Media Relations

Ego Epidemic Online - Are You in a Nasty Chokehold? A One-winged Bird Has Symbolic Advice

Whew, I cannot believe the "ego epidemic" taking place online.  I've been caught up in it myself...and have chosen to back off.  The result?  Happiness!  And guess what else?  It has not led to poverty or lack of business or the respect of my colleagues.

When everyone is a reporter, publisher, blogger, has their own radio, TV station, film studio and ways to track how many friends and Klout they have, it is easy to see how this has happened.

To my fellow PR practitioners and professional friends, let's all take a deep breath and realize that the universe will continue to affect our lives, regardless of our online popularity or power.  Step back a bit.  Big ego can lead to big pain.  Dismantle it.  You might be surprised how much easier life starts to flow.

If you like symbolism to drive a point home, read this set-up and poem I wrote from my own outdoor observation.  You CAN take a moment to rest and ponder.  And if this post appears egotistical, please accept my apologies.

 *****

Several springs ago, my husband and I noticed a bird in our yard that couldn’t move very well.  A tiny sparrow was feeding on the ground and there are cats in the neighborhood.  I wandered after him/her and she was able to fly as high as a bush.  She even jumped onto my fingers and greeted me for a moment.  She was there throughout the spring and I observed her closely.  She was a survivor.  She fed off the ground.  When the wind would blow and the rain came down, she would cover her face with one wing and hold on tight.  Sometimes she was so weak, she would simply fly to the ground where she didn’t have to balance, and would rest and sometimes shake in exhaustion.  I watched her heavy breathing and knew that she was close to dying or had a wing injury.  I didn’t expect to see her for long but she survived two seasons.   She didn’t return last spring.

Last year, I sat on the porch a lot, watched the birds and I wrote this poem…which has heavy symbolism about the quality of humility.  Thought you’d enjoy it, and the photos of One Wing, my nickname for that darling little sparrow.

A Finch Who Bows

-jeri cartwright

Such haughty green finches.

You dine at my feeder,

in so much arrogance,

hurling seeds to the ground

in gluttonous glee.

There will always be more.

 

And me,

I kowtow to beauty,

permit the wasteful sin.

 

Yet today,

beneath my empty

fast-food-hut for the feathered,

I glanced below

at seeds in mushy mud,

and there, just one of you,

one who has realized

it can bow its head,

flourish in dirt

as others flash and fly away.

 

He sees,

and eats

the wasted seed

as others starve in heavenly trees.

 

Pride aside as he picks between mud and stone.

The greatest feast is his, alone.

 

 

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Corporate message from eagles

Another Stranger Welcomed

The Question I Can't Stand to Answer: "What do you do for a living?"

 

 

Noemi Pollack just posted about an experience very familiar and uncomfortable to me.  What do you do when someone asks what you do, and you no longer have a clear definition of that - yet everybody else seems to?

 

By the way, I'm Jeri Cartwright, this is my blog and I'm in public relations.

Here's Noemi's story:  "At a recent dinner party, the conversation at our table of eight, centered politely on the introductory question — 'what do you do' — and went slowly around the table to each guest. When it was my turn and told that I am in public relations and marketing, my dinner partner to the left, a dentist, probed further as to what that really means and exactly what do I really do. By the time dessert came around, I had given him a detailed rundown of all the tools and strategies the we, PR professionals, employ to impact marketplace perceptions and changed behaviors. It didn’t make a dent. He was still at it when dessert came around and, in total defeat and exasperation, I made a lame excuse and left the table."

 

Noemi, I relate.  When people ask me what I do, I've given up trying to answer.  On the back of my business card, I list my best guesses:

 

• Media & community relations
• Image & issue management
• Crisis communications
• Executive counsel
• New media/blogging/social networking

 

And yet, every time I redo business cards, the list changes. I have noticed when someone chooses to refer to me as "in marketing," I am beginning to correct them. When a client calls and tells me about a situation, then says...here's how I want you to "spin it," I respond with a softly spoken, "I do not spin.  I carry your messages to the public.  I work to understand what you want to convey to your publics and then find the most effective and lasting ways to do it." 

 

Over the years, I've watched as political strategists, advertising/marketing agencies and a number of other professions have adopted the tools PR once called its own.  Are we now also regarded as "able to get free advertising," or "able to ruin the reputation of a political candidate?"  Sure hope not.

 

Let me conclude with a question to the masses of people surely to be reading this gripping post (smile).  Which of the following fall under public relations?  Which ones should not?  I can honestly say...I'm not sure anymore.

 

• PR
• Media relations
• Community relations
• Government relations
• Lobbying
• Public affairs
• Marketing
• Advertising
• Campaign strategy (elections)

 

If you are in PR and are interested in participating as PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) seeks to redefine PR for the first time in 30 years, you'll find a link in the following article.  Think away!

 

 

 

 

Photo copyright: Poppy Thomas-Hill

Sad Times For Public Relations - A Utah Mayor's Ethics Lapse

photo by royal constantine

I don't need or want to rehash this situation.  It has been covered in more than 300 news articles and blog posts across the country, and even by the BBC.  I belong to an organization called the Public Relations Society of America, or PRSA, and I've been red-faced this week after learning about the actions of a part-time elected official in Utah.  He also works for a high profile PR firm but he is not a member of PRSA.  At this PR firm, even though he emphasizes he does not serve a PR role but works in "public affairs," I'm not sure there's much difference.  UPDATE: He has resigned from the PR firm on the evening of November 15.

PR professionals I know are wincing and wondering...how will this impact the reputation of what we do?  I'm also watching the media coverage and public reponse with a careful eye. What worries me most?  When I hear someone say this is no big deal.

For the record, those who do belong to PRSA are asked to abide by an ethics code modeled after the one adopted by the Society of Professional Journalists.

1. If you aren't aware of the Mayor's actions, here's a pretty detailed article by the Deseret News.
2. If you would like to see how the national and Greater Salt Lake PRSA offices responded, here are the statements.
3. And if you'd like to read blog reactions by those who have received their APR, Accredited Public Relations certification from PRSA, go here.

And may we all regularly "check in" with our inner compass. 

www.Examiner.com, A Salt Lake News Site With More Than 60 Local "Examiners." Are They "Reporters?"

Some people you should get to know if you're in PR.  On www.examiner.com, in the Salt Lake City section, there are a number of news beats, including Paranormal, Parenting, Horror Movies, Politics, Business, etc.  There are a total of more than 60 local "examiners" (note that the word "reporter" is not used).  One more thing...the Examiner creators are looking for local writers.  I don't know if it pays...but the site is also seeking sponsors for the writers.  Do the writer's get some of that money?  Not sure...

Featured Examiners

Salt Lake City History Examiner My Bio · Articles

Salt Lake City Political Buzz Examiner My Bio · Articles

Salt Lake City Headlines Examiner My Bio · Articles

Salt Lake City Parenting Examiner My Bio · Articles

Salt Lake City Paranormal Examiner My Bio · Articles

Layoffs & Getting Fired. The Worst Ways To Do It.

 If misery needs company, today's Ragan Communications column on "Horror Stories From The Front Lines" lists real life testimonials of a layoff, or firing handled badly.

I'd like to add my own personal story to the list.  At one of the first radio stations I worked at, it was clear that the new management wanted to get rid of me.  Daily cruelty was the first attempt.  One day, after finishing my morning news, management pulled me into a very quiet production booth and accused me of "deliberately sounding bad on the air to hurt ratings."  

Whenever I run into someone going through a similar situation, I can always bring a smile to their face by saying, "Hey, if you've never been laid off or fired, you aren't an official member of the communications profession."

Now, enjoy the Ragan article here.

Social Media Vs. Corporate Web Sites - What Reporters View As Credible

Is social media trumping corporate Websites when journalists write their stories?  Thankfully, not yet. Not even close.   But recent responses from 371 reporters indicate 56% regard social media as important or somewhat important in helping them write the news.

"Almost nine out of ten journalists admitted using Blogs for their online research (89%).  Only corporate Websites (96%) are used more."

George Washington University and Cision conducted this 2009 survey of reporters.  Further findings:

Journalists appear quite concerned about social media accuracy. "Lack of fact-checking, verification or reporting standards is the number one reason (49%) for journalists' perceptions on the reliability of news and information from social media sources."

Meet America's New Non-profit Investigative Journalism Network

PR professionals...gird up your loins.  Old school investigative journalism may be near death from shrinking newsrooms.  Yet, as I write, the fresh shoots of a second birth are jutting from the soil.  From what I've been reading, a number of new non-profit news producing organizations have been created in the last few years, hiring "top talent" reporters who've been laid off.  Muckraking journalism is their focus.

Leaders from 20 of these new entities held a meeting in New York last year.  All 20 inked a document that declared participants members of the first ever "Investigative News Network of nonprofit news publishers throughout the United States of America."  

Calling this a "tectonic shift," Charles Lewis comments in the Columbia Journalism Review, that an "ecosystem is emerging in which an increasing percentage of the most ambitious reporting projects will emanate from the public realm, not from private commercial outlets."  

This leaves us with a lot to think about, doesn't it?

• Reporters may find new work. 
• PR professionals may tremble.
• The little guy could have a new and powerful advocate. 

Let me wish upon a star:  May the stories this new network produces be balanced, accurate and funded by those with integrity.  If that can happen, we all win.  

PR Job Prospects For 2010 Are "Very Good" - The Latest From CareerCast.com

New research by job search site CareerCast.com indicates that of 200 selected careers, public relations is ranked #79 of 200 professions (#1 being the best, #200 the worst).  The best part?  PR job prospects look very good for the coming year.

The rankings compare physical demands, the work environment, income, stress and the future hiring outlook.  Each profession is scored in all areas.

Guess what profession comes just before us, at #78?  Cosmetologist.  Guess which one comes after at #80?   Attorney...(gasp).  AND, the PR salary listed (which I assume is an average) is about $90,00.

Being sandwiched between such different careers does make me question the research a bit.  But read on....

PR Has One Major Flaw

Surprisingly, according to CareerCast.com, "there are more high-paying, well-respected jobs ranked between 61 and 80 than there were from 41 - 60. However, while positions such as attorney, federal judges, psychologist and public relations executive boast average median salaries ranging from approximately $89,000 to $152,000, each career has at least one major flaw that prevents it from finishing higher in the rankings. Judge, for example, is the highest-paying position in the group but suffers from a poor hiring outlook, while attorney is hurt by high stress levels and a difficult work environment."

Go here to see the top ten jobs.  Click here for the ten worst.  And if you'd like to see all of the research, here you go!

Bloggers Be Warned, Time To Be Crystal Clear About "Blogola" ....Freebies, Payments

This is a big one. Pay attention. Bloggers...this means us too.  This week the Federal Trade Commission issued new and final guidelines that reach into social media, PR and marketing.  After clarification discussions with an FTC staff attorney, the Public Relations Society of America issued the following letter today. I hope it helps you in your business decision-making.  Thanks PRSA!

[Email begins]

Dear Members,

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued final changes to its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. While advisory in nature, the new guidelines will reset standards of behavior that public relations, marketing and advertising professionals should adopt to avoid violating underlying laws against unfair competition and false advertising.

The Guide changes, as set out in the FTC's notice, make three key departures from previous guidance that could impact public relations practice:

• The FTC advises that "endorsers" as well as advertisers can be held liable for false or unsubstantiated claims or for failing to disclose material connections between the parties.

• The Guides no longer offer the "safe harbor" whereby testimonials can be qualified by a "results may vary" disclaimer.

• Regarding endorsements, the Guides specify that celebrities should disclose relationships with advertisers.

While the FTC will approach each potential violation on a case-by-case basis, the new guidelines will impact how professionals should approach some common practice scenarios. Here are some applications of the guidelines:

• Bloggers who receive cash or in-kind payment (including free products or services for review) are deemed endorsers and so must disclose material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.
  

• Any firm that engages bloggers by paying them outright to create or influence editorial content or by supplying goods or services to them at no cost may be liable if the blogger does not disclose the relationship.

• Advertisements or promotions that feature a consumer who conveys his or her experience with a product or service as "typical" should clearly disclose what results consumers can generally expect or specify how the results were unique to the individual circumstances.

• If research is cited in an advertisement or promotion, any sponsorship of the research by the client or the marketer should be clearly disclosed.

• Celebrities who make endorsements outside the context of traditional ads, such as on talk shows or in social media, should disclose any relationship with the advertiser or marketer.

From an ethics perspective, the new guidelines parallel key transparency principles in the PRSA Code of Ethics, as well as Professional Standards Advisory PS-9 condemning "pay for play" practices. However, for practitioners, the guidelines go beyond ethics to recommended practice to avoid legal liability. While the ethics are clear, the triggers and nature of adequate disclosure are not fixed. As I recommended in a recent PRSAY post, thorough understanding and self-regulation can help public relations professionals avoid legal repercussions.

While the guidelines are advisory in nature, failure to comply increases the risk of professionals finding themselves in violation of the law. Moreover, non-compliance can result in a communication from the FTC warning professionals against the potential offending action. If that warning is not heeded, it may be followed by a cease-and-desist order. Intentional violation of that order may result in referral to FTC enforcement, which may include civil monetary penalties.

There has been information circulating publicly on the new guidelines that is confusing and conflicting. With this notice, PRSA hopes to bring members up to date on the facts as currently understood. This information is based on FTC documents and an in-depth conversation with a Commission staff attorney. Going forward, PRSA will continue to provide you with information, clarification, case studies and interpretations as they unfold.


Best regards,



Michael Cherenson, APR

[End of email]

Study Reveals Content Is Still King

A great post today by Jeff Bulla. I'm very happy to see the research he highlights from the Online Publishers Association.  I stand by this: No matter what the vehicle...content is still king.  Those in the journalism and PR professions need to hang tight as we move through this change.  Just like the cash for clunkers campaign, the world is turning in the old clunkers that once delivered the content, for a shiny new vehicle that runs on Internet fuel.

Jeff has a great graphic to go with the post, also below, that made me LOL on a Monday.  And sometimes, that takes work :)   Enjoy his post here.