Thursday, October 29, 2009

Voter Apathy Lends Itself To Con Games

Terence Corcoran: Dirty wind-power war
Posted: October 28, 2009, 10:53 PM by NP Editor

How public relations can drive public policy

By Terence Corcoran

W

hen industries look for government subsidies for money-losing propositions, a common business model these days, one of the most important strategic elements is to make sure you have a well-oiled public relations machine to keep the facts from getting in the way. Voters don’t like to back money-losers, which means keeping them steadily misinformed or at least confused.

Renewable energy industries — wind, solar, biomass, human treadmills — have a particularly tough job. In North America, where so-called green energy companies and electric utilities are on the brink of receiving uncountable billions in direct subsidies and zillions in indirect subsidies via higher electricity prices, the PR effort is in full swing.

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