When reporters play PR defense–and win

August 28, 2007

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 [...]

PR Nuggets 8.26.07: Press release ideas and PRSA’s diminishing strategy

August 26, 2007

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 [...]

PR nuggets 8.22.07: College rankings, Wikipedia redux and my homeboys/girls at Wisebread

August 22, 2007

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, [...]

Lanny Davis Part II: An interview with President Clinton’s former special counsel

August 19, 2007

  In the late 1990s, President Bill Clinton was accused of selling burial plots at Arlington National Cemetery. The scandal made front page news all over the country. The problem: none of it was true. Lanny Davis, Clinton’s former special counsel, explains why this happened in part two of this exclusive interview for The Good, The [...]

PR Nuggets 8.19.07: Netflix and customer service, the Wikipedia scandal

August 19, 2007

Netflix is taking the radical step of ensuring excellent customer service. What was once an assumed business creed is now being used as a way to be a market leader. This is a mixed blessing. The Wikipedia scandal has spread like wildfire. It’s extremely tempting to assume an anonymous identity to set the record straight–or, [...]