{{Short description|American writer and government official}} {{Multiple issues| {{Notability|Bio|date=April 2021}} {{COI|date=April 2021}} }} '''Jay Byrne''' (born 1962) is an American writer, former senior government official and entrepreneur. Byrne is president and founder of v-Fluence, a public relations and reputation management firm. He is a frequent public speaker on the use of the Internet and has published several articles on new media and communications. He is a contributing author to ''Let Them Eat Precaution'' published by the American Enterprise Institute.
==Career== As former political campaign operative Byrne is credited with executing a range of aggressive communications tactics, including the 1992 presidential campaign's Chicken George attack on George H. W. Bush.<ref>[https://online.wsj.com/articles/polling-well-this-election-cycle-men-in-chicken-suits-1411007403 Why the Chickens Have Come Home To Roost This Campaign Season], by Reid Epstein, Wall Street Journal, September 17, 2014.</ref> Byrne was Deputy Assistant Administrator for Legislative and Public Affairs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Clinton Administration from 1993 to 1997.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-23-mn-60263-story.html Foreign Aid's Impact Is Felt Close to Home], by Marc lacey, Los Angeles Times, October 23, 1995.</ref> During this time he also served as a White House spokesperson for numerous presidential and administration foreign policy initiatives including the 1994 G7 Jobs Summit and the Greater Horn of Africa Famine Initiative.<ref>[http://www.usaid.gov/regions/afr/ghai/ President Clinton's Greater Horn of Africa Initiative] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312185950/http://www.usaid.gov/regions/afr/ghai/ |date=March 12, 2008 }}</ref> Prior to joining USAID Byrne held communication positions on the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign, for Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn and for Congressman Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (D-MA).
After serving in the Clinton Administration, Byrne headed up corporate communications for Monsanto Company from 1997 to 2001.<ref>[http://www.democracynow.org/1999/2/22/debate_between_monsanto_and_jeremy_rifkin Debate] between Monsanto and Jeremy Rifkin, Democracy Now Radio, February 22, 1999.</ref><ref name="Burns2024">{{cite news |last1=Burns |first1=Andy |last2=Morris |first2=Nathan |last3=Gibbs |first3=Margot |last4=DeBre |first4=Elena |last5=Gillam |first5=Carey |title=High-profile Australian industry players part of invite-only social network where pro-chemical lobby shares 'wiki' dossiers of known critics |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-27/australian-industry-players-part-of-pro-chemical-social-network/104369480 |access-date=7 October 2024 |work=ABC News |date=27 September 2024 |language=en-AU}}</ref> As Monsanto's director of corporate communications, Byrne focused on building acceptance for the company's controversial genetically modified crops.<ref name="Gillam2024">{{cite news |last1=Gillam |first1=Carey |last2=Gibbs |first2=Margot |last3=DeBre |first3=Elena |title=Revealed: the US government-funded ‘private social network’ attacking pesticide critics |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/26/government-funded-social-network-attacking-pesticide-critics |access-date=3 October 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=27 September 2024}}</ref> After leaving Monsanto, Byrne founded the reputation management firm v-Fluence through which he led efforts to counter opposition to products created by agrochemical companies.<ref name="Gillam2024"/> According to a lawsuit against the agrochemical firm Syngenta, Byrne and v-Fluence helped to suppress information about links between Syngenta's herbicide paraquat and the development of Parkinson's disease. The lawsuit also claims that Byrne and v-Fluence helped to "neutralize" critics of the herbicide.<ref name="Gillam2024"/> In 2014, v-Fluence launched a private social network called Bonus Eventus. According to investigative reports by Lighthouse Reports, ''The Guardian'', ''Le Monde'' and others, the purpose of Bonus Eventus is to act as a platform for coordinating attacks against pesticide critics.<ref name="Burns2024"/><ref name="Gillam2024"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Foucart |first1=Stéphane |last2=Gibbs |first2=Margot |last3=DeBre |first3=Elena |title=Investigation reveals mass profiling of 'opponents' of the agrochemical industry |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2024/09/27/investigation-reveals-mass-profiling-of-opponents-of-the-agrochemical-industry_6727428_114.html |access-date=3 October 2024 |work=Le Monde |date=27 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Poison PR |url=https://www.lighthousereports.com/investigation/poison-pr/ |access-date=3 October 2024 |work=Lighthouse Reports |date=27 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Byrne attended St. John's Preparatory School and graduated from Tufts University.
==Books==
*{{cite book| author=Byrne, Jay| title=Let Them Eat Precaution: How Politics Is Undermining The Genetic Revolution in Agriculture| publisher=AEI Press| year=2005| isbn=0-8447-4200-7| display-authors=etal| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/letthemeatprecau0000unse}}
==Other publications==
*{{cite book | author=Byrne, Jay | title=Blogs & Beyond: A guide to understanding and engaging consumer-generated media outlets| publisher=Association of Cable Communicators: ACC Briefs | year=2007}} *{{cite book | author=Byrne, Jay | title=New Search Trends Affect Online PR & Marketing Efforts| publisher=O'Dwyers: Public Relations Report | year=2007}} *{{cite book | author=Byrne, Jay | title=Attack of the Killer Labels| publisher=Public Relations Society Press: PR Reporter Magazine | year=2003}} *{{cite book | author=Byrne, Jay | title=When You're Serious About Culture Change| publisher=Ragan Press: Journal of Employee Communications| year=1999}} *{{cite book | author=Byrne, Jay | title=Empowering People, Improving Profits and Breaking Barriers| publisher=Phillips Publishing: PR News Journal | year=1999}} *{{cite book | author=Byrne, Jay | title=How Internal Communications Transforms a Culture| publisher=Ragan Press: Journal of Communications Management | year=1999}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080303154212/http://www.v-fluence.com/home/about-us/v-fluence-team/jay-byrne.html v-Fluence Company Biography of Jay Byrne] * [http://www.aei.org/books/bookID.842,filter.all/book_detail.asp Let Them Eat Precaution by Jay Byrne, et al., published by AEI] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120044810/http://www.aei.org/books/bookID.842,filter.all/book_detail.asp |date=2007-11-20 }} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071214165422/http://66.227.50.219/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20334&Itemid=20 Talkers Magazine New Media Seminar with Jay Byrne]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Jay}} Category:Living people Category:1962 births Category:Tufts University alumni