To mark its 10-year anniversary, Tobacco Tactics, which is produced by the award-winning Tobacco Control Research Group in the Department for Health, has had a major facelift.

The Tobacco Tactics team investigates and analyses the strategies and tactics the tobacco industry uses to undermine public health and publishes profiles of the tobacco industry’s key personnel, organisations and allies on the site. It relaunched this week with a fresh look and new and updated content, including an in-depth feature about greenwashing by the tobacco industry. Speaking about this, its managing editor, Phil Chamberlain, said:

The international tobacco industry is desperate to whitewash its image and its appropriation of the environmental agenda is but one example. The way such companies are exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic is another egregious example. Tobacco Tactics is the place to go for authoritative information on the industry’s tactics and strategies.

The new layout and navigation make it easier to search the site and ‘smart searching’ recommends related content to explore.
The new site has a host of new features, including a dedicated whistle-blower portal, where people can supply information securely. Speaking about this, the director of Tobacco Tactics, Andy Rowell, said:

The secure access feature is designed for whistle-blowers concerned about the industry's behaviour. We expect to publish the results of such leaks over the coming months and hold the industry to account.

The site, which had over 115,000 visitors in 2019, is used daily by academics, advocates, campaigners, journalists, policy-makers and researchers who value its rigorous, evidence-based approach and accessible style. The most popular pages from the almost quarter of a million pages viewed last year, included those on advertising strategy, next generation products, the Indian Tobacco Company and a country profile of Sri Lanka.

In addition to the site expanding, the team has also grown and now has seven members of staff from four continents with varied backgrounds in medicine, microbiology, policy, public health, research and investigative journalism.

Please help the Tobacco Tactics team spread the word about the new site to your colleagues and contacts and if you have any suggestions for new content, please email the team at tobacco-tactics@bath.ac.uk.