‘Crafting an illusion’: US rail firms’ multimillion-dollar PR push

Norfolk Southern, the company behind the Ohio train crash, and other rail firms spent millions on marketing and lobbying

Six children, smiling and laughing, sit at a table with lunch boxes open in front of them. “Hey guys! My dad can stop a train with his finger,” one brags. “My mom can see into the future,” another says, holding up her hands as binoculars. “My mom? She speaks train,” a third claims.

Just then, her mom walks into the room. Another child asks if it’s true that she can talk...