:47,839 Speaker 2: of Schmertz's latest advertorial before this show, and it criticized 154 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 2: PBS for running a film that stereotyped Saudi Arabians. It was, 155 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 2: of course, in mobiles interest to be seen as a 156 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 2: friend and staunch defender of Saudi Arabia at this point 157 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:01,199 Speaker 2: in time, in particular, the company was incre seeing its profits, 158 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 2: mainly by expanding its development and production in Saudi Arabia. 159 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,880 Speaker 3: But at the end your conclusion in the ad, we 160 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 3: hope that the management of the Public Broadcasting Service will 161 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:14,439 Speaker 3: review its decision to run this film, meaning you hope 162 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 3: they wouldn't run it, Well, this is art, I review 163 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 3: it and exercise responsible judgment in the light of what 164 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 3: is in the best interest of. 165 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 6: The United States. 166 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:27,280 Speaker 3: Do you think they did exercise responsible judgment? I think 167 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,839 Speaker 3: they did a better job after this ad appeared than 168 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 3: the otherwise would there were points of view taking very 169 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 3: opposite to those that. 170 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 8: You've just expressed. 171 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, that's what the hall thing is about, is 172 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 3: to get all the. 173 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 5: Points of view on the table. 174 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:46,679 Speaker 2: Of course, that advertorial is also coming from a corporation 175 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 2: that happened to be spending a small fortune to underwrite 176 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 2: programming on PBS, so it wasn't necessarily the harmless sharing 177 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,680 Speaker 2: of ideas that Schmertz makes it out to be there 178 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:00,840 Speaker 2: and really no advertorials were the orment Smart said to 179 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 2: influence the influencers, and the company thought it worked. In 180 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 2: various documents and speeches, Schmertz referred to how they helped 181 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 2: shape the discourse on key issues to the company and 182 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 2: establish Mobile as the thinking Man's oil company. In a 183 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 2: long buried briefing that we found called the Corporations and 184 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,560 Speaker 2: the First Amendment that Schmertz wrote for the American Management 185 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 2: Association in nineteen seventy eight, he explains why he chose 186 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 2: The New York Times for these ads. He writes, quote, 187 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,160 Speaker 2: The Times was chosen because it is published in the 188 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:36,959 Speaker 2: nation's leading population, communications and business center, because it has 189 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 2: a highly intelligent, vocal, sophisticated readership, and because it reaches 190 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 2: legislators and other government officials. In short, it was the 191 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,320 Speaker 2: paper most likely to reach the largest number of opinion 192 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:52,040 Speaker 2: leaders and decision makers. Schmertz also talked about the program 193 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 2: as a great success. In this briefing, Mobil found that 194 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,040 Speaker 2: the medium worked. He writes, the messages stimulated discussion among 195 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 2: influentials on both sides of the issue, exactly what the 196 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 2: company had set out to do. In a document uncovered 197 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 2: by Kurt Davies and the Climate Investigation Center, Schmertz goes 198 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 2: one step further. Here's Davies to explain. 199 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 8: They talk about having influenced The New York Times editorial viewpoints, 200 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 8: and the document says quote, our analysis shows that The 201 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:25,679 Speaker 8: Times has altered or significantly softened its viewpoints on conservation, 202 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 8: moving from a total reliance on conservation to advocating increased 203 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 8: production incentives to solve the supply shortage. On monopoly and divestiture, 204 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 8: moving from approving the breakup of the oil companies to 205 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 8: opposing divestiture on something called decontrol, moving from opposing decontrol 206 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 8: to urging phase deregulation on natural gas, moving from urging 207 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:53,240 Speaker 8: price controls to endorsing a speed up of deregulation and 208 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 8: decontrol of new gas prices and coal. Moving from advocating 209 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 8: strict environmental safeguards to suggesting more relaxed controls on offshore drilling, 210 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 8: moving from valuing environmental concerns at the expensive exploration and 211 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 8: development to urging accelerated offshore drilling. And on gas hall, 212 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 8: which is another name for ethanol, moving from increased subsidies 213 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:20,760 Speaker 8: for GasHole production from grain to arguing against such subsidies. 214 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 8: So they're tallying how they have affected the viewpoints of 215 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 8: the New York Times on conservation, monopoly, indovestiture, decontrol, natural gas, coal, 216 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,719 Speaker 8: offshore drilling, and gaso hall, all things that they had 217 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:34,960 Speaker 8: written up eds on. 218 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:38,320 Speaker 2: Now. Of course, any pr gay worth his salt is 219 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 2: always going to claim more success and more credit for 220 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:43,600 Speaker 2: that success than he might be due. But the important 221 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,440 Speaker 2: thing here is that the goal of the advertorials was 222 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 2: to influence key decision makers. Harvard's science historian Jeffrey Souprn 223 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:54,199 Speaker 2: has studied these advertorials at lengths no doubt. 224 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,360 Speaker 6: The solcial fear industry has been very effective at one thing, 225 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 6: presenting it so, you know, in terms of owners rather 226 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 6: than just the corporation. 227 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 2: He says, you can't even tell the difference. 228 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:08,720 Speaker 6: Anymore, embedding themselves into our culture and our society and 229 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 6: our media in an increasingly instidious way that makes it 230 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:18,560 Speaker 6: hard to discern when you are being advertised to versus 231 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 6: you know, you're simply being sort of reprogrammed to see 232 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 6: the world and society in a slightly different way. 233 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 2: Mobile was convinced enough that its advertorial strategy worked to 234 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 2: keep running them weekly in the Times for decades. It 235 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 2: was even a program that Exxon kept going after it 236 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 2: acquired Mobile. 237 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:41,200 Speaker 6: Mobile and Examobile have pioneered if you're advertising for decades 238 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:45,000 Speaker 6: on frankly, climate change, in every other topic of political 239 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 6: concern to them. They've been open and forthright about this, 240 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:54,719 Speaker 6: even in some of their advertorials themselves. They literally invented 241 00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 6: modern opinion advertorials, and as you know, they've taken out 242 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:02,319 Speaker 6: about one in four of all the avatos have ever 243 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 6: appeared in on the open page of the New York Times. 244 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 2: Jeffrey has an accent, and this was a phone interview, 245 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 2: so I just want to make sure you heard that, 246 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,560 Speaker 2: he said. One in four so twenty five percent of 247 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:16,880 Speaker 2: all advertorials that have ever run in the New York 248 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 2: Times op ed pages were commissioned by Mobile or Exon Mobile. 249 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 6: Political scientists studying these avators have described this campaign as 250 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 6: powering over all other competitors in its share volume and expands. 251 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 2: Exon Mobile doesn't run its advertorials anymore, but it's moved 252 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 2: on to the latest iteration campaigns made by the New 253 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 2: York Times itself. Yeah, let that sink in for a minute. 254 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 2: It's not the newsroom, it's the brand studio that the 255 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 2: New York Times created. But still it's the same company 256 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 2: that puts out the New York Times newspaper, making oil 257 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 2: companies ads for them. See if you can spot a 258 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 2: bit of the Schmertz magic here. In nineteen seventy eight, 259 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 2: he said the goal of Mobile's advertorial campaig was to 260 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 2: quote stimulate discussion among influentials. In twenty twenty, the New 261 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 2: York Times brand studio websites tagline is quote stories that 262 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:13,760 Speaker 2: influence the influential. Here's a campaign they did for Exon 263 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 2: Mobile last year, highlighting the company's Algae biofuel program. 264 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 4: These vibrant green dots microscopic living organisms are algae. 265 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 2: Look closely. 266 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,280 Speaker 4: Algae grows almost everywhere from murky ponds too out in 267 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 4: the ocean, and scientists recognize its potential to change our 268 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 4: energy future. The goal to one day fuel. 269 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 2: Arch Again, the brand studio is separate from the newsroom. 270 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 2: There's a definite firewall between advertising and editorial. And every 271 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 2: time I talk about these campaigns, New York Times reporters 272 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 2: bristle at the idea that they are being accused of 273 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 2: being manipulated or influenced by industry. That is not an 274 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:57,880 Speaker 2: accusation that I'm making. Whether they are or aren't influenced 275 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 2: is not really the point. It's not even the goal 276 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 2: of these campaigns. The goal is to reach and influence 277 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 2: certain types of readers, opinion makers, influencers, policymakers, and to 278 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 2: wrap the industry's messages in the cloak of credibility provided 279 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,160 Speaker 2: by The New York Times or the Washington Post, which 280 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 2: also does this. Last year, the Post ran a series 281 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,720 Speaker 2: of stories that its brand studio created for the American 282 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 2: Petroleum Institute, all about how quote natural gas and oil 283 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 2: are helping to deliver a sustainable fuel mix. These campaigns 284 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:33,840 Speaker 2: are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for 285 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 2: newspapers at a time when the business model for journalism 286 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 2: has never been more strained. And when you ask for 287 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 2: proposals on them, as I did, ad salespeople start offering 288 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 2: all kinds of things. You could place content they write 289 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 2: for you in the climate section. You can peg it 290 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 2: to keywords like climate change and make sure it's a 291 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 2: suggested next read on any related news story. In twenty twenty, 292 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 2: influence doesn't look like an oil tycoon in a top 293 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 2: showing up at your desk to twirl his mustache and 294 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 2: tell you to spike a story. It looks like readers 295 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:10,119 Speaker 2: being fed a bunch of oil propaganda before after and 296 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:14,440 Speaker 2: right next to your legit climate reporting. We have Herb 297 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:17,639 Speaker 2: Schmertz to think for that. But at this point we 298 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 2: can't just blame Schmirtz. The media has to look at 299 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 2: its role in all of this too. After all, propaganda 300 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 2: can't exist without a delivery mechanism, and while media was 301 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 2: an unwitting pawn of the industry for quite some time. 302 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:34,840 Speaker 2: It's been quite a while since media figured out what 303 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 2: exactly the industry was up to. We're going to talk 304 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 2: about that and the media's responsibility in a future episode, 305 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,919 Speaker 2: but first we're going to finish up Schmertz's story and 306 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,120 Speaker 2: hear a little bit about all the other things he 307 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 2: did for the oil industry and for pr in general, 308 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 2: including suggesting for the first time that companies don't actually 309 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 2: have to be nice to journalists. In fact, Schmertz got 310 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 2: a lot more out of bullying them. We'll also dig 311 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 2: into that PBS under writing I mentioned before, the entire 312 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:05,679 Speaker 2: network Spirts created for mobile, and how he ended up 313 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 2: being one of the most influential men in British television. 314 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:13,879 Speaker 2: All that and even more next time. We'll see you then. 315 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:26,119 Speaker 2: Drilled is part of the Critical Frequency podcast Network. The 316 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 2: show is reported, written and produced by me Amy Westerwald. 317 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,600 Speaker 2: Julia Richie is our editor. Our managing producer is Katie Ross. 318 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,959 Speaker 2: She also created this season's incredible artwork, sound design, scoring 319 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:42,600 Speaker 2: and mixing by b Beeman. Riga Murphy is our editorial advisor. 320 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 2: Miamula Schawnce is our fact Checker special thanks to Richard 321 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:49,679 Speaker 2: Wiles and to our First Amendment Attorney James Wheaton and 322 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:53,200 Speaker 2: the First Amendment Project. Drilled is made possible in part 323 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:55,879 Speaker 2: by a generous grant from the Institute for Governance and 324 00:18:55,960 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 2: Sustainable Development. We appreciate their support. You can find Drilled 325 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 2: on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. 326 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:07,280 Speaker 2: Don't forget to leave us a rating, a review. It 327 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 2: really helps the show. And you can follow us on 328 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 2: Twitter now at we are Drilled and visit our new 329 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:18,359 Speaker 2: website drillednews dot com for climate accountability, reporting, newsletters, and 330 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 2: behind the scenes stories from this season. Thanks for listening 331 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:22,880 Speaker 2: and we'll see you next time.