Pro-Wal-Mart Travel Blog Screeches To A Halt

From MediaPost:

What do you call a phony blog that’s actually a front for a huge corporation? A “flog”?

A pro-Wal-Mart blog called “Wal-Marting Across America,” ostensibly launched by a pair of average Americans chronicling their cross-country travels in an RV and lodging in Wal-Mart parking lots, has been reduced to a farewell entry. One of its two contributors was revealed to be Jim Thresher, a staff photographer for The Washington Post.

The blog, launched Sept. 27, was profiled in this week’s issue of BusinessWeek, which exposed the site as a promotional tactic engineered by Working Families for Wal-Mart (WFWM), an organization launched by Wal-Mart’s public relations firm Edelman. WFWM paid for the RV and all travel expenses, rerouted the trip’s original plan, and plastered a logo on the RV’s side. Although the blog featured a link to WFWM, it did not identify the organization as a paid sponsor.

Thresher contributed both photos and promotional commentary to the site--one entry describes a Wal-Mart employee “going the extra mile.” Another plugs the store as “the nation’s largest supplier of organic milk ... by shopping at Wal-Mart [customers] eat healthy while stretching [their] food dollar (paying $3.48 for a half gallon of organic milk is one way).”

Leonard Downie, Jr., executive editor for The Washington Post, says Thresher’s activities are a violation of the paper’s policy for freelancing for special interests. While Thresher “did have a conversation with an editor [prior to the blog’s launch], he did not make clear to his supervisor” that he would be working in a promotional capacity.

Although the bloggers were acknowledged only as Jim and Laura on the “Wal-Marting Across America” site, BusinessWeek identified one as Laura St. Claire, a freelance writer. Her partner, Jim, however, declined to provide his identity, “to protect his employer,” the story says.

That protection lasted about 48 hours. In less than two days, the watchdog organization Wal-Mart Watch identified him as Jim Thresher, a 25-year employee of The Washington Post and a professional photographer.

“This is so foolish on so many levels, it makes me scratch my head,” says corporate blogging consultant Debbie Weil, author of “The Corporate Blogging Book.” Everyone involved violated the basic rule: Be transparent. If you’re found out, it comes back as a slap in the face.”

Calls to Thresher, Wal-Mart and Working Families for Wal-Mart were not returned. A woman who answered the phone for WFWM, who said she could not be quoted, identified herself as an employee of Edelman. Wal-Mart has struggled to address critics as well as the new media space, and recently shut down its MySpace competitor The Hub after only 10 weeks. Users complained the site was too promotional and had too many fake user profiles.

“People are experimenting to see what works--where does the truth matter,” says Jordan Frank, vice president of marketing for Traction Software, the Providence, R.I.-based corporate-blogging technology company. “This will clearly show how Wal-Mart is doing something to skew truth. That’s never good.”

Late Wednesday, Wal-Mart Watch posted a freelance piece from 2000 written by St. Claire for The Washington Post that raved about Costco, a competitor to Wal-Mart’s sister big box store, “Sam’s Club.”

Posted by Laura Jack on Thursday, October 12, 2006

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COMMENTS

If you own Costco stock you might want to rave too. It’s up over $53.00 a share (53.14 at 12:40). The big thug Wal-Mart can’t seem to make it past $50 a share.

Bob in Hazlet, NJ
Thursday, October 12 at 11:35 AM

And that’s even with the Dow headed toward a record 12,000 Wal-Mart can’t break $50.

Bob in Hazlet, NJ
Thursday, October 12 at 11:38 AM

Walmart sad :(

No Corporation (esp. Walmart) in the world loves you
Thursday, October 12 at 11:53 AM

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ADVOCATE SHOPPING AT TARGET INSTEAD OF WAL-MART, READ ON:

Wasn’t it last Christmas that Target refused to let the Salvation Army ring their bells in front of their stores?

Dick Forrey of the Vietnam Veterans Association wrote.

“Recently we asked the local TARGET store to be a proud sponsor of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall during our spring recognition event.

We received the following reply from the local TARGET management: “ Veterans do not meet our area of giving. We only donate to the arts, social action groups, gay & lesbian causes, and education.”

So I’m thinking, if the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and veterans in general, do not meet their donation criteria,then something is really wrong at this TARGET store. We were not asking for thousands of dollars, not even hundreds, just a small sponsorship for a memorial remembrance.

As a follow-up, I E-mailed the TARGET U.S. Corporate Headquarters and their response was the same. That’s their national policy.

Then I looked into the company further. They will not allow the Marines to collect for ‘Toys for Tots’ at any of their stores. And during the recent Iraq deployment, they would not allow families of employees who were called up for active duty to continue their insurance coverage while they were on military service.

Then as I dig further, TARGET is a French-owned corporation. Now, I’m thinking again. If TARGET cannot support American Veterans, then why should my family and I support their stores by spending our hard earned American dollars! And, have their profits sent to France. Without the American Vets, where would France be today? “They, most likely would be speaking German and trading in Deutsche Marks”

Sincerely,
Dick Forrey
Veterans Helping Veterans

Yes, Target is so much better to shop at than Wal-Mart, aren’t they? And, guess what, they don’t have a union either!!

Bob in
Thursday, October 12 at 04:33 PM

Bob.....Nothing annoys me anymore when trying to enter a business to shop than someone begging for money, or a brat on the sidewalk chasing after me to buy Girlscout cookies. As for the “Bell-Ringers”...it is my understanding that some of them showed up at a Target store DRUNK. Would you want a drunk in front of your business? No I don’t think you would want a drunk in front of your store bothering the customers. Furthermore, Target gives over 2 million dollars per week to charities.

Ralph in
Thursday, October 12 at 06:09 PM

so boob you love walsmart so much you attack targets?
I hate target too afore they just same chine junk peddlars same as walmarts putting ammerica middle class into buying cheap chine import shat whiled america workers go out to flip hamnburgers and delever pizzas for peenuts.

maggotpuke in
Thursday, October 12 at 06:52 PM

You people will never be happy! I’ll bet if you spent as much time/money fighting crime as you do with worrying about what Wal-Mart is doing this week, not only would there be no more crime, but world hunger would be a thing of the past as well!

It’s a private business, get over yourselves.

If I choose to donate money, so be it. If you choose to donate money, so be it. We can discuss who donated more and still never get anywhere. Wal-Mart hate groups aren’t going to solve your problems with Wal-Mart. Remember what happened to the KKK? Grow up.

Kristy in Alaska
Thursday, October 12 at 07:02 PM

The comments here have nothing to do with this story. That said, Target should not be held blameless for their misdeeds anymore than Wal-Mart should be. However, considering that this website is dedicated to Wal-Mart’s misdeeds - find or build an anti-Target blog, hm?

And to those that suggest that people who are trying to hold Wal-Mart accountable should “get over themselves,” I find this argument questionable. Why shouldn’t the public criticize corporations if those corporations act in ways that are contrary to the public good? The last time I checked, corporations are only allowed to exist with the permission of the public (in the form of our government) in the first place.

Spekkio in Monroeville, PA
Thursday, October 12 at 07:14 PM

a excellent blog
www.job128.com
you may interest in it

flavian in china
Thursday, October 12 at 08:58 PM

Spekkio,

“The last time I checked, corporations are only allowed to exist with the permission of the public (in the form of our government) in the first place.”

And, you don’t have a problem with allowing the government to decide who can and cannot operate a business in an area? Shouldn’t the citizens be allowed to decide whether or not a business exists, with their patronage or lack there of, instead of the politicians? Whatever happened to Free Enterprise where you were allowed to open a business as long as the business met all local codes?

Bob in
Thursday, October 12 at 09:59 PM

Bob asked: “Whatever happened to Free Enterprise where you were allowed to open a business as long as the business met all local codes?”

Umm, corporations like Wal-Mart buy local officials and use eminent domain to get their way.

Ken V in Texas
Saturday, October 14 at 01:13 PM

boob, you need get a life, mow some grasss, get of your bent from hell defese of wal mart, you own wal mars stock?
They pay you? why you so admit you all ove everywher I knnow you got nothing to do but coun uo your lazyass retirements while poor ppl at walmarts will never enjoy nothing like you did an probably works twice as hard as you ever thoughts about,plus they poor as hell to boots

maggotpuke in
Saturday, October 14 at 05:12 PM

Ken V,

“Umm, corporations like Wal-Mart buy local officials and use eminent domain to get their way.”

Which is it, is it the governments right to keep corporations out or do they take bribes to get them in? Wish you people could make up your minds!!

maggotpuke,

Why don’t you learn to spell, it’s so hard to read your ignorant posts? No, I don’t own any Wal-Mart stock. As for my lazy ass, I can do what I want, I’m retired and made wise choices during my life, so I can afford to do what I want. The typical Wal-Mart worker, couldn’t handle the work I’ve done in my life, if they could, they wouldn’t be working at Wal-Mart. Want a ‘hard’ job, just tend furnaces at a cast iron foundry for 12 years. A Wal-Mart employee wouldn’t be able to put up with working with 2900 degree iron, they need air conditioning. I’ve earned my lazyass attitude. And, if they are ‘poor as hell’, that’s not my fault, they made the decision to work there, I didn’t!! Maybe they need how to handle their finances, like I did, ya think?

Bob in
Saturday, October 14 at 10:58 PM

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