BAT Recruiting Chinese Spin Doctors (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

 Press release

 Embargo: 11:30 GMT 
 19 November 1998

Action on Smoking and Health - UK

'Strictly confidential' document shows BAT recruiting medical spin-doctors
to work in China

As researchers predict that 3 million tobacco deaths per year are expected
in China by the middle of the next
century, ASH attacked the British tobacco multinational BAT for sponsoring a
scientific disinformation
campaign in China. 

According to a "strictly confidential assignment specification" recently
obtained by ASH, BAT has recruited
medical scientists to deliberately confuse the scientific debate on smoking
in China. In the guise of sponsoring
open debate about China-specific science, BAT plans to invalidate
international experience, buy influence in
Chinese universities and subordinate its scientific work to the marketing
objectives of the company. In an advert
that did not mention tobacco or BAT, the company says the postholder:

     ."..will be responsible for conducting market research and performing
collateral analysis with a
     view to meeting the company's commercial and marketing objectives." 

The actual job description states that the post is designed to "place
additional emphasis on supporting the
rights of an adult who chooses to smoke" and to resist "pressure for
conformity from organisations such as
WHO". Responsibilities include:

     "Portraying the company view on smoking and health to key audiences in
China".

     "develop insight into China specific science and bring that information
forward to the public and
     to regulators in order to meet the objectives of the company."

     "Identify and evaluate areas of future research that might be sponsored
in Chinese universties."

     "Provide a Chinese Perspective to work produced [elsewhere in BAT] in
order to bring sound
     science to the various smoking and health discussions...."

Clive Bates, Director of ASH, highlighted the conflict between the marketing
objectives of the post and its
supposed scientific role. Bates said "BAT talks a lot about sound science,
but the clear purpose of this job is
strictly commercial. How can you engage in scientific debate if your real
job is to sell cigarettes in China?"

Commenting on the world's largest study of tobacco deaths released today,
Bates added: "the research shows
that two thirds of Chinese adults think that smoking does little or no harm,
and no doubt BAT would like to keep
it that way." 

"The tobacco multi-nationals are breathless with excitement about the vast
potential of the Chinese market and
they are already trying to discredit the science that might help China deal
with the appalling epidemic of
smoking related disease that lies ahead." said Bates.

 

The advert and job description are at http://www.ash.org.uk/papers/batjob.html

                                             ENDS
  Contact
          Clive Bates, Director
                                             0171 224 0743 or 0181 800 1336
(hm),
                                             0468 791237 (mbl best on Sun.)