Roosevelt Island tram officials used taxpayer funds to manipulate the press, boost image: state probe

Former Roosevelt Island officials used taxpayer money to fund an elaborate scheme to manipulate the press — to blame tourists, not mismanagement, for lackluster service on the Roosevelt Island Tramway, according to an explosive state investigation.Officials overseeing the Roosevelt Island tram — whose cable cars cross the East River between Midtown Manhattan and Roosevelt Island at East 59th Street — paid $168,680 to PR firm Status Labs to orchestrate the yearlong campaign in late 2022, according to New York state’s Office of the Inspector General.Officials at the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) aimed to deflect complaints over months of tram breakdowns, overcrowding, and inadequate accommodations for passengers with disabilities, according to the report released last week.While the report found that some of the tram’s service problems could be blamed on a glut of tourists who use it to take in scenic views, it noted that residents and blogs also raised hackles over media coverage that solely blamed tourists and ignored signs of poor management.Months later, according to the report, state officials found that the “tourist trap” blame game was part of a carefully calculated misinformation campaign that was paid for by the tram’s executive board. Between October 2022 and October 2023, the PR team produced 17 positive articles about the RIOC executives and planted them on various blogs.According to the report, RIOC officials edited and reviewed articles that Status Labs had written about them, and even organized headshots for the puff pieces — all during RIOC work hours. Status Labs — the mission of which is “to help our clients take and maintain control of their digital identity and look their best online,” according to its website — didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment.Status Labs also helped RIOC executives manipulate Google’s search engine optimization (SEO) algorithm and move legitimate negative article...