The saying, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity” has been around since the invention of publicity itself (or maybe “time immemorial”?). But, is it a true statement? Can a company do whatever it wants and not suffer the consequences, simply because it garners the publicity the execs wanted in the first place?
Public Relations
This is our public relations blog.
The Horrible, Awful, No Good Week
For those who still believe in the power and magnificence of journalism, last week was a truly awful week.
It started, of course, with the downward spiral of Brian Williams’ career after it was confirmed that he had been telling an untruth about a news reporting incident in Iraq. The same day that Mr. Williams announced he was taking himself off the air, Jon Stewart announced he was stepping down as host of The Daily Show.
The week was far from over, though, and the losses still to come took the form of tragedy. Veteran reporter Bob Simon was killed in a car accident on Wednesday night. (This, after surviving 40 days of captivity 24 years ago in Iraq.) And then I awoke on Friday to the news that 
The New York Times’ esteemed media critic, David Carr – who only days earlier had written about Brian Williams – had died in the newsroom, after suffering an apparent heart attack. Later on Friday, former NBC foreign correspondent Ned Colt died of a stroke in Boston.
The Art of the Apology
As public relations practitioners, we are masters of communication, regularly consulting our clients on what to say, how to say it and – in some cases – when to retract it. This week, venerable NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams is facing public scrutiny after repeatedly reporting a false story, whereby he claimed to narrowly escape enemy fire during the Iraq war.
5 Resolutions Every PR Pro Can Use in 2015
As clichéd as it may sound, making resolutions is a great way to reflect on the past 12 months and pinpoint areas where you can make a positive change in the year ahead. From one public relations practitioner to another, here are some of my 2015 resolutions.
4 Christmas Tunes, PR-ified
I don’t know about you, but my office has been filled with the seasonal sounds of the *NSYNC Holiday station on Pandora for a solid six weeks now (I’m a bit Christmas-obsessed). Although, have you ever heard a song so often that you start making up your own lyrics? Me, too (maybe I’m slightly influenced by Jimmy Fallon).
So, here you go. Four of my very favorite holiday songs, modified to fit into our PR workday.
10 Struggles PR Professionals Know Too Well, As Depicted By Dogs
Although I’m still a newbie in the world of public relations, there are several things I’ve already realized I will face throughout my career that will cause stress, panic, and probably even make me question my sanity. These are situations that PR professionals deal with on the regular. Allow these dogs to further explain.
Lessons I Learned From Bartending That I Now Apply to PR
I was the stereotypical college student who was quick with a joke or to light up your smoke, (not so much anymore in PA), and yes, you guessed correctly, I bartended my way through college. It was fun, it paid the bills and I learned a few things other than just how to make a dirty martini.
While my experiences bartending made for good life lessons in general, they are also – funnily enough – applicable to the world of PR.
Throwback Thursday: How My Time as a College Newspaper Editor Prepared Me for My PR Career
As a recent graduate of Saint Joseph’s University and a newbie to the public relations industry, I often think about my time spent in college and how it prepared me for working in this field. While my classes and extracurricular activities provided a solid foundation, nothing helped prepare me more to work in the “real world” than my time as the features editor of The Hawk, my alma mater’s campus newspaper.
It’s Not What You’re Not
It’s what you are.
According to Wikipedia, a not-for-profit agency is an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals rather than distributing them as profit or dividends. That doesn’t sound like a description of what something is not to me. It sounds like what it is!
“Not-for-profit” is a bad way to describe what these organizations are. Nonprofits exist for a purpose. They’re pro-mission. They do all kinds of good things for society and in the world. Not for nothing, but there’s a need for some re-branding here.
The Oft-Overlooked Boilerplate
This week’s blog post comes to us from our friends at GroundFloorMedia, PRGN’s Denver affiliate. Amanda Brannum reminds us of the importance of the boilerplate.
I came across this wonderful reminder about the often overlooked and under-appreciated boilerplate today via Ragan.com – “The Secret Formula for Writing Boilerplate.” So often, people want to include everything and the kitchen sink in their company’s boilerplate – or, as Russell Working points out, they want to fill it with flowery-sounding jargon. However, as PR pros, we need to remind clients that boilerplates are meant to be simple, straightforward company descriptions that tell what your company is and what it does.