[3] Berman's organizations have run numerous media campaigns concerning obesity, soda taxation, smoking, cruelty to animals, mad cow disease, taxes, the national debt, drinking and driving, as well as the minimum wage.
Through the courts and media campaigns, Berman and Company challenges regulations sought by consumer, safety and environmental groups.
That is defensive in nature.”[9] According to The New Yorker, “Richard Berman is something of a legend, often credited with taking the art of negative campaigning on behalf of undisclosed corporate clients to the next level.”[10] He devised an acronym to summarize his approach to public relations messaging (“FLAGS,” or fear, love, anger, greed, and sympathy), claiming that anger and fear are the most effective emotions to convey.
He claims he is “never afraid of an interview, even from a hostile source.”[15] 60 Minutes has called Berman "the booze and food industries' weapon of mass destruction," labor union activist Richard Bensinger gave him the nickname "Dr.
"[19] In 2013, The Huffington Post included Berman on its list of "America's Ruling Class Hall of Shame," describing him as a "sleazy corporate front man.
He moved into the food and beverage industry in 1975 under the mentorship of Norman Brinker, founder and owner of the Steak & Ale chain of restaurants.
[27][28][29] In 1991, Berman created the Employment Policies Institute to research entry-level work issues and argue "the importance of minimum wage jobs for the poor and uneducated."
In practice, this translated to opposing minimum wage hikes that reduce employment, as determined by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and other sources.
[55] CORE generally promotes de-regulation in the marketplace against what it believes is encroachment by government or scare tactics promulgated by activist groups.
[55] In 2011, the Los Angeles Times called CCF a “feisty and unapologetic warrior against what it sees as over-regulation of consumers’ habits.”[58] Berman smear campaigns allege that HSUS "gives less than one percent of the money it raises to local pet shelters,"[59] and that "PETA kills 89% of the adoptable dogs and cats in its care.
The American Beverage Institute (ABI) is a trade association opposed to laws intended to criminalize alcohol consumption, including the push to further lower existing blood-alcohol arrest thresholds.
[70] One advertisement read, “‘UTAH: Come for vacation, leave on probation.”[71] The Employment Policies Institute (EPI) is a nonprofit research center opposed to raising the minimum wage, particularly in the labor-intensive restaurant industry.
"[72] According to Time, “The voice that may matter most [in the minimum wage fight] is one many Americans have never heard of: Richard ‘Rick’ Berman, a public relations guru and former lobbyist who claims to speak for the small-business owners who run the nation’s diners and corner stores.”[73] The Restaurant Opportunities Center has taken an aggressive approach in its campaigns against Berman's base of support within the National Restaurant Association and related enterprises.
[75] It has run full-page ads in major print media outlets (including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post), blaming corrupt trade unions for the bankruptcies of certain American industries.
CUF is a non-profit; 2007 federal tax returns showed revenues of $2.5 million, with $840,000 being paid to Berman and Company for management services.
[78] In 2016, the Committee also launched “China Owns Us,” a public awareness campaign that is critical of the Chinese Communist Party’s increased involvement in American mass media.
[79][80] After Dalian Wanda acquired AMC Theatres, the China Owns Us campaign drummed up opposition to Chinese acquisitions in Hollywood, warning federal lawmakers that Chinese-owned theater screens and production assets would influence people’s views about U.S.-China relations.