Category Archives: Politics

Trump Gets Schooled in PR

The PR field should love Donald Trump as he teaches lessons about the power of earned media. I’ve been at many social gatherings when the conversation shifts to the campaign, and all eyes turn to me, seeming to challenge/blame: “C’mon … Continue reading

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Did Fox Jump the Snark? (Brief History of Fake News Fails)

“Childishly written!” “A disgrace” These are the words most junior PR account executives fear hearing from clients about press releases submitted for review.  But it was Donald Trump that just said them, in tweets and interviews, about a statement that … Continue reading

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What do Trump and ISIS have in Common?

Journalists who join the PR field are often said to be crossing to the dark side. That’s because some think PR is just about spinning and deception. As I pointed out in my post News Corp. Goons Provide PR “Protection”, … Continue reading

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Of Immoderate Moderators and Paranoid Pols

Is the press really the enemy? That was Nixon’s line – and I was in a Nixon frame of mind, having just finished the excellent book Crooked by Austin Grossman. It is a faux memoir, written in the former president’s … Continue reading

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Open letter to Media: Please get this Blowhard to Shut up Go Away

I am getting a little tired of all the media hyperventilating about a certain Republican presidential candidate; you know the one with the dead rodent looking thingie on the top of his head. There is a numbing sameness to the … Continue reading

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Who needs a Strategy? Just Schmooze us Please

I wrote in my post that Hate Spin?… that we get the news stories, and hence PR, that we want.  But do we sometimes want more spin than we get? This thought occurred to me regarding a story that was … Continue reading

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94 Words, Botched Media Opp, Nary a PR Person in Sight

Most of us have heard about those 94 words: the now infamous talking points that Susan Rice used to explain what happened in the Benghazi tragedy. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal featured a blow-by-blow account of how a CIA … Continue reading

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The Hidden PR Persuaders

I am writing about a topic that you don’t see buzzed about much on the PR blogs: persuasion. Perhaps we don’t talk about it because PR people might not like to see themselves as persuaders (my fellow Windmill Networking columnist … Continue reading

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Doubling Down on Sheer Idiocy

I used to love reading William Safire’s NY Times magazine column On Language. Safire, was, among other things, a wordsmith. He loved to examine the hot phrases and words of the day, exploring their origins, usage and relevance. If Safire … Continue reading

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The Shush Heard Round the World; Republicans Fumble in Foreign Policy Flack Flameout

The New York Times reported the circumstances that led to the resignation of Romney foreign policy spokesperson Richard Grenell earlier this week.  The Romney team had asked him to keep quiet on an important call with the media – one … Continue reading

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