Runaway Bride - the PR of it All

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How many network morning show news producers at this very moment have issued edicts to their staffs to do "whatever it takes" to land the first interview with the cold/hot-footed Georgian bride-to-have-been??? Yet, can these news divisions even compete with the likes of "Extra," "The Insider," and "Inside Edition," all of which have money to burn to commandeer infamous guests like this? They can't...publicly. Instead, and few will admit it, the "news" programs WILL pay -- or at least cover a first-class vacation to New York City. Maybe they'll throw in a visit to Vera Wang's studio? Maybe they'll even offer up their questions in advance!

Right now some PR "expert" is telling Jennifer Wilbanks to agree to do an interview on a national television program in an effort to re-build her sullied and villified reputation. "You need to put a human face on your ill-fated adventure. Also, just think: a wedding for 600, paid for by your parents, is an expensive proposition, why not capitalize on it? I'll get you a good deal with the media. Just look at how Amber made out. Maybe we can get you a book deal as well."

ET & The Insider

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I watched ET and The Insider this evening. Could Paris Hilton have gotten any more play? There were no less than three segments on her including her new movie, her new dog, her first nude scene, her armed bodyguards, her wrong turn in her Ferrari, and her new tattooed boyfriend (son of the 54th richest no-name man in the world). YUCCH! Question: What could be worse? Answer: the upcoming ET exclusive with America's favorite convicted child molesting teacher Mary Kay Letourneau! "The interview the whole country has been waiting for..."

PR Impotence?

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Much has been written about the fragmentation of the news media, and how it has diluted the political, societal and economic clout once weld by the major news organizations. Would the publication of the Pentagon Papers today have caused the same stir it caused 35 years ago? The answer is a resounding No! Frankly, a week doesn't go by when The New York Times, Washington Post or CBS "60 Minutes" doesn't report on some scandalous abuse of power. Yet, the stories don't stick. The American public, which has been brainwashed to discount the credibility of journalists, could care less.

Yet, today's "newsmakers" still wield the kind of clout PR practitioners crave to represent. From the President to P Diddy, those who command media attention can command and control the message in the mainstream media. Those who control access to the newsmakers also control the tenor of the resulting editorial product. You don't play ball with us, we won't play ball with you.

The media needs to step up to the plate. This seems like heresy coming from a career PR professional. It isn't. Our profession is under siege -- from the Armstrong Williams affair to video news releases produced for the FDA. If journalists adhered to the principles of journalism, PR folks wouldn't have become the scapegoat that they have. Are there unscrupulous PR people out there. Yes. But, by and large, most are ethical and recognize the value of maintaining transparency.

Journalists: Do your jobs!

Macauley - Oh My

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OK So you're Macauley Culkin's PR rep. Macauley has confided in you that as a child he was in fact touched inappropriately by King Michael. Should he come clean or continue to deny all such involvement with Jackson? Won't the allegations in and of themselves accelerate his already fading career? Or does his sudden explosion into the headlines spur renewed interest in the Home Alone star? (Remember, in today's pop culture, infamy can work in one's favor. Just ask sister Janet, Buttafuocco, etc.)

Perhaps he should present himself as a victim, and in so doing, file (another) lawsuit against his parents for allowing him to be molested. Clearly, this revelation has tainted him. It is not something that will go away by itself. Right now, Culkin is in crisis, and has no doubt retained one of the usual suspects - Rubenstein, Sitrick or Klores - to help him navigate this most sticky wicket.

Eventually, he will be advised to appear on a network morning or magazine talk show. If his PR counselor is smart, he or she will bring in an experienced media trainer to prepare him for what will most certainly be a most uncomfortable interview.

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Jennings News

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Peter Jennings did the right thing by not waiting to reveal the news that he has lung cancer. The question now, of course, is whether the cancer has been discovered at a stage that will respond to chemotherapy. If not, will viewers of ABC "World News Tonight" be witness to a prolonged and profound portrayal of the ravages of a terminal illness. The circumstances are different than Terri Schiavo's, but the images may be as powerful.

With that said, we wish Mr. Jennings a speedy recovery.

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The Pope Has Died - Long Live the Pope

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Revered during his 26-year papacy, Pope John Paul's legacy is about to be shaped by an unprecedented saturation of media coverage over the next two weeks. Expect accolades from the global news media to surpass the hyperbole that accompanied Ronald Reagan's death.

I personally am saddened by his death, as I believe he was a Pope whose millon+ miles of travel bridged the world's many disparate cultures and religions.

Do not, however, expect much reporting on the fact that this Pope, in spite of his many important accomplishments, was one of the most rigid to have occupied the Vatican in modern times. His intolerance toward homosexuality, women in the priesthood, contraception, abortion, dying with dignity, etc. has alienated many Catholics worldwide and, for some, has frozen the church in time. God forbid some journalist should reference the biggest crisis in the Catholic Church under his watch -- pedophilia in the priesthood.

The news coverage of his passing will invariably gloss over these more controversial aspects of the Pope's reign in favor of his deification, i.e., sainthood

Why is this? Do journalists suddenly get religion when overwhelmed by a figure of papal proportions? Would it be considered heresy to recount the whole story? Will the Vatican press office freeze out any dissenting voices? Let's see how the story unfolds over the next several days in this first take on history.

Why The Flack?

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The term "flack" is a pejorative in public relations circles, yet this is often how journalists describe PR professionals. Personally I am not a big fan of this tag, but it is what it is. By sharing best practices and exposing ethical lapses, it is my hope that "the flack" will follow "the hack" into semantic oblivion.