Philip Dewhurst

Table of contents

1 Background 2 Spinning Nuclear 3 Spreading the Message Via Third Parties 4 External Links

Background

Dewhurst was BNFL's Group Corporate Affairs Director from April 2001 until December 2006. He was also the Chairman of the Nuclear Industry Association and board member for three years.

Ex-President of the Institute of Public Relations. He is a Visiting Fellow of the Media School of Bournemouth University. Before joining BNFL, Philip was UK Chief Executive of Shandwick International. ^{[1] (http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php/Philip_Dewhurst#endnote_nia)} In December 2006, Dewhurst left BNFL to become the head of PR for Russian firm Gazprom ^{[2] (http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php/Philip_Dewhurst#endnote_gaz)}.

Spinning Nuclear

It is Dewhurst's belief that the nuclear "industry has to do more to spell out the benefits of nuclear". He says the main ways to positively spin the case nuclear for nuclear are the "security of supply, avoiding CO2 emissions and therefore helping in the fight against global warming while supplying safe and reliable energy". ^{[3] (http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php/Philip_Dewhurst#endnote_ft)}

Spreading the Message Via Third Parties

Interviewed by PR Week in February 2006, Dewhurst, admitted that BNFL had been using the classsic PR technique of using a third party to push the nuclear message. He said that it had taken considerable effort to persuade the public to reconsider the nuclear option. Said Dewhurst: "five years ago the reputation of nuclear was at an all-time low. MI5 said a terrorist attack on Sellafield with a hijacked aircraft 'could not be prevented', and that destroyed public confidence."

Dewhurst added: "Now we use a company called Strategic Awareness, which uses in-depth research to help us develop our message. We spread that via third-party opinion because the public would be suspicious if we started ramming pro-nuclear messages down their throats". ^{[4] (http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php/Philip_Dewhurst#endnote_pr)}

External Links

1. ^ Nuclear Industry Assocition, website (http://www.niauk.org/about/bio_philipdewhurst.htm)
2. Ian Hall, Philip Dewhurst to Leave BNFL for Gazprom (http://www.prweek.com/uk/home/article/623200/), PR Week, December 19 2006
3. ^ Financial Times, Ask the Expert: Nuclear Energy (http://news.ft.com/cms/s/05e35ad4-449f-11da-a5f0-00000e2511c8.html), October 24, 2005
4. ^ Alex Black, "Issues Management: How Nuclear Power got its Groove Back" (http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/article/543965/), PR Week, March 2, 2006