Most PR professionals will tell you the importance of getting out before the media and telling your story. Harvey Weinstein and his advisors offer a case study as to why that’s sometimes a very bad idea.
Media
Mike Bloomberg’s Prison Labor
Mike Bloomberg on Christmas Eve immediately terminated his campaign’s involvement with a call center staffed with inmates after The Intercept reported on the initiative. While it’s possible Bloomberg’s campaign used exploited prison workers, Microsoft and other Fortune 500 technology companies are proudly involved with programs that successfully give inmates second chances. Here’s an example of the potential damaged caused when reporters make assumptions about issues they know little or nothing about.
Merry Impeachmas! Washington Post
If a Pulitzer Prize was awarded to the reporter who most rallied Donald Trump’s supporters, Washington Post’s Rachael Bade would be the journalist to beat.
The Angst of New York Times Readers
New York Times readers say the Trump presidency has impaired their health, including a New Jersey woman who blames Trump for her 20-pound weight gain and her inability to focus on anything but voter turnout. A Columbia University sociologist has quantified why Times readers are so distraught, and the Justice Department’s inspector general last week confirmed the Times and other major media published “fake news.” Some tips to avoid the Times’ carefully honed digital ensnarement.
Clint Eastwood’s Must-See Media Expose
Reporters are doing Donald Trump proud with their dishonest attempts to smear and discredit Clint Eastwood’s upcoming movie dramatizing one of the biggest debacles in journalism history. Here’s why Eastwood has performed a great public service, and how the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s choice of attorney makes a mockery of the media’s supposed embracement of the #MeToo movement.
The Loyalties of Kellyanne Conway?
If you can judge a person by the company they keep, it speaks volumes that President Trump surrounds himself with people who want to undermine or destroy him. From the moment Trump stepped foot in the White House, there has been a continuous stream of media leaks from anonymous aides…
A Bumper Crop Week for Liberal Hypocrisy
I tried, dear reader, I honestly tried. I’ve been working mightily to channel my inner Dale Carnegie these past few weeks trying to affirm what’s good, avoiding criticizing others, and acting with kindness. But less than a month away from the Jewish Day of Atonement, God decided to test me…
The Botched New York Times Kavanaugh Penis Story
A conversation on Sunday made me vow I’d never again write a critical story about the media. Someone whose opinion and values I greatly respect chastised me for my slew of very negative commentaries I’ve recently posted questioning journalism integrity and practices. “The media performs a very critical function, particularly…
Donald Trump’s “Treasonous” Aides
Here’s some PR counsel you can take to the bank: There is no such thing as an “off-the-record” conversation with a reporter. In fact, often the best way to get a story out is to incessantly repeat the information you are providing is hush-hush and on the QT. Here’s how…
Bret Stephens and the Toxicity of Twitter
George Washington University associate professor David Karpf hopefully enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame. Karpf’s tweet on Tuesday likening New York Times columnist Bret Stephens to a “bedbug” garnered the prof national media attention and ultimately drove Stephens off the social media site. Donald Trump piled on, demonstrating once again…
