Abstract
This memo (from Carl Thompson of the public relations firm Hill and Knowlton to William Kloepfer of the Tobacco Institute) instructs Kloepfer on the type of studies which should be selected for inclusion in a tobacco industry-produced newsletter called "Tobacco and Health Research." [Sample can be seen at
http://www.pmdocs.com/getallimg.asp'if=avpidx&DOCID=2015024926/4929]
Thompson says,
"The most important type of story is that which casts doubt on the cause and effect theory of disease and smoking."
Thompson lists examples of the types of studies that should be included in the newsletter. His choices are obviously meant to promote confusion about the link between smoking and disease:
"[Reports] need not always deal with some aspect of tobacco; for example, a report indicating some factor or factors other than smoking may be involved in one of the diseases with which smoking has been associated. Other examples:
--A report in which the statistics of a smoking-associated disease are questioned.
--One in which death certificates or classifications of such a disease are questioned.
--One showing that many lung cancers may be metastatic from some other organ.
--One indicating that a virus may cause human cancer, whether or not that cancer is associated with smoking.
--One on research with animals, indicating that some other factor may be involved with carcinogenesis or ciliastasis.
The most important type of story is one which casts doubt on the cause and effect theory of disease and smoking."
Indeed, the newsletter carried headlines like, "Cancer Personality Pattern is Reported to Begin in Childhood," "Verdict 'Unproved': Lung Specialist Cites 28 Reasons for Doubting Cancer-Cigarette Link," and "Biometrician Questions Smoking Data."
Fields
- Notes
This document was used as a trial exhibit in Minnesota, Missouri, Florida, Texas, Washington state and the Broin trial (flight attendants).
- Quotes
Criteria for Selection [of reports to use on tobacco issues]. First, the reports should be on new research, if possible. It need not always deal with some aspect of tobacco; for example, a report indicating some factor or factors other than smoking may be involved in one of the diseases with which smoking has been associated. Other examples:
--A report in which the statistics of a smoking-associated disease are questioned.
--One in which death certificates or classifications of such a disease are questioned.
--One showing that many lung cancers may be metastatic from some other organ.
--One indicating that a viruls may cause human cancer, whether or not that cancer is associated with smoking.
--One on research with animals, indicating that some other factor may be involved with carcinogenesis or ciliastasis.
The most important type of story is one which casts doubt on the cause and effect theory of disease and smoking.
- Company
- Tobacco Institute
- Author
- Thompson, Carl G. 1 (Hill & Knowlton VP)
Hill & Knowlton Vice President.(PMI's Introduction to Privilege Log and Glossary of Names, Estate of Burl Butler v. PMI, et al, April 19, 1996)
- Recipient
- Kloepfer, William J., Jr. 2 (TI Public Affairs VP, c. 1988)
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Relations for the Tobacco Institute
RegionUnited States
LitigationMinnesota Ag
Stmn/Selected
Morm/Trial Exhibit
Stmn/Trial Exhibit
Flag/Trial Exhibit
Txag/Trial Exhibit
Waag/Trial Exhibit
Broi/Trial Exhibit
Named PersonCTR TIRC 3
TI, Tobacco Institute 4
Austin, K.
Hockett
Little
Hoyt, W.T.
TypeLETTER
MEMO
EXHIBIT
Subjectmass media
Annotations
- 1. Thompson, Carl G. Author
- Affiliation:
Hill & Knowlton
- 2. Kloepfer, William J., Jr. Recipient
- 3. CTR TIRC Named Person
- 4. TI, Tobacco Institute Named Person
Document Images
Page 1: TOB02911.22
HILL ~_VD Kh-O~LTO-'~-, l.~c.
Cctober 18, 1968
~MCRA~[DUMTO: William Kloepfer, Jr.
The Tobacco Institute, Inc.
SUBJECT: Tobacco and Health Research Procedural Memo
Here, as requested, is a memo on the writing and production of Tobacco and
Health Research.
I. AUD~NCE
The primary audience is comprised of doctors and scientists. This determines
format, content and style. Secondaz-j audience is the ne~s media for which a
press release is prepared s~a~izing contents. A third audience is the
"tobacco interested" groups -- companies, organizations, etc. ~is third
audience gets little consideration in the selection and writin~ of material.
However, at one time a special insert was prepared for this qroup which con-
sisted (usually) of a one-sheet, ~o-page reproduction of ~ws clippings
reporting more simply on some stories included in the puhiicatlon.
II. SELECTION 0FMAT~IAL
A. Sources: The inflexible rule is that mz~erlal should come from primar~
sources, that is, from accredited medical an4 scientific Journals (sometimes an
unpublished paper delivered at a sclentlfi~ meeting is used). Secondary sources
(such as Medical World News, Medical Tribune) are subject to errors and biases
of the reporters. Because accuracy ~ the most important quality that can be
given to T~HR, our policy has bee~ ~o ez~lude them entirely.
Most papers used in _~H~.~ come from the Council for Tobacco Research library,
through the advance distribution of Ken Austin of CE. Candidates for T&HR are
xeroxed and kept for the next issue of T&HR. Other sources should, of course,
be watched.
B. Criteria for Selection: First, the reports should be on new research,
if possible. It need not always deal with some aspect of tobacco; for example,
a report indicating some factor or factors other than smoking ~y be involved
in one of the diseases with which smoking has been associated. Other examples:
-- a report in which the statistics of a smoking-associated disease are
questioned @~
-- one in which death certificates or classifications of such a disease ~-~
are questioned ~'~
-- one showing that many lung cancers may be metastatic from some other
-- one indicating that a virus may cause human cancer~ whether or not
that cancer is assoclatedwith smoking ~
-- one on research with anlma~s, indicating that some other factor~y
be in !ved with c clnoge esls or cil±ostasis7 13890
Page 2: TOB02911.23
~e most important type of story is that which casts doubt on the cause
~ud effect theory of disease and smoking.
A second .major category is medical opinion. The best of this type is
the report based on extensive review of the literature (such as Seltzer's
1967 rev~-ew of heart disease). Second best are those in which a doctor of
stature challenges the findings or conclusions of another (Garland do~oting
Auerbach's interpretations of his lung slides, for example).
Cccasionally, a favorable editorial from a medical Jottrnal may be used,
but these must be chosen with care. An editorial from J~2~or The Lancet
is obv~_susly important.
~ third major category is C_~R-b~A news. ~PR has announced annual grantg,
s,~arized ~unual reports, and summarized important papers delivered by
Dr. Hockett and Dr. Little. (Usually, the stories were accc~.~anied by a
boxed offer to supply complete texts on request.)
!I!. WRITING
A. Structure: The usual newspaper practice of leading off with the most
import&ut finding is used. This finding may be the most important finding to
tobacco, rather than the one considered most important by the author. Zf there
is a second important finding, this is usually placed in the second para~-raph.
'I~.~s is follo~ed by detail of ~#no conducted the work and ~here, and ho~• it ~as
done. The article ends ~ith direct quotations, if the pa~er contains any
ones. if not, the quotes are paraphrased.
Citations are footnoted at first opportunity in the ~tory. This footnoting
has t~o purposes: It gives a scientific Journal a~ra to the story, and it
prevents cluttering up the story with space-consuming identification.
E~CRT~NT: If the paper contains any conclusions or findings unfavorable
to tobacco, these are reported scrupulously. 'The account of these findings
r~y be terse and placed at the end of the story, but it must be there.
B. P~adlines: These should be very carefully -~rltten on the premise that
doctors and scientists, like other readers, often grab information from the
headlines and nothing more. Thus, the headline shouZd strongly call out the
point -- Controversy~ Contradiction~ Other factors~
C. Editorial Comment: The policy has been to allow almost no editorial
comment. Very occasionally, comment to the extent is permitted:
1. Explanation of a scientific term ~hich is likely to be outside
the average physician's experience (in an item on free radicals
or some other area of physics, for ex~mp!e).
~. Notation that a carcinogen being discussed in an animal experi-
ment has not been found in cigarette smoke.
3- Citation of an earlier study, if the present article confirms
and/or extends the earlier one, particularly if ~ has reported
the earlier paper.
CO to W At,: TIMN 0071489
O Acco
Page 3: TOB02911.24
-3-
~ue general rule has been: "~nen in doubt, don't.~" Strenuous effort
is maae to [-~'eep the tone strictly reportorial and neutral, and to allow the
material to oar~/ itself on its o'~ intrinsic merits and on the ~=~
of ~he item on the page.
IV. '~2~E ~CCEDU~
~e present s~tem is as fo~o'~s:
.~. A list of .oroposed ~tic!es, with brief descriptions and
~'~.~,~u~n-'~
about the placement, together -~th attribution of source and date is dra~
"~p. ues_a~.a~ed officers and attorne~ re~ev this list,
deleting, and adding suggestions where they feel necessary.
=_. ~qe approved.__ items ~e "~itten, along ~_th anD~hin~_ of _~eat _mpor ~
~anu-=_
~.~h!ch has appe~ed since. A tentati~ layout is prepared £nd tentative head-
lines are ~itten. One ~omplete set of layout, headlines and copy ~oes
~ttorne~; one to T.I. officers and three to ~.T. [~o~ of C~ ~_th a request
that he ask Drs. Little ~d Hockett for their co~ents and suggestions. ~o
sets are ~"
=ep~, "~th so,co ~teria! attached for easy reference~ shcu!~
-~'~ ~ise.
C. ~en the copy is ret'~ned, the indication changes are ~de and
material ~Itten, if any item has been rejected.
Fresh co~y is then prepped for the printer and sent for t~o~aphy.
final layout is prepped at this point. "
D. ,.~en ~ieM 9roofs ~e ret~ed~ the issue is d~led ~nd ret~ned to
the t2?o&rzpher for page ~eup. At least eight sets of page proofs are
required. Sets for T.I. officers ~d !a,~jers ~d for [~. Hoy~ ~d ~s. Little
~ud [[2ckett. One set is kept for the files, and the other is carefu~y proof-
re~ and other_so ad~ted ~d ret~ned to the printer "Whoa the corrections
~d suggestions come in. Final co~ections ~ ~de by the printer, and
~esh page proofs prepped. ~ese ~ c~ef~ly proofre~ by at least t~o
peop!e~ ~d n~es~ fi~es ~d c?~o~tio~ do~blechecked against the original
V. C~Cb~CN
Present circ~atlon ~es se~ral ~fferent ~lling lists, vhlch ~e en~erated
on the attached memo.
"~. ~SS COPES ~ ~E
It has been the practice to ~i! first class the copies going to the press~
~ong ~th a ~o-~ge p~ss release. ~e rele~e consists of a long story
describing the ~Jor contents of the issue, pl~ fo~ or five one-or-two
sentence "Briefs ~om ~.CCO A~ ~ RES~CE' which some editors ~y
use as fillers. ~e release requires ~u~ cle~ance.
007 490
CO~mENTI~:
M~SOTA TOBACCO LITIGATION
Page 4: TOB02911.25
-4-
VII. C C~-i~ES PG]}DE .NCE
Certain set rules have been developed for the hs~udlin~_ of correspondence frc~
M.D.'s and scientists: -
i. E~ry letter, no ~tter how abusive, must be ans~ered
~r.~m~ .... ~_y
and eo~teously. Sever~ "'fo~" are used.
2. E~ry effort m~t be m~e to exclude from fut~e m~ilings ~hose
who request that their n~es he removed from the m~i!ing l~s~.
3. Caref~ records of ~! co~espondence m~t be kept for
reference. '~nis record c~ be useful in others~ ~-~ua~ons :
%,%ere you wan~ to Know, for ex~ple~ a doctor's stand on smoking.
i. ~my request for original ~terial shoed be honored promptly.
'~Ii. ~SCE~OD~
A. ~e need for acc'~acy ~d complete fairness in reporting "~ork
self-evident but is -4orth reiterating. In~zent of any e~or orcomp_a~ ~ n ~.,
correction ~d apologies are in order. So f~ as we can recollect,
~n-~Z one
e~or c~li~ for correction ever appe~ed in ~, and this was han~ed
promptly and ,~_thout r~ccr on the p~t of the authors, w-ho "~ere s~,~pa~hetlc
to the problem.
B. Pe~ission to ~e ~teri~ ~s never been sought from either pub-
!ication or authors. ~is proced~e w~ b~sed on e~ediehcy but was backed
• up info~-!ly by some lena! ~scussio~ conce~!n~ cop~ight. (App~ent!
the "~orst that might ~pen wo~d be a suit for d~a~es which cc~d recover
about ~he ~o~t t~t ~;o~d ~ been paid had the origin~ publication been
paid for use of ~te~-- ~d even this is somew~t h~othetical.
worse tb~ ~es wo~d be alie~tion of publication or authors, so this
again emphasizes need for ~eptic tree,ant of ~terial.
C. Back and c~ent copies of ~ ~e often valuable so,cos of infor-
mation in a~-~er to ~er!es from m~y so,cos, issues can be m~ked up, for
ex~p!e, ~ co~r reports conce~mg he~ diseases, or cs~cer~ or s~tlstics,
etc.
Carl Thomas on
CT: sdd
CONFIDENTIAL:
MINNESOTA TOBACCO LITIGATION TIMN 0071491
