Chevron recently faced one of the largest class-action lawsuits in history, filed by Ecuadoreans who accuse Texaco (a company acquired by Chevron) of poisoning the rain forests. This lawsuit and an upcoming negative broadcast story on ë60 Minutes prompted Chevron to take an offensive approach to combat negative allegations.

The company hired former CNN national correspondent Gene Randall to tell its side of the story in a video about the lawsuit. In the video, Chevron defends its position and claims it was a victim of a massive misinformation campaign.

Chevron’s video which appeared on YouTube and the company Web site, has received a mixed response as many journalists and PR professionals debate whether it crossed the line in its defense. AdAge reporter Michael Bush wrote an article titled, “PR Pros Weigh in on Chevron’s ’60 Minutes’ Offensive,” which takes a look at PR professional’s reaction to Chevron’s move to hire a former CNN reporter and produce its own in-house “news” story.

In his article, Bush asserts that Chevron’s video may be a strong indicator of the direction future marketing activities could take, and how companies will look to shape public perceptions. Changes with social media allow corporations to compete with traditional media outlets and reach the consumer directly in a more controlled manner.

Mark Hass, CEO of MH Group Communications, said, “It may…even provide jobs for all those reporters watching their newsroom spots disappear.”

Nonetheless, as companies leverage social media, transparency and full disclosure is critical. For example, instead of using ëGene Randall Reporting’ in its video introduction, Chevron should have been clear they produced the content by using, ëGene Randall Reporting for Chevron.’ This would make it clear to viewers that the video segment was produced by Chevron and not an independent news outlet.