Center for Organizational Research and Education

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The Center for Organizational Research and Education (CORE) is an American non-profit organization based in Washington, DC under the umbrella of CORE, founded in 1995 under the name Guest Choice Network and named Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) from 2001 to 2014 Numerous projects are run which, according to their own statements , want to “research and educate” about “activist groups” in environmental protection , consumer protection and science . Researchers have repeatedly used the center as a frontline organization for interests u. a. the food industry or fossil energy company .

In its projects, the organization criticizes the work of health authorities, the animal welfare organization PETA , the Humane Society of the United States , Mothers Against Drunk Driving , the American environmental agency EPA and divestment organizations . The Center for Consumer Freedom continues to exist as one of these projects.

Development, Members and Funding

As an American non-profit organization, CORE is not obliged to provide information about its members and donors and, according to its own statements, uses this to hide the origin of donations. Some member companies such as Philip Morris and Coca-Cola have become known through notices to the tax authorities and publications by donors .

The organization formerly known as the Guest Choice Network was founded by the tobacco company Philip Morris International , which provided initial capital of $ 600,000, which was increased by another $ 300,000 the following year. According to an internal communication from the Philip Morris company in 1996, the company was the only donor at the time. The Center for Consumer Freedom is operated by the PR company Berman & Company. In December 1996 it also owned Alliance Gaming (slot machines), Anheuser-Busch (beer), Bruss Company (meat products), Cargill Processed Meat Products , Davidoff (cigars), Harrah's (casinos), Overhill Farms (frozen products), Philip Morris and Standard Meat Company (meat products) among the supporters of the organization. The governing bodies of the organization consisted of representatives from many companies and representatives of the food industry, as well as Carl Vogt as a representative of the law firm Fulbright & Jaworski, James Spector from Philip Morris and John Doyle from the American Beverage Institute .

In 2001 the organization was renamed the Center for Consumer Freedom and - in addition to the topic of tobacco consumption - included the topics of nutrition and beverages as the focus of its activities. The word construct Consumer Freedom is intended to denote the right of consumers "to decide for themselves how they live, what they eat and drink, how they manage their finances and how they enjoy themselves".

In the following years, the organization gained further donors, but was still largely dependent on the financial support of large companies. Tax notices from 2002 to 2005 can be viewed on the Internet. The last available publication for 2005 shows income of $ 3.7 million and expenses of $ 3.8 million (tax-exempt organizations are required to provide certain basic financial information).

For 2005, the organization listed more than 1,000 individuals as members and, according to its director Richard Berman , had 100 member companies. Companies that have confirmed their support for CCF include Coca-Cola , Wendy's , Tyson Foods, and Pilgrim's Pride . In addition to the companies listed, according to published documents, Outback Steakhouse and Cargill are among the other financiers. Pepsi and Kraft Foods have distanced themselves from the methods of the CCF and, according to their own statements, are not involved.

In 2014 the organization was renamed Center for Organizational Research and Education , and the Center for Consumer Freedom campaign continued as one of its projects. She took up the issue of the environment as a further focus and founded a project called the Environmental Policy Alliance .

In 2016, Richard Berman, the president of public relations firm Berman & Company, was the chairman of CORE. According to Media Matters for America , Berman is the director of numerous other organizations that he sets up on behalf of customers and which in turn, layer by layer, form the roof of several front groups and campaigns. These include the Employment Policies Institute (EPI) , the American Beverage Institute (ABI) , Center for Union Facts (CUF), and the Enterprise Freedom Action Committee .

activities

Much of CORE's spending goes on major advertising campaigns (totaled $ 2.2 million in 2005 spend) such as central plaza posters and advertisements in major media outlets like the New York Times . Around $ 850,000 was spent operating the websites in 2005, according to figures.

In a presentation to fossil fuel companies, the content of which was leaked to the press, the director of CORE, Richard Berman, outlined the preferred strategy for his public relations work. It consists in shattering the moral authority of the opponents and branding social and ecological movements as not credible. In addition, it would amount to sowing doubts in the public about the correct political course of action. This would create a "tie" in people's minds. "A tie is enough for me at any time if I want to maintain the status quo."

According to a study on environmental communication, CORE uses mimicry , i.e. deliberate similarities to the enemy , in pursuing its strategy , in order to create confusion and undermine the voices of environmental activists. With its Environmental Policy Alliance campaign , which has the same abbreviation as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) it attacked , CORE uses the PR technique of green scamming .

As of 2016, CORE operated in four subject areas u. a. the following campaigns:

  • Environment: Environmental Policy Alliance, Big Green Radicals, EPA Facts, Green Decoys
  • Consumers: Center for Consumer Freedom, Humane Watch, PETA Kills Animals
  • Science: Center for Accountability in Science
  • Activism: Activist Facts

Center for Consumer Freedom

A substantial part of the CCF's publications deal with food-related issues; For example, it is believed that many foods from large food manufacturers are very healthy and that the use of pesticides does not pose a health risk. The activities of some organizations to reduce the increasing obesity in society and the associated health risk through better nutrition are unpatriotic and directed against freedom. Another part of the activities focuses on the criticism of consumer protection organizations and health authorities (e.g. a campaign against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ), which, according to the CCF, regulate health risks too much and violate freedom with statutory maximum levels of harmful substances would. Richard Berman, the head of the PR agency Berman and Company , which is behind the CCF, pointed out that consumer advocates change consumer behavior in relation to e.g. B. affect fat, sugar and tobacco. It is therefore important to discredit the credibility of the relevant organization.

In addition, CCF also acts against animal rights organizations, in particular against PETA. According to the "PETA kills Animals" website operated by the CCF, PETA would unnecessarily euthanize animals in their care. The animal rights organization itself describes this accusation as a deliberate misrepresentation.

Environmental Policy Alliance

The Environmental Policy Alliance project runs a number of campaign websites, such as biggreenradicals.com and epafacts.com, “to educate the public about environmental activists”. The project spent a good USD 1 million in 2014, more than half of it for advertisements, it took up climate "skeptical" positions and attacked in 2015, among other things with a film called Breaking Up (2015), the strongly increasing influence Divestment movement to undermine their moral credibility.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b About Us: What is the Center for Consumer Freedom? Center for Consumer Freedom, accessed December 4, 2016 .
  2. ^ A b c Center for Organizational Research and Education (CORE). Retrieved December 4, 2016 . , The Center for Consumer Freedom (17-33-72). January 30, 2014, Retrieved December 4, 2016 (letter to the New York Department of Law).
  3. ↑ a b c d Jen Schneider, Steve Schwarze, Peter K. Bsumek, Jennifer Peeples: The Hypocite's Trap . In: Under Pressure (=  Palgrave Studies in Media and Environmental Communication ). Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2016, doi : 10.1057 / 978-1-137-53315-9_5 .
  4. ↑ David S. Egilman et al. a .: Over a Barrel: Corporate Corruption of Science and Its Effects on Workers and the Environment . In: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health . tape 11 , no. 4 , 2005 (special issue of the journal on Corporate Corruption of Science ).
  5. ^ Turning information into action. CORE, accessed on December 4, 2016 : “The Center for Organizational Research and Education (CORE) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit dedicated to research and education about a wide variety of activist groups, exposing their funding, agendas, and tactics "
  6. ↑ Eric Lipton: Hard-Nosed Advice From Veteran Lobbyist: 'Win Ugly or Lose Pretty'. In: New York Times. October 30, 2014, accessed on December 4, 2016 : “'People always ask me one question all the time:' How do I know that I won't be found out as a supporter of what you're doing? ' 'Mr. Berman told the crowd. 'We run all of this stuff through nonprofit organizations that are insulated from having to disclose donors. There is total anonymity. People don't know who supports us. '"
  7. ↑ PR Watch: Letter from Philip Morris attorney Marty Barrington citing initial funding for the CCF ( Memento of March 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) PR Watch, accessed January 30, 2007 .
  8. ↑ SWR2 -Feature / Tom Schimmeck : Spin - Or: The industrialization of opinion production (PDF; 269 kB), January 2011
  9. ^ The Guest Choice Network Supporters; The Guest Choice Network Advisory Panel , December 1, 1996 (English)
  10. ^ A b Caroline E. Mayer and Amy Joyce: The Escalating Obesity Wars Nonprofit's Tactics, Funding Sources Spark Controversy , Washington Post. April 27, 2005.  (English)
  11. ↑ 2002 IRS Form 990 for the Center for Consumer Freedom. (PDF; 792 kB), accessed on January 30, 2007 (English).
  12. ↑ 2003 IRS Form 990 for the Center for Consumer Freedom. (PDF; 1.1 MB), accessed on January 30, 2007 (English).
  13. ↑ 2004 IRS Form 990 for the Center for Consumer Freedom. (PDF; 1.2 MB) accessed on January 30, 2007 (English).
  14. ↑ a b c 2005 IRS Form 990 for the Center for Consumer Freedom. (PDF; 1.7 MB)
  15. ↑ About Us: What is the Center for Consumer Freedom? Center for Consumer Freedom, archived from the original on June 23, 2005 ; Retrieved December 4, 2016 .
  16. ↑ a b c d Warner, Melanie. "Striking Back at the Food Police". New York Times . June 12, 2005, accessed February 11, 2007.
  17. ↑ Barton, Paul. "Poultry firms side with lobbyist in PR battle with animal-welfare group." ( January 31, 2009 memento on the Internet Archive ) Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . September 22, 2003, accessed February 12, 2007.
  18. ↑ James Gerken: 'Environmental Policy Alliance,' PR Firm Front Group, Targets LEED, Green Groups And EPA. In: Huffington Post . July 3, 2014, accessed December 4, 2016 .
  19. ^ Ari Rabin-Havt, Media Matters for America: Die Lügen-AG: How an entire industry creates "alternative facts" and thus influences our politics . Plassen, 2017, ISBN 978-3-86470-504-5 .
  20. ^ Paul Krugman: Girth of a Nation , New York Times , July 4, 2005
  21. ↑ cf. Listed on Sourcewatch: CCF selected campaigns
  22. ^ Charles Bernstein The Zealot: Freedom of choice advocate Rick Berman preaches about DUI limits, the minimum wage and health care in the name of food service. ( Memento of May 4, 2001 in the Internet Archive ), Chain Leader, December 1999
  23. ↑ "PETA kills Animals"
  24. ↑ PetaTöttiere.de ( reply from PETA)

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