TheTruth.com
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
TheTruth.com is an anti-smoking campaign aimed at young people in the United States. The campaign is run by the American Legacy Foundation and funded by US tobacco companies under the terms of the Multistate Settlement Agreement. TheTruth.com uses web, print and television to get its message across, however its methods and message remain contentious.
Contents |
[edit] Formation
Truth was originally created in 1997 by advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky as part of a statewide anti-smoking initiative in Florida. In 1999, the campaign was taken to the national stage by the American Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit anti-smoking organization. Its ads are financed by the tobacco industry, stemming from an agreement between tobacco companies and state attorneys general in which large companies, in particular Phillip Morris, agreed to fund the ads. There is also a clause that states that Truth's advertising cannot "vilify" the tobacco companies, one that has been invoked to cause Truth to change its ads on a few occasions. [1]
[edit] Criticism
Truth has been the target of criticism over factual errors, poor or non-existent referencing and deliberate appeals to race. Also, as referenced to above, Truth has been criticized for some of its ads simply attacking companies instead of addressing the dangers of smoking.
[edit] Factual errors
At least one ad for The Truth contained major factual errors. The claim was put forth that the tobacco industry had targeted homeless people as a potential market under a plan called "Project SCUM" [Sub-Culture Urban Marketing]. The TV ads were pulled after it was shown that the paperwork they cited actually discussed marketing cigarettes to homosexuals (among other "non-mainstream" people), and was not called "Project SCUM". It is not clear whether The Truth made this up or was itself duped by a prevalent anti-smoking myth. Thetruth.com still makes a modified version of this claim which is slightly more accurate.
[edit] Referencing
TheTruth.com allows users to download pages of one-line "facts" regarding smoking and the tobacco companies. In general, the claims made are not referenced, and uncertainty regarding scientific findings is not acknowledged.
[edit] Race
In the words of one commentator, TheTruth.com attempts "to create the illusion of a racist conspiracy perpetrated by 'Big Tobacco'." Jaime Sneider notes that some Truth commercials contain the claim that "Tobacco gives black males 50% more lung cancer than white males," instead of (more accurately) "Black males are 50% more likely than white males to contract lung cancer from tobacco." [2]
