PRepping the Policy Pundits

Bill O’Reilly of Fox NewsIn spite of this new era of transparency in which leakers and whistleblowers are celebrated in many quarters, I’ll never understood the compulsion of some communications counselors for self-aggrandizement, often at the expense of their clients. (Actually I do understand it, but have a hard time reconciling it with the interests…… Continue reading PRepping the Policy Pundits

Friday’s Video Views

Kindle v iPadKindle sticks it to Apple’s iPad with its new TV spot. I wonder how Amazon will deal with the product enhancements Apple released today – multi-tasking, printability…?I Want My New Twitter!The big news this week from the social spheres entails Twitter’s simple redesign and enhanced functionality. Not only is the company creating cache…… Continue reading Friday’s Video Views

Fateful and Fatal Interviews

Who said mainstream media doesn’t matter? The PR team at Rolling Stone is working overtime to publicize its latest celebrity scribe Michael Hastings, the writer that Gen. McChrystal took along for an ill-advised tour of duty, which may be the last tour for the loose-lipped former Special Ops chief. Even Hastings scratched his head at…… Continue reading Fateful and Fatal Interviews

Primetime Meltdown

The value to a company of a smart, articulate and engaging CEO cannot be underestimated. Nowhere is this PR fact-of-life more apparent than during a live TV or video-streamed media interview.I’ll always remember sitting alongside one of the best in the business — Sun Microsystems’ CEO Scott McNealy. We were in the green room of…… Continue reading Primetime Meltdown

Cramer Eats Crow

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM – Th 11p / 10cJim Cramer Interview Outtake Pt. 2Daily Show Full EpisodesImportant Things w/ Demetri MartinPolitical HumorJim CramerMy wife has pedestrian tastes in her TV fare. I peeked in on her the other night and caught her watching the most vapid and annoying show on television. If you…… Continue reading Cramer Eats Crow

On Background

How many media training sessions does one have to endure before taking to heart the trainer’s counsel that nothing is “off the record?” We’ve certainly witnessed a fair share of PR gaffes by newsmakers who thought it was cool to kibbutz with a reporter.Segueing from “off-the-record” to its semantic sibling “on background,” we read with…… Continue reading On Background

Not Ready for Prime Time

I love Joan Walsh’s comparison of Sarah Palin’s comments on Iran to those of Miss South Carolina on why Americans don’t know simple U.S. geography. First Miss South Carolina: “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps. And I believe…… Continue reading Not Ready for Prime Time

Flack Helps Pack Crack Hacks

“Don’t take the bait.”This was the advice former Bush flack Ari Fleischer gave to a Green Bay Packers gathering yesterday on how to deal with journalism’s offensive line. “They [the media] are also going to stir the pot.” (Apparently not enough.)But, Ari, how should one behave when he’s caught lying?And what should you do when…… Continue reading Flack Helps Pack Crack Hacks

Gawker Reporter-in-Training

In his post today, PR Newser’s Joe Ciarallo called out the PR blogosphere in an attempt to draw it into the imbroglio between Gawker and Edelman over something the snark blog’s newest reporter (direct from PR Week) Hamilton Nolan (pictured), posted this week.The offending post was precipitated by an unnamed marketing executive, and regurgitated by…… Continue reading Gawker Reporter-in-Training

Media Control

Rather than properly preparing their executive to deal with the most expected of questions, the Starbucks-fueled Apple PR staff swarms on the unassuming British TV reporter, with cameras still rolling, to demand a journalistic detour under the snarky threat of postponing the interview altogether, e.g., “we’re very busy today.”The folks at Gizmodo titled their video…… Continue reading Media Control