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What is it afraid of?... ExxonMobil is the first major US oil company to file a lawsuit to stop a shareholder resolution on climate change from going to a vote at its upcoming annual meeting.
The resolution from Arjuna Capital and Follow This, an Amsterdam-based activist investor group, simply asks ExxonMobil to step up its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It calls for the energy giant to “go beyond current plans” and set new targets and timetables.
A similar proposal was voted down by shareholders in 2022 and 2023.
ExxonMobil’s suit claims the Arjuna and Follow This proposal violates SEC rules that prohibit repeat resolutions in the event that earlier proposals didn’t gain increased shareholder support.
The energy giant’s over-the-top move to censor shareholders is a sweet PR victory for Arjuna and Follow This.
Mark van Baal of Follow This cashed in, saying that ExxonMobil clearly wants to prevent shareholders from using their rights. “Apparently, the board fears shareholders will vote in favor of emissions reductions targets,” he said in a statement. “Maybe they see the writing on the wall.”
The Financial Times, BBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Guardian were among the major news outlets to cover ExxonMobil’s power move.
That coverage has a David vs. Goliath aspect to it. Had ExxonMobil followed the golden rule, the Arjuna and Follow This resolution would have gone quietly into the May 29 night of the annual meeting.
California targets Middle East. Visit California has budgeted $200K to $350K for a one-year PR program to entice people living in the Middle East to visit the Golden State.
That budget covers market intelligence, media and influencer services/activations, travel trade partnerships, co-op programming and website/e-marketing/social media activities.
The effort will be aimed at media outlets and travel influencers in the Middle East.
Travelers from the Middle East spent $770M in California during 2019. That breaks down to about $3,590 per trip.
Visit California plans to issue a contract with a July 1 start date and options to renew for five years. A spokesperson told O’Dwyer’s that Visit California is no longer accepting responses to its Middle Eastern RFP.
Travel and tourism spending in California has not recovered from its $145B peak in pre-pandemic 2019.
In 2022 spending weighed in at $135B, which was enough for California to retain its No. 1 tourism spot among the 50 states.
"I’ll see you on the radio." Charles Osgood, legendary journalist and “CBS Sunday Morning” anchor for 22 years, died on Jan. 23. He was 91 and had suffered from dementia.
Known as CBS News’ poet-in-residence, Osgood was a talented story teller, who also played the piano, organ, banjo and violin during the program.
Jane Pauley, who succeeded Osgood on CBS Sunday Morning in 2016, said: “Watching him at work was a masterclass in communicating. I think to myself, ‘How would Charlie do it.’”
Osgood also presided over “The Osgood File,” which was one of the longest features in radio history. He wrote and hosted the Osgood File for about 46 years, and signed off each spot with, “I’ll see you on the radio.”
Born in New York City as Charles Osgood Wood, he got the media bug while working at Fordham University’s WFUV radio station as chief announcer and then talk show host.
Osgood credited his success to his broadcast mantra of using short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. He believed “there’s nothing that can’t be improved by making it shorter and better.”
That’s advice that PR people should take to heart.
A huge PR opportunity looms for a firm that is willing to take some heat by promoting Immigration & Customs Enforcement... Disgraced New York mayor Eric Adams couldn't wait to make another pilgrimage to Israel to stick it to his successor Zohran Mamdani... Hats off to Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett for writing his always engaging and witty annual reports over the years.
The ADL plans a Mamdani Monitor to track down any whiff of antisemitism from the policies and appointments made by his administration. It should have given him a chance to live up to Election Night promise... Brendan Carr, Alden Global Capital, Alphabet, Meta and Elon Musk make Reporters Without Borders' roster of Press Freedom Predators.
Andrew Cuomo's political career is not dead yet... Steve Bannon says Republicans should learn from Zohran Mamdani and his Working Families Party and Democratic Socialists of America, instead of mocking them... Internet advertising model is on the way out, says Tim Berners-Lee... Gannet rebrands as USA Today Inc. What about its other 200 papers?
Thomas Jefferson warned about the dangers of an imperial president who would deny an election loss in a bid to cling to power. Sound familiar?... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says reporters don't need his permisson to take a photo of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial, as long as they are not on the job... Kirkland and Ellison lawyers need some negotiating tips. 
Shareholder activitism is poised to hit an all-time high for 2025... Kamala Harris’ “107 Days” reads like an autospsy of her failed presidential run. Democrats need to look forward, not backward... The Reagan Foundation dishonored The Gipper by providing PR cover to tariff-loving Trump.
