[7] Edelman has been accused of establishing astroturf campaigns (seemingly grassroots groups that are fronts for industry) for its clients.

[8][9][10] The company has provided services for the fossil fuel industry, which includes earning hundreds of millions of dollars to advocate on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute, a fossil fuel industry group dedicated to the advancement of climate change denial and blocking of climate legislation.

[21] Toni was followed by Sara Lee, a small cheesecake company at the time,[22][23] and a bowling equipment manufacturer, Brunswick Corporation.

[27] Some former employees and industry experts said its focus on financial growth led to high turnover and client service issues as a result.

[44] Matthew Harrington, a 35-year Edelman veteran and then Chief Operating Officer, was named Global President of the firm in 2019.

[50] In May 2023, Edelman named Ed Williams its first international president, overseeing its APAC, EMEA, Canadian and Latin American operations.

[27][56] Edelman provided crisis communication services to News Corporation during the phone hacking scandal that was exposed in 2011.

[59][60] "The firm’s clients have ranged from ExxonMobil to the Saudi government and members of the Sackler[61] family, the former owners of the opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma".

[71] EGA has expanded since 2021 by acquiring public affairs firms with offices in Brazil, Belgium, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

The lab is led by fashion designer Harris Reed and Edelman chief brand officer Jackie Cooper.

[8][9][10] The company has created front groups and advised clients to plant articles, letters and opinion pieces that appear to be spontaneous testimonials.

[8][9][10] In April 1998, the Los Angeles Times reported that Edelman had drafted a campaign plan to ensure that state attorneys general did not join antitrust legal actions against Microsoft.

[8] Documents obtained by the LA Times revealed that the plan included generating supportive letters to the editor, opinion pieces, and articles by freelance writers.

[80] In 2009, to coincide with the weeklong "Climate Camp" range of protests, a group of naked protestors occupied Edelman's reception.

Edelman used front groups to help the American Petroleum Institute reduce the perceived environmental damage caused by oil companies.

[84] Edelman also developed a strategy for the proposed Energy East pipeline intended to carry oil through Québec, en route to a deep water harbor at Cacouna, Quebec for export abroad in supertankers and to refineries in New Brunswick.

This resulted in a major controversy when documents leaked to Greenpeace revealed that Edelman had made some unethical proposals to sway public opinion in favor of its client.

[90] In June 2016, Edelman was hired by the International Centre for Legal Protection (ICLP), led by Andrey Kondakov, former director in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

[citation needed] On Fishbowl, an employee commented that the executives "took the opportunity to basically shame us for ruining the work for the company because they couldn't trust us not to leak it to the press.

[94] The company's official response was that "Edelman takes on complex and diverse clients ... and ultimately decided not to proceed with this work.

During the time of Jamal Khashoggi's murder, Edelman was one of the many PR firms to help Saudi Arabia work on its global reputation.

The firm received or contracted $9.6 million in fees from the agencies and companies controlled by the Gulf regime, according to US Department of Justice filing documents published by watchdog group OpenSecrets.