The News Is In And It's Not Good

A British Parliamentary committee report on the phone-hacking scandal that consumed Rupert Murdoch's News of The World in July delivered strong criticism of the media executive. The report's phrase “not a fit person” to lead News Corp. was highlighted is many Twitter feeds on Tuesday.

Some observers said the report was more severe than anticipated.

CNBC gives an overview of the report.

PR's Spin Doctor Image

“The public likes to brand PR practitioners as unethical 'spin doctors.' Is there a way for PRs to reverse this negative perception?”

Gini Dietrich, founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, Inc., posted this article on Ragan.com and it definitely got people talking.

“Perhaps part of the reason is our industry organizations—PRSA, IABC, CIPR, CPRS, IPRA, etc.—don't regulate the industry. The barrier to entry is extremely low. If someone wants to become a PR pro, no one requires him to test, take boards or prove he knows what he's doing.”

There is no simple answer to Gini's question. I've spent 20-plus years in journalism and many of the same points have been raised about journalists. This is not just a problem for PR or journalism. Think finance. The finance and banking industries have a variety of ethics codes and government regulations. Have they been completely effective?

While education does not produce change over night, we need to ask what are our schools and colleges teaching in the area of ethics? Is it one required course that everyone speeds through, or is it also part of the fabric of the program be it, journalism, new media, advertising, business administration or PR.

Heck, what is being taught in the home.

We live in a world where questionable behavior sometimes has its rewards.

The Price Of Brand Protection

Penn State has retained Edelman and La Torre Communication to help manage communications with its school and local communities, and the media in the wake of the child sex-abuse scandal that has rocked the football program and the university. The university will pay Edelman and La Torre (Harrisburg, Penn.) $2.5 million for the next year.

The school said the agencies will also assist it during upcoming litigation to ensure that accurate information is quickly disseminated.

"Earlier this year, I announced five promises to guide Penn State in recovery from our recent crisis and rebuild trust with the Penn State community," said university President Rodney Erickson. "Retaining these communications firms puts us more firmly on the path toward accountability, openness and preserving our reputation as one of the world’s leading research universities."

The school has already paid $5.3 million to several firms for crisis management and an internal investigation into the mishandling of child abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. He has denied charges he molested boys over a 15-year period.

It will be interesting to see how Edelman and La Torre manage Penn State's message and the results of efforts to repair the university's reputation that has been damaged not only by the allegations, but also the school's subsequent actions.

As Washington Post columnist Jenna Johnson wrote: “... calculated strategy when it comes to messaging and branding in a time of tragedy or scandal can rub some students, faculty and alumni — not to mention victims or those closely involved with the situation — the wrong way.”

If Brand Matters, Social Media's Not A Toy

Of the many lessons to be learned from the Secret Service prostitution scandal in Colombia, a side lesson is be careful what you post on social media. Not only can the post make the rounds faster than you can say: “Oh no,” but it can come back to haunt you.

It's advice that should be listed on everyone's social media page for networkers of all ages, even a Secret Service agent.

David Chaney, who was forced out of the agency by the scandal, was part of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's security detail during the 2008 campaign. In January 2009, he posted on the his public Facebook page photos of him standing behind or to the side of Palin at events. He commented: "I was really checking her out, if you know what I mean?"

Some might think it's boys being boys, but the agents are not boys and they are involved in serious business. This is not what comes to mind when you think Secret Service. And taken with the scandal, it just piles on the men in black.

While the agent was using his personal account, some organizations do ask employees to promote the business on their private accounts. Even on official accounts, I wonder how many organizations have in place a clear social media policy for each social media platform, or one that addresses employee code of conduct, company and personal blogs, and disclaimers? And is the organization monitoring the posts?

This is not the first misstep on social media that has put the agency in a bad light. Last year, the agency had to apologize for a “rogue” tweet slamming Fox News.

Social media may be considered recreational, but when brand reputation is at stake, it's not a toy.

T-Mobile's New Edge

T-Mobile has given its lady in pink – Carly Foulkes – a tough, edgy look to highlight its more aggressive campaign to challenge the big three – Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.

Carly's pink sun dresses have been replaced with a sleek leather jumpsuit and a Ducati motorcycle. Modern and fast as in its 4G HSPA+ network.

The “ad is a metaphor for what T-Mobile is all about – challenging the status quo and taking bold steps in the marketplace as a challenger brand, according to a T-Mobile email in Huffington Post.

"Clearly 2012 is a rebuilding year for T-Mobile," said Peter DeLuca, senior-VP brand, advertising and communications, said in AdvertisingAge. "We need to get the brand back out there and get consumers to take another look."

It's been rough for T-Mobile: AT&T's bit to buy the carrier was squashed by regulators, has no iPhone, and has lost customers.

No matter how well an advertising campaign is executed, brand-awareness goes only so far. Is the brand something consumers want? Time will tell if the new Carly is all style or hits the mark that T-Mobile is worth a another look. 


Watch the take from industry observers.

Are You Ready.gov for the Next Emergency

Crisis communications can mean many things to many people. A mega oil spill offshore or a meltdown at a nuclear facility is likely to sound the alarm bell. But just because your business is small- to medium-size does not mean your crisis communication needs are to be ignored.

Those needs are important to you and your stakeholders – customers, employees, neighbors, and elected officials to name a few. Ready.gov has a wealth of information to prepare and handle natural or man-made disasters, including a crisis communications plan for businesses. You may want to consult a professional, but the guidelines are a good place to start thinking about what you need to keep the lines of communications open.

One important tip for any size business is to include crisis communications in the risk-management review of your business. The risk management and crisis communications plans should be reviewed regularly as conditions change within and outside your business.

The Ready national campaign was launched in 2003 to educate citizens about being prepared for emergencies. In 2004, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency launched a readiness campaign for businesses.

'Unpublishing' On The Internet

A post in the Columbia Journalism Review reminds us of the internet's power, in this case to keep old stories alive and just a click away from everyone, including prospective employers. According to the post, news outlets are receiving more requests to unpublish stories that sources consider damaging.

Some requests might be source or columnist remorse (about past comments or activities that are now coming up in background checks), and inaccurate or outdated information. Most seem to fall into the category of arrest reports where charges were subsequently dropped.

It is not news that sources are sometimes unhappy with parts or all of a story. But once a story was printed, it was printed. Things were resolved with corrections and clarifications -- if warranted -- a follow-up story, or letter to the editor.

The big difference today is a reporter or employer does not have to search microfilm or newspaper files to find the information. Search engines now do the work for anyone connected to the internet.

The takeaways:

--Is removal of damaging content always the best tactic? Certainly legal matters will dictate action to be taken. But in other cases, unpublishing may not be simple if other parties are involved? And people are probably aware of the story. It may be better to address the issue head on and get your story out there.

--A lesson for all of us is the importance of our internet reputation. Digital content has a good chance of being further distributed through links by other sources or shared via social media and commented on. It will continue to live online and in the outlet's digital library.

--There is a need for further discussion on best practices to address such requests, and fairness and ethical concerns. As Dan Watson writes in CJR, “Ultimately, the dilemma is to balance the concerns of sources with ... practical manpower concerns and the obligation a publication has to its audience.”

Digital content can easily be changed, but should it be and under what circumstances?