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November 9, 2009
Dangerous and Delusional
On Friday I spoke at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. After my presentation, I was asked the following question by a senior journalist, who uncovered the Sumitomo copper trading scandal.
“I have been told by my friend who runs PR for a large Japanese company that it is much easier to manipulate the media because the reporters are younger, inexperienced and pressured to produce content quickly. What do you think about this?”
I responded very directly. I said that reporters today, whether young or old, more or less experienced, have access to a far richer array of sources. They can speak to established experts such as financial analysts or government regulators. They can also track conversations of passionate people on Twitter, blogs and discussions on social networks such as Cyworld.
Today reporters also have the ability to advance and co-create their story. They can post short form content onto Twitter or Facebook, securing more facts, feedback and fielding questions, prior to release of their more considered stories. They can aggregate discussion from other sources around their topic.
I concluded with a blunt warning--any PR people who thinks they are serving their client or employer by intentionally misleading a reporter is simply delusional and dangerous. We all have a stake in accurate information. The distortion or falsehood will be uncovered in time, leading to an unnecessary scandal that may ultimately engulf top executives and undermine the board of directors.
The public relations profession wholly depends on an independent and vibrant media. We must do nothing to undermine journalists’ ability to report the facts and their conclusion. To believe and counsel a company that it can exclusively tell its own story on its web site and bypass the mainstream and social media is wrong. We risk killing the positive trend toward PR by offering such bad advice.
Posted by Edelman at November 9, 2009 10:31 AM |
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Comments
Amen. As Adam Curry says: "There are no secrets, only information you don't yet have."
Posted by: Nathan Schock at November 21, 2009 4:04 PM
Hello - I'm curious as to whether you think the art of public relations writing is becoming a lost art? In this high tech world of tweets and status updates, are PR professionals forgetting how to write a strong release, feature, etc.
Posted by: Trish at November 22, 2009 12:21 PM