In more than 30 climate cases making their way through U.S. courts today, oil companies are using an argument they've been laying the legal groundwork for since the 1970s: that since everything they've ever said about climate change was in the

Herb, Ep 2: A Legal Strategy

Aug 1st, 2023 30m 32s

Worried that all their work creating Mobil's personality and a multi-pronged issue advertising campaign to go with it would go to waste if the TV networks deemed it all "propaganda" Herb and his boss looked to the courts for protection. In this

Herb, Ep 1: The Panic

Jul 21st, 2023 34m 55s

In the 1970s, Mobil Oil had invented the advertorial and was aggressively pursuing an entirely new type of marketing, branding the company as a person with a unique personality and opinions that deserved to be heard. When public backlash threat

S1 Ep6 | How a Standard Oil PR Guy Shaped Post-War America

Dec 7th, 2021 35m 48s

In 1944 the greatest threat to American industry wasn't World War II, it was convincing Americans to fall back in love with free-market capitalism after having experienced government systems that actually worked for the greater good. In the sea

S1 Ep5 | Fun with Front Groups

Nov 30th, 2021 27m 50s

Astroturfing—the creation of fake grassroots groups to agitate for pro-business policies—has been a favorite tactic of industries and companies trying to avoid regulation for decades. In this episode we take a look at some of the greatest hits.

S1 Ep4 | The Birth of SponCon

Nov 16th, 2021 29m 59s

The legendary Herb Schmertz, VP of Mobil Oil, worked with PBS and The New York Times to invent sponsored content—sponcon—back in the 1960s.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S1 Ep3 | A Tie Is A Win

Nov 9th, 2021 35m 51s

The tactic of science denial is fairly well known these days. In this episode, we dig into a lesser-known aspect: the PR strategy behind science denial, and the origins and architects of that strategy.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me

S1 Ep2 | Ye Olde Crisis Actor Myth

Nov 2nd, 2021 23m 34s

You could be forgiven for thinking the crisis actor myth was cooked up by Alex Jones to sell people on school shooting conspiracies, but in fact it's more than a century old. In this episode we meet the world's first publicist, the legendary Iv

S1 Ep1 | Fake Experts and Real Bacon

Oct 26th, 2021 30m 22s

In this episode we'll meet the godfathers of American PR, Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays, and explore the origins and evolution of industry-funded experts who shaped everything from the breakfast table to our understanding of the economy and scienc

Welcome to Rigged

Sep 28th, 2021 3m 31s

Introducing Rigged: A podcast documenting the history and evolution of disinformation in America.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices