Company makes its case—and touts its volunteerism—in its newsroom

The role of petroleum in feeding the world. A volunteer mentoring effort at a high school. A gas station rebranding. Marathon Petroleum uses website to connect with people and offer its views.

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Even automakers such as Nissan sought to position themselves on the side of the angels by promoting their electric vehicle fleets.

In the past, a petroleum company or its PR agency might have had to lean on reporters to get a mention of the importance of oil products in feeding billions of people. (Think of tractors, fertilizers and the energy required to pipe water for irrigation.)

This time around, Marathon Petroleum Corp. could make a direct pitch to the public by posting video on its newsroom of a speech by the author of a book called “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.” (The newsroom is powered by PressPage, a Ragan partner.)

The newsroom launch early last year coincided with Marathon Petroleum’s rollout of its social media endeavors. The company has garnered 3,000 followers on Facebook, and 34,000 LinkedIn users follow the company.

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