Bring back our leader—please!

How the Nazis turned PR into propaganda

Customer service myth meets privacy infringement at CIBC

Parallels of good scripts and speeches

Bush administration hoping "Excellence by association" will catch on

Customer service myth meets privacy infringement at CIBC

How the media get even

Marketing meets social responsibility at the LCBO

"Beach on wheels" as Mexican Tourist Board rolls into Toronto

Special China issue of Globe and Mail makes news

Useful media and journalism websites

What the Bleep! Do We Know?
Documentary merges science and spirituality

New Rules of Media Relations

Five ways to get photography 
working for your organization

Five ways to make your website work harder

Five reasons why employee communication is ineffective in most organizations

"Liberal wieners" and "Right-wing
nut jobs" back on-line

RESPECT -- A Canadian value

Don’t argue with anyone who 
buys ink by the barrel

Stories and anecdotes make 
a good speech

The 4 things I want from a professional communication association

The Martha Saga: PR vs Legal advice

6 reasons your organization’s messages aren’t getting through—and 5 ways to improve your odds

The birth of "editorializing" and the cult of the (media) personality

Eleven things I know about Public Relations and Corporate Communications

Wednesday, February 9, 2005

Tim Moore’s 1997 book: On the Move—How to succeed and survive as an entrepreneur (Stoddart).

How often do employees band together to ask their former boss to come back and lead them again? It’s the stuff of fairy tales (the plot for Shrek 3?), but that’s precisely what happened to Tim Moore, founder and CEO of Mississauga-based AMJ Campbell Van Lines, Canada’s largest independent mover. Then, Bruce Bowser—Moore’s protégé—took the helm and Moore left AMJ Campbell two years ago after a bitter legal battle.

Now, Moore has been asked to become president and CEO of the new Premiere Van Lines, effective April 1, 2005, which will compete head-on with AMJ Campbell, the company he built during two decades.

Moore, 60, was yanked from retirement in the peaceful community of Chester, Nova Scotia, a year ago by a group of 14 franchisees (out of 55 franchisees operating in 38 Canadian cities) who were dissatisfied for a number of reasons. First, AMJ Campbell didn’t want to renew their franchise licenses. Then, AMJ wanted to convert these franchises to AMJ-owned "stores." Finally, AMJ wanted to recruit more franchises in other locations. Recently, the number of disgruntled franchise owners has jumped to 17 from 14.

Lessons of Premiere Van Lines:

1. Franchisees/employees matter. They are the ones who deliver on the customer promise. Don’t alienate the people who help you earn revenue.
2. Trust matters. In any relationship, once the trust is gone, it’s "game over" for both parties.
3. Leadership matters. People want to be led by a strong leader, someone who will stand up and be counted, and will do the right thing.
4. Corporate culture matters. Attempts to "tighten reins" on a collegial and liberal culture are seldom well received; you can’t go back to a hard-line policy and old-school management.
5. Successful entrepreneurs are not motivated by money. They love the "game" and the Art of the Deal. Equally important, they honestly want to help people. Also, whittling sharp sticks and fishing can’t hold their attention for long.

The Globe and Mail story, by journalist Gordon Pitts, is here.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Less than 30 days after Wal-Mart launched a huge PR campaign in the United States media defending its reputation as a good employer, (story here) principally by running print ads in 100 newspapers across the US, television ads on major US networks, and operating its www.walmartfacts.com website, Wal-Mart announced today that it will close its store in Jonquière, Quebec, Canada.

About 190 employees at the Jonquière, Quebec store, located 250 kilometres north of Quebec City, voted in favour of joining the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) in summer 2004—the first unionized Wal-Mart in North America.

After nine meetings with union representatives, Wal-Mart said it was unable to reach a tentative agreement that would "permit it to operate the store in an efficient and profitable manner" and calling the store’s financial situation "precarious." The union’s demands would have added about 30 positions to the payroll. As well, the union was advocating a minimum work week for full-time employees of 37 hours, higher than the 28 hours the store guarantees.

The Jonquière store will close in May 2005; Wal-Mart operates two other non-unionized stores in the same region of Saguenay. Wal-Mart has 235 stores and six Sam’s Clubs in Canada, employing more than 60,000 people.

First rule of communication: actions speak louder than words. Second rule of communication: consistency of "say-do" is paramount in any change initiative. When there is discrepancy between what management says and what it actually does, actions win out.

As I learned yesterday at the Canadian Business Magazine Outlook 2005 conference held at the Rotman School of Business, we have witnessed the "Wal-Mart-ization" of the worldwide economy. Wal-Mart’s annual worldwide sales are in the $245 billion ballpark—more than the GDP of many countries. Does Wal-Mart do anything that is unprofitable? And, more to the point, how does it make its profits and ensure its famous "everyday low prices" and "falling prices"?

Employees at Wal-Mart’s Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec store also won certification on January 19, 2005. In other parts of Canada, Wal-Mart is facing certification applications at about a dozen other locations in Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, including applications representing workers at seven Wal-Mart Tire & Lube Express departments in B.C. We’ll have to see what union certification does to the economics of other Wal-Mart stores in Canada.

The most complete report of the Wal-Mart closing in Jonquière, Quebec, by Donald Mckenzie (Canadian Press) is here.

Monday, January 31, 2005

Revenge of the Right Brain
Scientists have long known that a neurological Mason-Dixon line cleaves our brains into two regions - the left and right hemispheres. The future no longer belongs to people who can reason with computer-like logic, speed, and precision. It belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind.

In a world upended by outsourcing, deluged with data, and choked with choices, the abilities that matter most are now closer in spirit to the specialties of the right hemisphere - artistry, empathy, seeing the big picture, and pursuing the transcendent. (This is also a good counter-argument to North American job loses through outsourcing.) Dan Pink writes about this in Wired.

Read more of Dan Pink’s article here:
www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.02/brain.html

Dan Pink’s upcoming book, A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age, will be published in March 2005.

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

There is no question that the worst use of public relations in the history of the modern world belongs to the Nazis in the 1930s and leading up to the start of WWII in 1939. The mastermind of Nazi propaganda was Joseph Goebbels, who effectively used communication strategies and tools to spread Hitler’s message among the German people.

My point here is simple: the Nazi’s communication strategy was sound and the tools, other than the Internet and e-mail, were not all that different than they are today. Unfortunately, sound principles and well implemented tactics can be used for very evil as well as honourable ends.

On January 27, we remember and honour all those who were killed by the Nazis; we must guard against history repeating itself. All responsible public relations professionals must guard against using our skills and talents for immoral ends.

Saturday, November 27, 2004

Customer service myth meets privacy infringement at CIBC

Effective organizational communication is the bane of all large organizations. In the "hot seat" since the story broke on late Thursday, Nov. 25 on the 6 pm local news is the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Canada’s third largest bank. Many CIBC branches throughout Canada have been faxing confidential customer information since July 2001 to Wade Peer, a junkyard operator in Ridgeley, West Virginia.

When Peer tried to bring this matter to CIBC’s attention, CIBC employees sloughed it off: "Not our problem," and hung up the phone. Peer even contacted some of CIBC’s customers from the faxed information in an effort to get customers to deal directly with CIBC about the information leaks. All to no avail.

Peer kept the hundreds of faxes in a locked filing cabinet in his office guarded by the proverbial junkyard dog, Captain Morgan the rottweiler. In fact, Peer received two more faxes on Friday, Nov. 26 with confidential customer information after CIBC issued a complete ban on faxes early Friday afternoon.

How do these things happen? Organizational communication has been my specialty for more than 20 years. Here are some observations:

1. Many head offices work under wrong assumptions: "We sent the information to employees. Therefore, the employees read it, understood it, digested it, and acted on it." WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. Typically, there is slippage throughout the communication chain.
2. Most organization have no mechanism for emergency communication with their own employees.
3. Organizations fail to understand that frontline employees defend the organization’s reputation. Customers don’t talk to an organization; they talk to employees in that organization.
4. No one has courage to act in a large bureaucracy. Fear of job loss and obsession with making quarterly quotas are largely to blame for wiping out courage to act.
5. People make mistakes but the time crunch means no one takes the time to check their work such as double-checking the fax distribution list or programmed auto-dialer numbers.
6. Huge organizations—huge inertia. I have heard "I’m not authorized to do that" more times from a customer service representative than I can count.
7. Customer "service" centres are a joke: wait times for customers are long, employees are paid minimum wage, customers cannot know employees’ last names for "security reasons," and the bonuses of customer service managers are tied directly to how much money they (don’t) refund to customers. The strategy of many customer service centres is to "wear out customers," so they’ll give up in disgust.

When I picked up my copy of The Globe and Mail, the Reuters syndicated photo of George Bush against a duotone red-and-black backdrop (festive enough to start us thinking of the Christmas season, no less!) with Roosevelt and Churchill, I chuckled. And Bush’s handlers even colour-coordinated his suit and tie to blend in nicely with the backdrop.

This is a prime example of what I call "excellence by association."  In other words, get your picture taken with great leaders and the implication is that you, too, are a great leader.

While I’m not opposed to using theatrics and backdrops such as this one to drive home a Key Message for any organization or government, this technique usually works best if it’s a stretch—and not complete science fiction.

Roosevelt and Churchill have earned world leader stature both by their actions and their words. And their leadership has withstood the test of time and the chroniclers of history. The most we can say about George Bush so far is: "the Jury’s still out on how history will judge him."

Nevertheless, the technique of using backdrops for photo ops (at Annual General Meetings, the release of quarterly results, and other major organization announcements) is an effective one. It gives PR professionals a great visual—something that newspapers are always looking for. So, it’s O.K. to stage stuff and send it in to your newspaper.

Friday, November 26, 2004

The award-winning marketing pros at the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) have done it again: they have assembled a kit for those times when your guests are in no shape to drive home after your holiday party and will avail themselves of your guestroom for what remains of the night.

The "Good Host Kit" is sponsored by the LCBO, Shoppers Drug Mart and MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Half of the $9.95 price goes to support MADD. Brilliant and timely!

The kit contains shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, deodorant, comb, hair gel and body lotion. The host provides the Advil and the ice pack—a bag of frozen peas works well.

Lots of other great marketing ideas at: www.lcbo.com

Monday, October 25, 2004

Special China issue of Globe and Mail makes news

The purpose of a newspaper is to report the news—normally other people’s news. But sometimes, a newspaper makes the news: the Saturday, October 23, 2004 issue of The Globe and Mail was almost entirely about China. China has a plan to become a developed nation by 2050—and is running ahead of schedule.

"Ambitious, powerful, restless…Get ready for China’s century," was the lead on the Globe’s entire front page—in Chinese characters—both above and below the fold.

Every section, from News, to Report on Business, Sports, Focus, Review, Style, and Travel led with a story about China. Even the Toronto section led with a story about Chinese immigrants in Toronto’s Chinatown.

Newspapers have been struggling with sagging circulation under the weight of CNN, C-Span, Newsworld and Jon Stewart. Apparently, a good percent of 18 to 24-year-olds get their news exclusively from late night comedy. (see the cover story about Jon Stewart in Rolling Stone – come to think of it, that entertainment magazine has a long political heritage.

Special issues of magazines are on the newsstands all the time: Gourmet’s Annual Restaurant issue, Martha Stewart’s Halloween. But a special issue of a newspaper? Yes, that’s thinking outside the box. This newspaper was designed to be kept around for the week, like the Sunday edition of The New York Times. Content you can use and almost as hefty.

Valuable journalism, in many senses of the word.

Monday, October 18, 2004

Useful media and journalism websites

The PEW Research Center for the People and the Press
The Center is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. We are best known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories, and for our polling that charts trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes. 
http://people-press.org/

The Media Center (at the American Institute)
The Media Center helps individuals and organizations worldwide acquire intelligence and apply insight into the future role and use of media and enabling technology.
http://www.mediacenter.org/

The Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA)
The Center for Media and Public Affairs is a nonpartisan research and educational organization which conducts scientific studies of the news and entertainment media. MPA election studies have played a major role in the ongoing debate over improving the election process. Our continuing analysis and tabulation of late night political jokes provides a lighter look at major news makers. CMPA is one of the few groups to study the important role the media plays in communicating information about health risks and scientific issues.
http://www.cmpa.com/

MediaChannel
MediaChannel is a media issues supersite, featuring criticism, breaking news, and investigative reporting from hundreds of organizations worldwide. As the media watch the world, we watch the media.
http://www.mediachannel.org/

Columbia Journalism Review (CJR)
CJR was founded in 1961 to "assess the performance of journalism in all its forms; to call attention to its shortcomings and strengths; to help define and refine the standards of honest, responsible service; to help stimulate continuing improvement in the profession; and to speak out for what is right, fair and decent."
http://www.cjr.org/

Tons more resources at:
http://www.newswatch.org/

Tuesday, October 5, 2004

What the Bleep! Do We Know?
Documentary merges science and spirituality

The sleeper hit film What the Bleep Do We Know is picking up speed. The film is about the increasing confluence of leading-edge science—including quantum physics, neurology (like the brain synapses in the photo), microbiology, and so on—with spirituality. As such, the film ponders the Three Great Questions: "What is the universe? Where do we fit in? And, why do we do what we do?"

www.whatthebleep.com

After debuting in one theatre in Oregon this spring, Bleep! expanded to 114 theaters last Friday, up from 88 the previous weekend. It is currently playing throughout the American southwest. In addition, the film has picked up five awards including Best Hybrid Documentary. The film has developed somewhat of a cult following and many go back to see it two or three times.

The film weaves together live action sequences, starring Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin, with documentary interviews with 14 top scientists and mystics, visual effects, and quirky live animation to explain the new connections that increasing point in the same direction: the interconnectedness of all things.

The powerful connection between mind and body now coming into acceptance by scientists (Newsweek devoted an entire issue to this, dated September 27, 2004), the film makes the critical point that people do have the power to build their own worlds—or change them. So, you can make your own reality. Yes, it is the power of positive thinking on a grand scale.

1. Public Relations—not advertising—is driving buzz.
   Having been dismissed by major Hollywood studios as "asbolutely of no interest to audiences," the film is using word-of-mouth, editorial articles in magazines and newspapers, and its extensive website, to drive customer traffic, thereby increasing the number of theatres that distribute the film.
2. How to explain complex concepts to get "engagement"
   Apparently the film originally consisted of the 14 documentary clips only. It failed to tell the story adequately. Not until producer Betsy Chasse became involved (who added live action, animation and visual effects) did the film become engaging so that audiences could connect with it.

Five reasons why employee communication is ineffective in most organizations (update Sept. 14: Shel Holtz comments, at http://blog.holtz.com)

Alarmed by a recent Accenture study about the effectiveness of employee communication, Shel Holtz wrote a feature for PR Canada. Read it here. http://www.prcanada.ca/INDNEWTX.HTM#5 

Apparently, high-level executives are increasingly worried that their workforces aren’t up to the challenges on the horizon. His conclusion? That employee communicators are doing a lousy job.

Based on my 20 years experience, most of those years in organizational communication, I have other ideas. There is a whole list of reasons why employee communication is not effective:

1. When it comes to employee communication, the battle between Human Resources and Public Relations continues: who has right of way? PR should have the lead on corporate goals.
2. In most organizations, public relations still does not have a seat at the management table. By extension, employee communication is even less of a priority.
3. In most organizations, the employee communication function is performed by a junior member of the PR team. Typically, employee communication means newsletters and goes no further. And, it is one-way communication.
4. Too many people "input" on employee communication materials. During the writing and editing process, materials go from clarity to "inadvertent obfuscation" and "purposeful omission."
5. There is a disconnect between corporate communication and the communication responsibilities of managers who have staff reporting to them. Managers frequently don’t make the time to help translate corporate goals into department, group or individual goals for their direct reports.

Thursday, September 9 , 2004

Alarmed by a recent Accenture study about the effectiveness of employee communication, Shel Holtz wrote a feature for PR Canada. (Go to www.PRCanada.ca and then "full story" in the Industry News Section at the top of the September 7 page  Scroll to Workforces Disappoint. Can Communicators Respond? Sorry, but we can't figure out a more direct way to this somewhat buried story) 

Apparently, high-level executives are increasingly worried that their workforces aren’t up to the challenges on the horizon. His conclusion? That employee communicators are doing a lousy job.

Based on my 20 years experience, most of those years in organizational communication, I have other ideas. There is a whole list of reasons why employee communication is not effective:

1. When it comes to employee communication, the battle between Human Resources and Public Relations continues: who has right of way? PR should have the lead on corporate goals.
2. In most organizations, public relations still does not have a seat at the management table. By extension, employee communication is even less of a priority.
3. In most organizations, the employee communication function is performed by a junior member of the PR team. Typically, employee communication means newsletters and goes no further. And, it is one-way communication.
4. Too many people "input" on employee communication materials. During the writing and editing process, materials go from clarity to "inadvertent obfuscation" and "purposeful omission."
5. There is a disconnect between corporate communication and the communication responsibilities of managers who have staff reporting to them. Managers frequently don’t make the time to help translate corporate goals into department, group or individual goals for their direct reports.

Tuesday, June 29, 2004 in time for Canada Day, July 1.

Many years ago, I remember reading a quote from Canadian fiction writer Margaret Atwood. The quote went something like this: "I didn’t think much about Canada until I wasn’t in it." She was referring to the fact that travel to other—and less tolerant and liberal—places opens your eyes about what makes Canada such a great and unique place to live and do business.

When I returned to Canada after traveling abroad, I was convinced that in Canada, we really have [to loosely quote Voltaire]: "…the best of all possible worlds."

I believe that respect—for individuals, for corporations, and for institutions--differentiates Canada among other countries, almost branding respect as a Canadian value. Here are some of my reasons:

1. Two official languages: Having two official languages has created the type of sensitivity and respect in Canada that has allowed us to welcome people of many different origins.
   
2. "Welcome to Canada": Canada welcomes more immigrants for a variety of reasons than any other country. In 2000, Canada opened its doors to almost 227,000 people of various ethnic origins.

In Toronto’s subway you can regularly hear four or more languages on your way to or from work. In fact, there are pockets in Toronto, such as Chinatown, Little Italy or Little India, where immigrants who came 30 or more years ago still speak little or no English (or French). Today, there is a requirement for those applying for Canadian citizenship to speak English or French. 

Equally important, the people who came to Canada from other countries were essentially dissatisfied with political oppression, religious persecution or lack of economic opportunity. By definition, they left their native countries because they were sensitive to intolerance of whatever shade and they wanted to build a better life for themselves and their children.

Equally astonishing is the fact that all these races and cultures live together relatively peacefully. Canada’s crime rate, in comparison with many countries, is relatively low. Driving along Canada’s roads, you can see temples of every religion.

3. Canadian phone books are unique: here is proof-positive of Canada’s diversity. "Canadian" surnames can be from anywhere on the globe. My son, who attends Grade 4, has friends from Serbia, Jamaica, Italy and Egypt. And his friend from Egypt was actually born in Holland and is Christian, not Moslem. Go figure!
   
4. Canadians are polite: we still stop for J-walking pedestrians (rather than honking at them), we help lost tourists find their way, and make small talk with others while waiting in line for coffee at Starbuck’s. Yes, we have Frank magazine and This hour has 22 minutes, but even when we’re poking fun at public figures, it is still civil. Canadians sent radio "shock jock" Howard Stern packing.
   
5. Universal health care: Many countries have this, but I mention this as a huge point of differentiation from our neighbours to the south where health care is still a matter of how much (if any) health coverage you can afford. In some states, you won’t be admitted to hospital if you don’t have proof of health insurance. And if you lose the "health lottery" in the United States, you can lose more than just your shirt.
   
6. Canadians keep the peace: Canada has established a reputation for itself as an international peace-keeper.
   
7. We have rules, but we bend them: For example, in 1990, Baltej Singh Dhillon, a Sikh and also a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police won the right to wear a turban with the famed red-jacket-and-black-trousers uniform.

In contrast, the public school systems in certain areas of France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, England and even the U.S. have banned the wearing of the hijab, the head covering of devout Moslem women.

8. Same-sex marriages: The federal government submitted draft legislation to the Supreme Court of Canada which will redefine marriage to include same-sex couples in all Canadian provinces. The Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the proposed laws in July 2004. In contrast, George Bush wants to ban same-sex marriages by re-writing the U.S. Constitution.
   
9. Canadians are better informed about world events: I don’t have any statistics, but gut feel tells me that there are more self-confessed "news junkies" in Canada than in other parts of the world.

Tuesday, June 1, 2004

A big part of the job of senior communicators is writing words that are attributed to someone else. We’ve written letters, speeches, articles, white papers and presentations for some of the most respected executives in Canada, for provincial premiers in several provinces, for lawyers and accountants and architects and engineers, for computer executives and senior civil servants. And salesmen.         ...more

The 4 things I want from a professional communication association

Thursday, March 4, 2004

It’s tough being a PR practitioner these days. A good percentage of our job is to write messages for various audiences on behalf of our organizations. In spite of tools like the Internet and e-mail which should make the job of communicating easier, less and less of what we write seems to be getting through. And less still seems to resonate with our intended audiences. Why?

Here are six reasons why today’s communication climate is tougher than ever:

1. Humans get their information primarily through sight and sound. (This is why television displaced radio and print as the medium of choice for news and entertainment.) Yet most organizations and PR shops emphasize the importance of the written word. Further, many organizations rely exclusively on the Internet and e-mail for customer, supplier and internal communication, believing they are saving money.
2. Even in spoken communication, 93% of human communication takes place through body language, gestures, and voice tone. Words account for a mere 7%. These are the research findings of Albert Mehrabian, currently Professor Emeritus of Psychology, UCLA, and communication pioneer since the 1960s. Mehrabian’s groundbreaking book, Silent Messages (1981) showed that:

• 55% of meaning is in facial expression
• 38% of meaning is the way that the words are said
• 7% of meaning is in the words that are actually spoken.

More on Albert Mehrabian’s research:

Mehrabian’s communication research (condensed)

Dr. Albert Mehrabian's website

1. The credibility, trustworthiness and reputation of the organization’s spokesperson has a huge impact on how that message will be perceived and to what extent it will be accepted by the intended audience. In other words, the attitude of the intended audience toward the spokesperson is paramount in delivering a credible message.
2. Experts estimate that we are bombarded with 1,500 to 1,700 "messages" per day. TV ads, print ads, logos of every imaginable description, flyers delivered to your door, telemarketers, e-mail spam and so on. No space is sacred: even while you are seeking "relief," the back of the public washroom stall features advertising selling you whatever—products, services, ideas or beliefs. Everyone wants your mindshare.

Al Ries’ and Jack Trout’s masterwork on positioning:

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind

3. As a result, we are now a culture of "skimmers" rather than "readers." The mind cannot cope with this daily volume of messages; no one has the inclination, or the time. PR practitioners are busy churning out messages; audiences are busy filtering most of it out.
4. The average knowledge worker receives 50 to 100 e-mails per day. Again, these must be filtered and priority ranked.

This is the communication environment that the words of a PR practitioner, so lovingly crafted and passed through 17 edits, are thrown into. So, how do you help your organization rise above the "white noise"?

Here are five ways to improve your communication odds:

1. Strive to include face-to-face communication in your communication plans. It is still the most effective method of communication. Relying on e-mail alone because it is a cheap way to reach people is, in many cases, false economy.
2. Use photography to help sell and reinforce your message. A carefully planned and executed image will be memorable; most people will remember an image before they can quote "chapter and verse" of a brochure, for example. Become a student of photography; don’t leave it all up to art directors and graphic designers.
3. Make your writing sing. In brochures, articles and e-mails, make your writing relevant, interesting, punchy and mercifully short. If you can prevent humour from being cut in the inevitable editing process, you get bonus points! Good writing is hard work—and people do appreciate good writing.
4. Send shorter and simpler (e-mail) messages, but more frequently. Learn this easy lesson from your friends in the advertising department.
5. Help your executives and spokespeople to gain and maintain respect. Frequently, it is the job of the PR practitioner to be the conscience of the organization. Help your executives maintain consistency between what they say and what actually happens in your organization. Educate them and coach them in how things are likely to play out. Respect takes years to achieve, but makes the job of delivering credible messages to your organization so much easier.

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

The birth of "editorializing" and 
the cult of the (media) personality

Time was when television news anchors and program hosts honoured the journalistic principle of objectivity and unbiased reporting. Over the last few months, I’ve noticed that "editorializing" is now creeping into the TV news picture especially at CNN, and other news organizations may follow.

In the past, news organizations have used covert ways of showing how they feel toward their interviewee, including body language and voice tone. Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper consistently published the most unflattering photos of former Prime Minister Jean Chretien available. Now, overt is replacing covert. Good or bad, this is the new reality.

As part of the networks’ race for ratings, viewers and, of course, ad dollars, networks have been developing "brands" for each of their on-air personalities. What this means is that networks are allowing more leeway in how the news anchor or reporter shapes and steers the program, and in turn, the line of questioning. As a PR practitioner, you would be wise to keep reminding yourself of this.

For example, CNN news anchor Lou Dobbs has for some time been expressing his concern for and displeasure with the loss of American jobs as a result of NAFTA in sectors like manufacturing and the film industry, and outsourcing of service jobs from computer engineering to call center operation.

The other night, Dobbs ran a clip of comedian and talk show host Jay Leno, from rival network NBC. The fact that Dobbs chose to air the Leno clip is the cult of the media personality at work. On the problem of illegal immigrants (currently estimated at 22 million, mostly from Mexico) Leno observed that Mexican president Vicente Fox wanted more openness between the U.S. and Mexico. "What does he want? Moving sidewalks? Car pooling?" Leno quipped.

Later in the same broadcast, Dobbs was critical of the U.S. government over postponing of the "Country of Origin Bill" by two years on foodstuffs, particularly meat. "How do American consumers stand for this?" Dobbs asked the reporter covering the story.

What's this mean to PR people?

Be better prepared to handle "editorializing" and the cult of the media personality. Here are some practical tips:

1. As a PR practitioner, become very familiar with who your company spokesperson will be interviewed by. Understand his/her preferences, biases, and style of questioning. For example, if the host/anchor has biases against your organization’s industry, you will need to spend more time on media training and especially handling "tough" questions.

Hosts/anchors are getting increasing impatient and vocal, too, about spokespersons who have been media trained to death to talk about their own agendas under the guise of Key Messages.

You don’t want your spokesperson to get nailed with: "Well, that’s all fine and good, but you didn’t answer my question. My question once again is…." Now retired CNN news anchor Bernard Shaw regularly did this and it made the company spokesperson squirm and look foolish.

2. Answer the "tough" question as honestly and as briefly as you can and move along to the next question quickly. Don’t obfuscate and don’t deflect.
   
3. Don’t assume that if the news anchor/reporter likes your industry, that your spokesperson will be spared "tough" questions.
   

Eleven important things I know about 
Public Relations and Corporate Communications

Much of this will seem so obvious, but after two decades in the business, I know that in project after project people seem to forget these basic truths. Take a look at your projects; maybe I can help you plan or implement.