Uncovering how PR agencies are pushing the fossil fuel agenda

Drilled
Organisation
Drilled
Grant
DKK 2,039,066
Programme Area
The Influence Industry
Year
2023

Fossil fuel companies spend millions of dollars each year on PR firms that help improve their image in the eyes of decision makers and the public. The PR firms do not just help oil executives get favorable press, they also help the companies to reach influential politicians and journalists, and aide them in engaging certain voting demographics, filmmakers and artists. For instance, it has been well documented that PR firms are working with TikTok influencers to promote the fossil fuel industry to younger audiences, and that they are crafting curricula for schools that soft-peddles fossil fuel dependency. These activities are largely kept hidden and are rarely reported on by the press.

Drilled
Drilled is an international collaborative of investigative journalists focusing on climate accountability. With support from KR Foundation, they will launch a series of investigative reporting projects focused on the PR industry’s work to influence the media on behalf of the fossil fuel industry. Drilled is headed by journalist Amy Westervelt, who has more than two decades of experience with climate accountability and has won several awards. In addition to producing their own audio and print stories, Drilled will work with various partners to increase media coverage about the PR industry’s influence and create educational materials that can help other journalists spot and deflect key PR tactics.
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