Facebook’s Short-Term PR Has Longer-Term Consequences
In her eye-opening piece this week, The Guardian’s SF reporter Olivia Solon opens the curtain on the draconian efforts by Google, Facebook and presumably others to muzzle their employees from speaking publicly about their company’s doings. Aptly titled “‘They’ll squash you like a bug’: how Silicon Valley keeps a lid on leakers,” Ms. Solon […]
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 […]
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 […]
What These Media Business Insiders Said
In 6 years at @mashable, I have covered some stuff. Here’s some of the evidence. #artifacts pic.twitter.com/jbadCOzxgE — Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) December 6, 2017 Unlike Lance Ulanoff, Mashable’s intrepid, yet soon-to-be missed chief correspondent, editor-at-large, and industry conference impresario, I tend to be more solicitous (and less ubiquitous) when it comes to the tech and media […]
Making a Name for Your Startup
For those of you with whom I’m connected on LinkedIn, you probably noticed I recently returned from the Web Summit in Lisbon. It was my third year in attendance. Before I get into what I was doing there, you should know how big the Web Summit has become. First, I’d venture to say that it […]
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 […]
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 […]
Cool Tools for the Curious PR Pro
One of the daily email newsletters to which I subscribe is Product Hunt, founder by Ryan Hoover. This carefully distilled selection of serendipitous new gadgets, apps, podcasts, and productivity tools rarely ceases to surprise me. Invariably, they make my professional life easier and home life more enjoyable. Product Hunt eliminates the frustration we all have felt […]
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” […]
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. […]
