Ford Doing Spin Control After Doctoring Photograph

02/23/96

Reuters reported that Ford Motor Company is doing spin control to try to contain damage due to what they call a "an administrative error". Ford published a photograph that had been doctored to make 4 black workers' faces look white. The union that represents the workers has grieved the issue and Ford announced that it will set a date to meet, although it has not yet done so. Ford offered to pay the involved workers $2,300, each, but the offer has been rejected.

The original photograph was shot and used in a 1991 advertising campaign. The photo shows a line-up of about 30 Ford workers. The company then used the photo for advertising in Poland, transposing the four black workers' faces with white faces because the photo "did not portray the ethnic mix in Poland." The company claims there was no racial motive in altering the picture.

The altered picture was re-used this year on new posters and publicity brochures for Ford Motor Credit Co. to be displayed in dealerships in Britain. Ford claims that the finance unit did not realize the picture had been altered until it was too late. Ford has apologized for the incident and all the brochures and posters have been recalled.

Despite Ford's efforts to contain damage over the issue, the Labour Party's Tony Banks raised the issue in british parliament. Banks mused that Ford Motor Co. was rewriting Henry Ford's famous statement that customers could buy his Model T in any color they wanted, "as long as it's black." Banks quipped that Ford's new mission statement is "you can have any color worker you want at Ford, providing he's white."

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel