Fun_People Archive
13 Oct
Re: Astounding new discovery by Phillip Morris

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 99 13:54:11 -0700
To: Fun_People
Precedence: bulk
Subject: Re: Astounding new discovery by Phillip Morris
References: <19991013104856.A16704@muscat.ucsc.edu>

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[In this news item we learn a new definition for the word "friendly"... -psl]

Forwarded-by: /nev/dull@hoho.edu


 [Phillip Morris has made a staggering discovery.  Please forward this email
  to everyone you know so we can get the word out quickly.]

 Tobacco Company Says Evidence Shows Smoking Unhealthy

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The nation's largest cigarette maker, Philip Morris Cos.
 Inc., has for the first time acknowledged that medical evidence points to
 smoking as a cause of a number of lethal diseases, including lung cancer.

 On a new Internet site Philip Morris unveiled as part of an effort ``to
 communicate more openly with the public,'' the maker of top-selling Marlboro
 cigarettes said there is an ''overwhelming medical and scientific consensus
 that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and other
 serious diseases in smokers.''

 The company also said that smoking ``is addictive as that term is most
 commonly used today.''

 Until now, those points -- that smoking is unhealthy and addictive -- have
 been hotly contested by Philip Morris, which along with other cigarette
 makers has been the target of fierce litigation on behalf of sick and
 deceased smokers.

 The New York company said the Web site -- www.philipmorris.com -- is part of a
 campaign that also includes television spots and is aimed at presenting a
 friendly corporate image.

 Philip Morris said it intended to let the American public know its
 involvement in a number of charitable and philanthropic causes. The company
 said the campaign would underscore its involvement in four areas: hunger,
 disaster relief, curbing youth access to tobacco and domestic violence.

 ``Most people, however, are unaware of our efforts. For too long we have let
 others define who we are -- now we will focus on getting our story out to the
 American people. Going forward, we want a more active dialogue with others,
 including our critics, in an effort to reach common sense solutions to the
 issues surrounding our products,'' company spokesman Steven Parrish said in a
 prepared release.

 The Wall Street Journal said Philip Morris plans to spend about $100 million
 a year, or about 5 percent of its total annual ad budget, for the
 friendly-face campaign.

 The campaign has been designed by the Chicago ad agency Leo Burnett, The WSJ
 said.
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