Rosen Blasts PR Bloggers
The esteemed Jay Rosen from NYU writes that the PR bloggers failed to show up in commenting on the the furor in public relations circles caused by the Armstong Williams corruption case. The case involves one of the leading PR agencies, Ketchum. They funneled $240,000 from the Department of Education to Williams, a conservative syndicated columnist and television host, to get him to promote the No Child Left Behind Act. Rosen writes...
What is a PR blogger, and what are they supposed to be doing? I can't say we know the answers to that. It's hard to tell any individual blogger what to write about, where to link. And I am not offering my criticisms at that level. The answer may simply be: "There are a small number of bloggers covering PR, they all have other lives, other interests. They're not full time bloggers. Give them a break."
We can do that. Possibly what we saw with Ketchum is just an under-developed blog sphere, no critical mass yet. But I know that as a part-time reader of PR bloggers--and a friend of some--I was disappointed. Richard Edelman was stunned.
Still, what a story! For the Harvard conference on blogging, journalism and credibility the take away is this: Trust has something to do with rising to the occasion.
I am square on his MIA list. In my case, I feel like I am free and clear because I blog about the intersection between blogs and PR. Blogs had nothing to do with this episode. I am only blogging it now because Rosen, a journalism professor, is criticizing the PR bloggers. Call me provincial, but I really have nothing to add to this dialogue. I feel fine leaving this to folks who blog on the broader PR industry issues. Does Scoble or Doc Searls comment every time the tech industry is attacked? No. Nor does it mean I need to be the PR industry's Captain America.
Please help me understand, what is it that the PR industry produces?
Posted by: paul | Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at 10:37 PM
I don't get props for being the only blogger called out for actually blogging on the issue? Geez.
I'm doing another follow-up, naturally.
Posted by: Jeremy | Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at 11:45 PM
I don't know, Steve. I think of you as the PR industry's Captain America. I've thought about blogging this topic, but figured I didn't have much to add. One of the cliches back when I was in the PR business and also worked as a press secretary for a congressman was, "Don't do anything you wouldn't mind reading on the front page of the Washington Post." Transparency, people.
Posted by: Rex Hammock | Thursday, January 20, 2005 at 12:08 AM
Who's watching the watchmen, Rex? If we in PR don't call out less than ethical practices, don't try to fix what's broken, who does? If we don't draw a line in the sand, and stand up for what we believe is right, who will?
Steve is right - his blog is more about blogs and citizen journalism. My blog is about PR and PR issues, and how blogging is affecting those. But, this was something all PR bloggers should have chimed in about - it's an issue that can affect PR across the board, including our interaction with bloggers.
Plus, I'd put Steve more into the Giant-Man category than Captain America. As for me, I'm more Daredevil (a man without fear) or Silver Surfer (cool as hell).
Posted by: Jeremy | Thursday, January 20, 2005 at 12:34 AM
Its not just PR - these issues also intersect with analyst relations and blogging too. the way industry analysts work is set for big change. but i dont see many firms responding yet. We at RedMonk are:
http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/archives/000404.html
http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/archives/000407.html
http://www.redmonk.com/sogrady/archives/000409.html
Posted by: James Governor | Thursday, January 20, 2005 at 09:53 AM