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http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24556017-601,00.html

Much embarrassment for Aussie Liberal wing-woman Julie Bishop and publishers, Melbourne University Press, that her essay contribution for a book about the future of the Liberal Party was cribbed from a ten-year old speech by a New Zealand businessman Roger Kerr. A Libs senior Media Adviser Murray Hansen has fallen on his sword/pen admitting it was all his doing/fault. From The Australian Murray says…”he had written the essay and forgotten to send footnotes in time for publication…Asked how footnotes could have given credit for words that are not in quotation marks in Ms Bishop’s essay but blended through, he said: “I knocked it together very quickly. If I’d formatted it and put direct quotes, it would have alerted her much more quickly to the fact that I was taking large chunks out of someone else’s ideas and speech.” Author writes: A major published book; representing an MP; knocked together very quickly!!! In late September, Ms Bishop was accused of plagiarism for lifting material from The Wall Street Journal for a speech.

This unbelievable piece suggests that Scotland is a tough place to practice PR. The UK PM’s wife Sarah Brown (a former PR at Hobsbawm Macaulay Communications), was allegedly involved in a PR photo-op where govt PR minders seemed somewhat over-zealous in protecting their client interests. The messengers threatening scribes with a bullet; there’s a new twist on a theme.

Writing in The Guardian, Malik Fareed claims that the Chinese government is payrolling opinion shapers and influencers 50 Chinese cents or five mao per blog post, to refute and replace negative online coverage about China and related issues (better rates than blogging for Fairfax then?)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/22/chinathemedia.marketingandpr
While astroturfing is seen by some as ethically dubious, it is still growing in popularity, thanks, in part, to the ease with which web 2.0 technologies - the likes of Twitter, Wikipedia and YouTube all feature heavily - can be employed to sway public opinion using the elusive power of word-of-mouth marketing.

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.

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.

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

Excessive PR cosiness alleged in child lead poisoning case
PRs at Swiss miner Xstrata and the Queensland government will be embarrassed by media reports showing how stakeholder liaison seemed to border on stakeholder manipulation. The Australian newspaper claims that Xstrata PR Melanie Edgar and Chief Exec Steve de Kruijff were given access to draft Queensland govt reports and media materials prior to public release.
This was clearly to help ‘manage’ media interest and public outcry over alleged metal contamination of children in mining town, Mount Isa. Documents also reveal Xstrata’s keenness to establish and steer a grassroots ‘group’ – Mt Isa Plus – to address the problem.
Other embarrassing revelations show Qld government’s Rosalie Spencer alerting Xstrata community PR person Mel Edgar about a impending journalism visit. In response, Edgar asks Spencer to outline the Qld ‘position’ vis-a-vis the briefing materials they will supply to the journalist.
But is this a PR disaster? Or simply a portrayal of PRs practicing an effective form of stakeholder relations. Former Mt Isa Chief Environmental Officer Ted Prickett is in no doubt…he believes it’s indicative of a cover-up over child lead poisoning.

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