Some years ago, frustrated by the lack of a mechanism to assess prospective PR agency candidates, I developed a questionnaire on media and PR trends that served as a non-scientific barometer for hiring. It was not intended as a measure of whether a candidate will ultimately succeed in the job, but rather one that speaks…… Continue reading The 2019 PR/Media Quiz
Tag: JOurnalism
Do Paid Media Walls Further Divide Our Nation?
Hardly a day passes without my seeing a tweet from or about Civil, a new enterprise that will use blockchain technology and the sale of tokens to revive and sustain the badly battered journalism profession. Reimagining the news with #blockchain-based architecture https://t.co/xx50xG4ntU — Civil (@Join_Civil) August 24, 2018 Today the purveyors of high quality news are not only…… Continue reading Do Paid Media Walls Further Divide Our Nation?
Rachel Maddow, Journalist First
A common refrain from the media cognoscenti goes something like this: Try listening, reading or watching those whose views run counter to your own. It may open your eyes to how others see the world. I hear this constantly from friends, family, and way too many social science pundits. To them I say: bullshit. I will…… Continue reading Rachel Maddow, Journalist First
Pitch Imperfect: PR’s Lost Art
In previous end-of-the-year assessments of the public relations biz, I’ve tackled the following trends and developments: 2015: The need for PR pros to consider paid digital marketing schemes to advance their client’s communications objectives, i.e., “we no longer can rely solely on the benevolence of journalists to tell their stories (“New Media & The PR…… Continue reading Pitch Imperfect: PR’s Lost Art
Fake News & The PR Professional
IABC New York recently convened a panel exploring the subject of fake news and, specifically, its relevance (and danger) to the public relations professional. Joining the session, held at Fleishman-Hillard’s NYC offices, were: FH executive and former New York Times veteran editor Tim Race, Brett Lofgren, President, North America and Global CRO of NewsWhip and PR industry…… Continue reading Fake News & The PR Professional
A Glimmer of Hope for Journalism?
A Harvard University analysis of The New York Times and other so-called paradigms of journalism showed some serious dereliction of duty during the 2016 Presidential campaign. The Washington Post’s astute media chronicler and former New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan observed: During the 2016 presidential campaign, the national news media’s misguided sense of…… Continue reading A Glimmer of Hope for Journalism?
Podcasts for PR Peeps
It’s no secret that podcasting, once left for dead, has a new lease on life now that our mobile devices serve as the primary vehicles through which we acquire news and information. One NYU student writer recently extolled the podcast as “the future of journalism.” The buzzworthy “Missing Richard Simmons,” Buzzfeed’s “Another Round,” and the #1-rated “S-Town”…… Continue reading Podcasts for PR Peeps
2016: When PR Turned to the Dark Side
2016 was the year when the currents that have slowly eroded the tenuous relationship between journalists and PR pros coalesced to create an existential crisis that may not be easily remedied. Yesterday’s Trump presser was the first salvo in what will surely be a contentious period for news organizations hoping to ferret out the truth.…… Continue reading 2016: When PR Turned to the Dark Side
Fake News and Its Threat to Democracy
My first social media post of the day happened on Facebook and involved Twitter. It cited USA Today’s story on Twitter’s audacious decision to ban from its platform hundreds of offensive “alt right” accounts. My morning gripe had less to do with Twitter’s sudden cleanse of hate-spreaders on its platform and more about the absence…… Continue reading Fake News and Its Threat to Democracy
When Journalism Fails to Deliver
Today one of the most astute chroniclers of all things technology tossed his former fellow tech scribes under the bus for their inability to separate fact from fiction when it came to the scientific claims of one prickly healthcare startup CEO. I’m talking about Theranos of…… Continue reading When Journalism Fails to Deliver