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Mike Murphy and Peggy Noonan join the esteemed cohort of media ‘professionals’ caught in off-mike moments, saying things they wished they hadn’t and should’ve known better about doing so (esp in a TV studio environment). This time, gun-totin’, moose-dressin’, soon-to-be-glamorous grannie, wannabe-VP of the USA Sarah Palin gets it in the neck. My WordPress is playing up, so click link below or just Google ‘Noonan/Murphy off mike comments’ and you get the message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq4sOM4tpno&eurl=http://www.delawareliberal.net/2008/09/03/just-listen-to-mike-murphy-and-peggy-noonan/

http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/09/03/Della_Bosca_and_Neal_escape_charges_over_Iguanagate_affair

Great example of how and when not to conduct a media conference… Embattled NSW MP Belinda Neal feels ‘vindicated’ over allegations she intimidated and lorded it over nighclub staff (see link for story chronology) and held a press conference to, well…gloat over the findings. Thing is for this press thingo, Belinda was poorly advised and ill-prepared as her media appearance only acted as a forum for rehashing questions over her formative behaviour. Again, the cloud of doubt lingers. Never front the press when you know you can’t satisfactorily answer their hardest question…the evasive footage becomes gold.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2348362.htm

Click above to hear UK journalist and author Nick Davies lambast today’s commercial media as passive processors of PR puff, led by the nose by powerful corporate PR influences. As well as aiming a kick at flacks, hack Nick echoed points I’ve previously made in my ‘Public Relations Disasters’ book. Particularly he explained how the death of the deadline has further depleted the resources of ‘time-pressed, deadline-stressed’ journalists. ‘Churnalism’ was the keyword of Nick’s interview with ABC’s Kerry O’Brien.

And against a backdrop of all powerful PRs and depleted newsrooms what does news org Fairfax do? Scythes its staff by 550 jobs, including 100-plus losses from its editorial complement. PR’s rejoice!! More potential success for thinly-disguised advertorials surely? 

http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/?p=1224

From Simon Bronson and ‘You Thought We Wouldnt Notice’ site, it’s bad PR time for ad agency DDB (in Sweden) and its client McDonalds. They stand accused of ripping off and refusing to acknowledge or pay, the guy (Cyriak) http://www.cyriak.co.uk/beard-comparison.html  who originally conceived an Ad concept. The theft looks so blatant, there can be little room for anything less than an agency apology and recompense, surely? If DDB was under any illusion as to the strength of stakeholder feeling, they should read the social media comments on Cyriak’s site, and also on YouTube. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Itl08AFJOZI

Ta to Brons and YTWWN.

Another PR outfit (from the UK) flags their top 10 PR blunders list featuring UK PM Gordon Brown, Mary Kate Olsen and Barack Obama as a way of encouraging you to buy their media training advice. Few cute ones in the pack, too.

http://www.media-mentor.co.uk/news/experience/top-10-pr-blunders/

The resource-full Ross Monaghan has sent the following example of how staff power can be utilised online to accelerate the demise of a Senior Exec. Geoff Dixon et al; are you paying attention?

One major, glaring omission by the CEO was that the pilot collective managed to secure Glenn Tilton’s name as the site URL (I teach this as part of my blog 101 fundamentals). This is what the pilots’ site says about the name:

Why is this site named GlennTilton.com?
This website was developed by the Air Line Pilots Association, United Airlines Master Executive Council. As professional pilots, we believe in accountability. Glenn Tilton, Chairman, CEO, and President of United Airlines, has failed all of us… costing shareholders, employees, and the travelling public billions of dollars. This website bears the name GlennTilton.com as a daily reminder to everyone invested in a positive future for United Airlines exactly where the source of our problems lies. This website is not owned, endorsed, or in any way sponsored by United Airlines or Glenn Tilton. For all of us, Glenn Tilton must go.

So CEOs…who owns your name in cyberspace?

Media and blog reports are castigating the Spanish mens and womens basketball teams for appearing in press ads - stretching their eyes to simulate Chinese facial features - for a Spanish courier company called Seur. For the record, I love Spain, especially Andalucia; genuinely warm and friendly people. Forget the PR angle (if you possibly can) for a minute; was this the full stretch (sorry) of Seur’s creative agency capabilities? In Scotland, I was (unfortunately) frequently exposed to this kind of casual racism but thought it was being stamped out worldwide? Perhaps Spain’s soccer coach Luis Aragones was the Creative Director? He’s also not a racist.

(Thx to Fairfax for use of pic)

Those of you who have bought my book “Public Relations Disasters’ will remember the case of Pan Pharmaceuticals - suspected dodgy vitamin supplements, rogue technician defence, obstructive of TGA, inept PR response, sued and shut down, laughing stock etc. Well now the company owner Mr Selim has been awarded $55mill in compensation after a court ruled the TGA was over-zealous in pursuing his company. Evidence of one PR disaster that eventually paid, though? As WordPress is playing up, you’ll need to cut n paste this link..sorry:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/14/2334969.htm

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