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.”