'Frack Master' Claims The Guardian Misled Readers with Sensationalized Headline

DALLAS, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Breitling Energy Corporation (OTCBB: BECC) is in the social media spotlight today following an article appearing in The Guardian, one of the UK's most prominent and respected newspapers.

On September 3, 2014, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK's independent regulator for advertising across all media, released an adjudication on Breitling Energy Corporation, upholding 6 contentious points from a February 2014 ad published in the Telegraph in which Breitling outlined various reasons why the Company felt the UK would benefit from considering fracking British shale for natural gas.

The ASA is a self-proclaimed regulatory body that mostly investigates complaints filed against British ads, mostly centered around misleading or inaccurate information.

The Guardian headline, "Pro-fracking newspaper ad banned by Advertising Standards Authority," went viral on social media, especially among those opposing fracking.

The ASA issued 9 adjudications, as part of their weekly report of investigations. Two were chosen by Guardian editors for publication. Breitling Energy's print ad on fracking and two online ads by American Apparel that, according to ASA, featured a too-scantily clad girl photographed from low angles, whose buttocks was visible. The other 7 sanctioned entities, including an ad by Medical Aid for Palestinians, claiming hospital treatment was being blocked by the Israelis, were overlooked.

"This is reflective of what happens in the press, especially related to Fracking," said Chris Faulkner, Breitling's Chairman and CEO. "This went viral while England was asleep, and the environmentalist community is going ballistic."

Breitling is thus far sticking to its original points. "This is all about objectivity, and the ASA is both judge and jury," Faulkner balked. "If this was an ad in The Guardian instead of an article, I'd file a complaint against them for a violation of the ASA's CAP code for misrepresentation, exaggeration and substantiation.  Consider these headlines they ran earlier this year by their own staff writers which illustrate the very points we made," he fumed.

David Cameron, UK's Prime Minister, told The Guardian in January "We're going all out for shale."
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/13/shale-gas-fracking-cameron-all-out 

In March 2014, The Guardian questioned, "Is Europe's gas supply threatened by the Ukraine crisis?"
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/03/europes-gas-supply-ukraine-crisis-russsia-pipelines

June, 2013 – BBC – UK shale gas resources 'greater than thought'
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-23069499 

"You have to love the British press," said Thomas Miller, Breitling Vice President who heads up the Company's internal communications and co-hosts a daily nationwide radio program with Faulkner. "Fracking and sex. The Guardian editors sure know a good news story when they see one," Miller rebuffed. "You can see by what they chose to run and not run, how the media has over-controlled this debate. The sex ads were only covered because they were racy, that's all. There is no news value there whatsoever. And they omitted mentioning the Palestinian organization. If this isn't media bias 101, nothing is," Miller noted.

Breitling has no additional plans for ads in the UK, but has not apologized or backed down from the statements made in its February Telegraph ad. "We are all about getting the message out, and when you get on the front lines of anything, sometimes you get shot at," Faulkner noted.

Company Contact
Thomas Miller
Breitling Energy Corporation
Email 
214-716-2036

SOURCE Breitling Energy Corporation