"You are not talking to reporters. You are sending messages to the American public through reporters," Colin Powell. This quote from Gen. Powell puts public relations and journalism into context for me. As a public relations practitioner, your job is to communicate messages to the public, using the media as one method for … [Read more...]
Tweet Creates Red Carpet-Worthy Oscar Faux Pas
Seth MacFarlane's off-colored jokes and Jennifer Lawrence's dramatic trip up the stage steps were not biggest faux pas in relation to this year's Oscar awards. The most questionable moment was when someone at the satirical site, The Onion, posted an offensive tweet about 9-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis, who was nominated for the best actress … [Read more...]
Critics Target NRA After Shooting App Release
You've heard the old saying "timing is everything." While it may not be completely accurate in the media industry, timing certainly is important. The National Rifle Association recently provided a ripe example about the importance of timing in product release and public relations. The NRA released this week a target practice app geared toward … [Read more...]
Blog Worth Reading: Ragan’s PR Daily
If you're only going to read one public relations blog (although I recommend you read more), it should be Ragan's PR Daily. The site, which is updated daily, delivers news, advice and opinions on public relations, marketing and social media. It does so by aggregating information from around the Internet and from its own impressive list of … [Read more...]
How Lexmark Made a PR #Fail a #Win
This post was not going to be an example of good public relations when I initially began writing it in my head. I was almost certain I would need to "pause" before actually touching the keyboard so I didn't post anything I would regret. I was not a happy customer. You see, about a year ago I purchased a rather expensive Lexmark all-in-one … [Read more...]
PR Fail: How Progressive Insurance Made a Bad Situation a Public Relations Crisis
Those of us who teach public relations should send Progressive Insurance a thank you card. The company has provided us with a fabulous case study on how failure to communicate can take a bad situation and turn it into a public relations crisis. The crisis began when comedian and writer Matt Fisher wrote a blog post saying that the insurance … [Read more...]
10 tips for student journalists, recent grads
Journalism and public relations internships are seemingly everywhere, which is ironic because jobs in these industries aren't quite a bountiful. As the director of student publications at a small, liberal arts university I often get more requests for interns than I have students to fill them. Journalism graduates who cannot find jobs keep … [Read more...]