Secret Recording Shows Top Lobbyists Boasting Influence of the PM, Edit Wikipedia, Google Results

Source and video - Dec 6 The Independent
Full story and more at the source.

One of Britain's largest lobbying companies has been secretly recorded boasting about its access to the heart of the Government and how it uses the "dark arts" to bury bad coverage and influence public opinion. An undercover investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, published in The Independent today, has taped senior executives at Bell Pottinger:

* Claiming they have used their access to Downing Street to get David Cameron to speak to the Chinese premier on behalf of one of their business clients within 24 hours of asking him to do so;

* Boasting about Bell Pottinger's access to the Foreign Secretary William Hague, to Mr Cameron's chief of staff Ed Llewellyn and to Mr Cameron's old friend and closest No 10 adviser Steve Hilton;

* Suggesting that the company could manipulate Google results to "drown" out negative coverage of human rights violations and child labour;

* Revealing that Bell Pottinger has a team which "sorts" negative Wikipedia coverage of clients;

* Saying it was possible to use MPs known to be critical of investigative programmes to attack their reporting for minor errors.

'We've got all sorts of dark arts' - Actual quote regarding manipulation of Wikipedia.

reply to post by CREAM


Excellent find. The term "dark arts" being used troubles me.

They just talk as if they are playing a game. That's what get's me. It's all so casual.