name Truthยฎ Initiative
(orig: American Legacy Foundation)
class PR corporation
category selective public health
motivation funding, hypercompensation
funding $922,385,220 (TMSA reinvestments)
association CTFK
purpose bankrolling, truthwashing
bloomberg ties yes
mantra "Stop Making Sense โ€“ Why Absurdity Works in Marketing"
cred ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ
๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ
๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ
๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ
๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ
๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ
๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ
๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸ ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ
๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฅ
(counting peas would be equally silly here)

Oh my. Started as a serious counter to the disinformation from corporate/big tobacco; and did originally lean on scientific analyses. Before being coopted by CTFK and devolving into a pure PR/FUD organization from 2016 (post-truth era). Albeit there were signs about 2012/13 already. Some of their campaigns are downright unskilled and cheugy though. There's some forays into other drug use prevention, seemingly as cover, not very substantial.

The name is a bit of an orwellian trope, or borne out of a sedo opportunity. It's unlikely the fallacious/pretentious "Truth" is very convincing outside of political charades. If it wasn't for the more outlandish (and sometimes tasteless) media campaigns, they would get away with their suggestive policy phrasing. Because they very much do show restraint with blatant misinformation; acting as front for CTFK to retain some credibility.

quick score

This needs more refinement on text detection (e.g. flavour fallacy clearly comes up short here), but as approx. overview on press releases:

nicotine-addiction ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง
brain-damage ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง
popcorn-news ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง
vaping-epidemic ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง
antivax-rhetoric ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง
tobacco-industry ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง
flavour-fallacy ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง
EVALI ๐ŸŸง ๐ŸŸง
gateway-hypothesis ๐ŸŸง

(Linked sample/* files aren't expanded in the repository yet. Refer to json dump for now.)

social media cringe

Truthยฎ runs a lot of cringeworthy ads on social media. They're not only unsuitable for deterring use, but often undermine credible messaging:

YT: muppet ads
Truth Anti Smoking/Vaping Ads Are AWFUL

They likely stoked teen curiousity just as much as actual vape companies. It's commonly suspected that this type of scare ads is meant to rile up parents more than it's proclaiming to educate teens.

ToDo
  • analysis of 2019 'fact' sheet (with the IQOS ad-like section)โ€ฆ
motivation: hypercompensation

If we were to ignore the financial incentives, then the most plausible explanation would be appeal of the aggressor (โ‰Š 3rd-hand stockholm). More specifically TI uses framing approaches comparable to Corp/BigT back in the day.

from compensating to over, and hyper~

Never speaking to the tobacco-industry is still a reasonable reaction. But TI/CTFK/BI have progressed it into emulation.