BBC’s PR disaster - a cry for attention, says Mark Lawson

Filed Under Corporates, Media, PR Disasters | 2 Comments

Several mugs from the BBC are in trouble.

As a postcsript to my earlier post, the following view from The Guardian’s Mark Lawson has a certain ring of truth about it; he says it’s because of fearful of losing budget or journalistic jobs due to lack of audience participation. But if people don’t want to feedback Mark, shouldn’t an evaluation of your content be your best move, rather than falsifying connection to stuff that fails to engage?

In true PR crisis management style, BBC’s director general Mark Thompson has media-launched a mandatory training programme - entitled Safeguarding Trust - for BBC’s 16,500 staff (thereby being seen as taking identifiable action to ‘right a wrong’). This comes after revelations that key ‘editorial leaders’ had repeatedly passed themselves (or their family or friends) off as members of the public or fictitious winners in broadcast promotions. Sadly, even charity fundraising events such as Comic Relief and Children in Need appeals experienced such malpractice. Another programme was presented as live despite being recorded, too.

Memo to Mark Thompson: It’s not about ’safeguarding trust’ - your people clearly need instruction on ego-management and abusing power. Read more