Misleading the Public - Campaigns of Deception

Center for Public Accountability in Tobacco Control

The excerpt shown below from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' April 7, 2005 letter to Congress supporting the proposed FDA tobacco legislation suggests to Congressmembers that the legislation would provide the FDA with authority to regulate tobacco products which is "similar to the authority it has over other products."

There's just one problem: the proposed legislation does not grant to FDA the same authority that it has over the regulation of other products, such as food and drugs. In fact, its authority under the proposed legislation is fundamentally different.

For food and drugs, FDA is given the authority to ensure the safety of the product. For tobacco, the proposed legislation does not give FDA authority to ensure the safety of tobacco products.

The letter misrepresents the nature of the legislation in a profound way. It is one example of a larger campaign of deception being waged by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in support of its favored policy - a policy which, by the way, is also favored by Philip Morris.

For more details on the deceptive approach being used by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in support of the Philip Morris-supported FDA tobacco legislation, see the following links:

Why the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' Campaign of Deception on the FDA Bill is So Unethical

Partners for Effective Tobacco Policy Coalition Sends Deceptive Letter to Congress

In Calling for FDA Legislation to Reduce Nicotine Addiction, Anti-Smoking Organization is Full of It; And Devoid of Integrity

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Continues to Deceive the American People on FDA Tobacco Legislation

Faith Leaders Appear to Be Hoodwinked by FDA Tobacco Legislation; Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' Campaign of Deception Appears to Be Working

Another Youth Anti-Smoking Group Supporting Special Protections for Philip Morris; Unethical Tactics of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids At Work?

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Again Suggests that Big Tobacco Opposes FDA Tobacco Legislation; Misleading and Deceptive Propaganda is Unethical

Are Youth Being Misused by Anti-Smoking Groups at World Conference?

More Misleading Claims Found in Tobacco-Free Kids' Campaign of Deception to Promote FDA Legislation

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Continues to Mislead the Public about Flawed FDA Bill; This Time, University of Minnesota Report is the Stimulus

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Misusing Kids to Promote Philip Morris' Legislative Agenda

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Manipulating Kids to Promote FDA Legislation

Hypocrisy and Doublespeak: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Attacks Tobacco Industry for Lobbying for Public Health Legislation

Misusing Youths to Serve their Purposes: The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Ignite

Deadline for Challenge to Tobacco-Free Kids Passes; Apparently, No Apology Nor Honesty Forthcoming

Why Anti-Smoking Campaign Dishonesty is Such a Problem and Why Tobacco-Free Kids is Largely Responsible

Youth Unknowingly Helping Philip Morris Do Its Bidding; Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' Campaign of Deception is Alive and Well

Where is the Honesty? Challenge Issued to Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to Apologize for Misleading Constituents

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Misusing Youths to Do Philip Morris' Bidding

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Appears to be Deceiving Youth into Supporting Proposed FDA Tobacco Legislation; Unethical Tactics are Accelerating

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' Public Opinion Poll Shows Widespread Support for FDA Tobacco Legislation, Or Does It? Junk Science Rears its Ugly Head

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Misleads the Public about FDA Legislation; Campaign of Deception Continues in Full Force

And Now for Something Completely Different: More Deception by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Again Deceives Constituents About Philip Morris' Support for FDA Tobacco Legislation; Is TFK Even Capable of Honesty?

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Again Deceives Constituents about Philip Morris Support for FDA Legislation

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Misusing Youth Advocates for Political Purposes, and Asking Constituents to Pay for their Political Training

Article Accuses Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids of Engaging in Secret Negotiations with Philip Morris; Outlines Numerous Flaws of FDA Tobacco Bill

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Again Deceives the Public About FDA Tobacco Legislation; Honesty is Apparently Not Possible

More Deception by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids on FDA Legislation: Is a Candid Statement Even Possible for Them?

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Deceives Congress About Nature of Public Support for FDA Tobacco Legislation; Testimony Presents Junk Science

This excerpt from a press release announces the efforts of the Citizens' Commission to Protect the Truth to promote funding for the American Legacy Foundation, but fails to disclose that the Commission is, in fact, funded primarily by the Legacy Foundation:

Failing to disclose conflicts of interest is something that the Citizens' Commission to Protect the Truth and the American Legacy Foundation have done repeatedly:

The American Legacy Foundation, in reporting the results of a 2005 evaluation of its "truth" campaign on its website in September 2005, failed to disclose the conflict of interest of the paper's senior author, in whose statement the results were being reported.

The study in question is a March 2005 study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, which evaluated the "truth" anti-smoking media campaign, and which, according to the authors, showed that the campaign was effective in reducing youth smoking and that it had been responsible for 22% of the overall decline in youth smoking observed during the first two years of the campaign.

According to the statement: "The American Journal of Public Health published findings in March 2005 crediting truth® with accelerating the overall decline in youth smoking by 22 percent in the campaign’s first two years, 2000-2002. This translates to 300,000 fewer youth smokers in 2002 due to the truth® campaign."

The "truth," however, is that the findings published by the journal were actually an article authored by, and funded by, the American Legacy Foundation itself. This conflict of interest was not revealed in the press release.

Thus, the public is misled into thinking that this was an independent study when in fact it was a Legacy study of its own campaign. Would Legacy publish a paper showing that its campaign was ineffective? Clearly, there is a severe bias present - the conflict of interest should have been disclosed.

To read more about how the American Legacy Foundation and its front group - the Citizens' Commission to Protect the Truth - have misled the public, see the following:

American Legacy Foundation

American Legacy Foundation Tactics to Increase its Funding Exposed