Very interesting New York Times article that provides insight into Wal-Mart’s use of blogs and bloggers to combat its negative public image. The gist of the story is that Wal-Mart’s PR firm of record, Edelman, has been sending out talking points to pro Wal-Mart bloggers via email. A few of the bloggers then posted excerpts of the emails without disclosing where they came from. Sounds like a non-story really – its not news that PR folks send bloggers information. You just have to wonder how successful Wal-Mart will be in manufacturing something (a grassroots blog movement in support of Wal-Mart) that really should happen organically and with Wal-Mart employees leading the way.

Update: Here is a link to the story that doesn’t require registration. 

Update 2: Here is a link to a PDF of correspence between an Edelman executive and a blogger he is wooing. 

Technorati Tags: Wal-mart PR Edelman Blog Communication