It was later proved that the cyanide had been placed in the Tylenol cap-
sules by one or more individuals after it left the manufacturing plant,
but Johnson & Johnson’s credibility had already been damaged.
Company officials listened to their instincts to be open and honest
with the public. They decided they would get as much information out
as quickly as they could, no matter how that information made them
look. They answered thousands of calls from consumers and the media
and held numerous news conferences in the next few days. Through
the media, the company immediately announced a recall of 93,000
bottles of extra-strength Tylenol capsules in the Chicago area and told
the public about its investigation of the manufacturing and distribu-
tion processes to try to locate the source of the problem.
Johnson & Johnson first said there was no cyanide in their plants.
Then, on the second day, its public relations department announced
that the information was incorrect. Cyanide was stored on the premises,
but it was not used in the production of Tylenol. The company knew
that having to correct the information would make it look doubly bad,
but it was committed to being open and honest with the public.
Johnson & Johnson sent millions of telegrams to doctors and hospi-
tals to warn them about the Tylenol, and they suspended all advertis-
ing to reduce consumer awareness of the product. By the second week486 MIXED MEDIA
Because of the public relations
efforts that Johnson & Johnson
made during the 1982 Tylenol
poisonings, Tylenol is a trusted
household product again today.