That's PR Lesson No. 1 for the Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES), a coal industry front group that supports groovy things like mountaintop removal to get at the black stuff and despoil local water supplies.
FACES unveiled its "Faces of Coal" campaign in Charleston, W.V., on Aug. 19 as part of its "national campaign to protect the jobs, families and communities that rely on coal." Said WV State Senator Roman Prezioso: "Look around this room and you see first responders, teachers and small businesspeople, people from every walk of life. Why did they come? They came because they realize coal produces jobs; coal produces as tax base that supports our infrastructure; coal pays for playground and makes energy rates more affordable."
The FACES website shows a broad range of people whom one would reasonably assume support the group's goals.
But wait: those website faces are a sham. Two groups -- Appalachian Voices and DeSmogBlog -- discovered those online Faces of Coal may not actually support the destruction of W.V.’s environment. That's because FACES purchased the images from istockphoto.com. Or as AV says: "They couldn’t even get real photos of their supporters." Geez, couldn't FACES reps grab a few digital cameras and hit the streets of Charleston to find a couple of believers. It would have save the group much embarrassment. Instead, the organization is ridiculed as just another AstroTurf group trying to pull a fast one on the good people of Appalachia.
Washington, D.C.-based Adfero Group, which works for Republicans and business interests such as the American Tort Reform Assocation, Independent Petroleum Association of America, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and PhRMA, says it had nothing to do with the FACES website charade. It merely hosts the site.