The Good, The Bad, The Spin

It is not a lost irony that news outfits have to engage in public relations. And really, who doesn’t? If you relate to others, you do public relations. Today’s spectacle comes from the The Idahoe Statesmen. Regular readers of this blog know that, unlike what is read in reader comments in mainstream news sites, I tend to accept what pilloried politicians, government officials and the like say as having some element of truth (what benefit does lying have when the spotlight is on you?).

In other words, I view the inherent journalistic dogma, that officials–particularly those who are public figures or work in government– are de facto liars as being an unfair and ignorant journalistic bias. (more…)

• At Freelance Switch, there are nice tips on writing a press release. Though geared toward individuals, the ideas are valuable for enhancing the relevance of all news releases.
• PRSA–the Public Relations Society of America–seems to just dump its new posts all on one day each week under the guise of “Tactics and The Strategist Online.” A series of posts strung together has the effect of diminishing returns; thus, perhaps it’s not an effective strategy.

• It’s no surprise that the hubbub around U.S. News & World Report college rankings is rearing its head. A PR issue is raised with such a report: Journalists, in this case, the media outlet known as the U.S. News & World Report, present themselves as the de facto spin doctors of misinformation. Re-framing journalists as spin doctors is, perhaps, a bold move, but the evidence is more than ample that PR ‘pros’ and ‘real’ journalists are more alike than dissimilar. Fortunately, NACUBO’s rankings still exist, only without the power of the printing press.
• My homies at Wise Bread recommend diplomacy when dealing with the dysfunctions and failures of complex organizations. Kudos for the niceties.
• The Wikipedia embarrassment reveals more examples of organizations setting their own records straight. It’s difficult to blame them, but the anonymity makes for amusing reading.