The Fourth Lesson From Jena: The absence of public relations

September 23rd, 20076:44 pm @

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I previously posted about the racial crisis in Jena, La. There is a fourth lesson to learn from this situation: No human or human system–in this case, an entire community–is immune from the general rules of public relations. When a crisis hits, things seemingly small and insignificant can quickly escalate to immense degrees. This happened in Jena and the town appears ill equipped to handle it from a public relations perspective.

The irony is that public relations budgets, and personnel, are usually the first to go when finances are tight. This happened with a local government near me: PR took a hike, and when a crisis hit, all that was left to handle media relations were the chief offenders in the crisis. When public relations is not being addressed, the effect is resounding.