but a whimper. Thus endeth one of the saddest chapters I can remember in deceitful tactics by a PR firm. Via writing on the wal, this quote from the New Yorker article:

What’s important is that any description of Working Families for Wal-Mart should acknowledge that it is ultimately a product of Wal-Mart itself, run through intermediaries employed by the company — see here or here. The general public may be jaded enough to simply read Edelman’s “group of real people” quote and nod, “Of course — He’s a flack.” But those within the PR industry who agree with Edelman’s self-proclaimed goals of transparency should look on obfuscations like that in horror. Many were inclined to give Edelman a pass on the fake Wal-Mart blog incident, because the CEO did eventually own up to his mistakes and vow to make changes.

But a group like Working Families for Wal-Mart– a textbook Astroturf operation– is a little harder to gloss over. Creating such groups is a fairly widespread tactic in corporate PR and public affairs work, so there has never been a real condemnation of them within the PR industry. But every time their existence is brought to the attention of the general public, the resulting reaction is one of predictable revulsion.

This is not a political issue; it’s one of simple honesty in communications.

That's right -- simple honesty in communication. What a concept.

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