August 4, 2008 1:45 pm : Comments 000
Reporters in the U.S. benefit from unparalleled power and constitutional protection, particularly in comparison to journalists working in other countries. The Founding Fathers understood the critical importance of a strong independent press to serve as a watchdog against potential government tyranny. It was this fundamental principle that gave rise to the notion of journalists’ collective role as the Fourth Estate.
But there is a discernible trend suggesting that reporters, perhaps inadvertently, are helping to promulgate government wrongdoing rather than expose it. The latest egregious example is a page-one “exposé” in the (Albany, NY) Times Union last summer alleging that former New York Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno misused state aircraft. According to a report released last week by the Commission on Public Integrity, the story closely tracked – verbatim at points – a memo written by Darren Dopp, who had led former governor Eliot Spitzer’s communications function. Mr. Dopp and four other Spitzer administration officials have been rebuked for orchestrating their “Dirty Tricks” plot to discredit Mr. Bruno.
The Times Union was not, however, the only media outlet to serve as the Spitzer administration’s errant pipeline for pumping dirty water to its constituents. During his days as Attorney General, Mr. Spitzer instigated a malicious campaign to disparage former New York Stock Exchange chairman and CEO Richard Grasso. As Mr. Grasso’s PR advisor following his disgraceful firing from the NYSE, I had a front row seat to what was unquestionably one of the most irresponsible periods in modern business journalism. The biased reporting of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (news side, not editorial) come most clearly to mind.
Journalists from the Times and the Journal zealously reported a steady stream of misinformation and innuendoes spoon-fed to them by Messrs. Spitzer and Dopp to pressure Mr. Grasso into settling. Much of this misinformation received prominent page-one placement and virtually all of the stories have since been discredited. All the charges Mr. Spitzer filed against Mr. Grasso have been dismissed, which wasn’t a surprise to anyone who understood the facts of the case.
Also of note is USA Today’s reporting concerning what turned out to be a government smear campaign against former Army bioterrorism researcher Steven J. Hatfill. Back in 2002, the newspaper prominently and repeatedly reported that Dr. Hatfill was a suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five people. Judge Reggie B. Walton has since ruled “there is not a scintilla of evidence” (emphasis mine) implicating Dr. Hatfill to the anthrax attacks. The Justice department recently agreed to pay $4.6 million to settle Dr. Hatfill’s defamation lawsuit.
Dr. Steven Hatfill was first publicly accused by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, which should have raised eyebrows among responsible reporters since an investigation was still underway and no charges were even close to being filed. Some of the most accusatory stories were written by former USA Today reporter Toni Locy. As she herself reported, there were other government officials who doubted the evidence against Dr. Hatfill yet she wrote the damning stories anyway, seemingly placing a higher value on getting the proverbial scoop than on safeguarding a potentially innocent man’s reputation and career from irreversible damage.
Shockingly, the mainstream media is neither embarrassed nor chastened by the Bruno, Grasso, and Hatfill reporting debacles, just as it wasn’t particularly contrite following the shameful pack-mentality reporting on Richard Jewell, the security guard in Atlanta who years ago was erroneously fingered and subsequently vilified as the Olympic park bomber.
The truth is that reporters today are driven by their editors to deliver tersely written “scoops” usually whispered to them by individuals with political or self-serving agendas who refuse to be identified. Reporters defend this malignant journalism by arguing the leaks are in themselves “news”. Compounding the problem is most newspapers no longer value experience and have forced their older and most knowledgeable reporters to take buyouts. As a result, most newspapers lack editors who can readily identify a bogus story. To wit: a story earlier this year in the Los Angeles Times, a newspaper that has undergone massive layoffs, about associates of Sean Combs attacking rap artist Tupac Shakur with the former’s knowledge was almost instantly debunked by three experienced journalists at The Smoking Gun. Similarly, it took a seasoned reporter at the New York Post to ultimately expose the Spitzer administration’s Bruno smear campaign for what it was.
Those in favor of a Shield Law for reporters argue that protecting the media from revealing their sources is in keeping with the notion of the press as the Fourth Estate, a part of the checks and balances built into our system of government to prevent abuse of power. But the harsh reality is that such a shield will mostly serve to protect political hatchetmen like Darren Dopp and some of the still-unidentified dubious characters who leaked erroneous information about Dr. Hatfill to Ms. Locy. Reporters are rarely sued or pressured to reveal their sources when they get their facts correct.
Today’s media environment is nothing like it was in the late 1700s when the Fourth Estate concept took root. People do not have to rely on pamphleteers and underground newspapers to get an uncensored perspective on notable events in their homeland. This legacy of transparency and a free press is, without question, to America’s great credit and benefit.
But accountability is the price that the media should be required to pay for press freedom. It is the best protection we have against reporters who abandon their professional obligations and ethical responsibilities. Passing a Shield Law will only serve to cripple that defense.
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11:41 am : Comments 000
What exactly is a “people person”? Boasted by many candidates vying to get into the public relations industry as their number one qualification, the phrase is really empty in meaning. Sure, in order to be good at PR you have to be confident and social, but in my past ten weeks at Starkman & Associates I have learned that there is much more to it.
As an English major at Holy Cross I have an innate fondness for the complexities of language. In Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, the two protagonists comment on the power of language when they say “Words, words. They’re all we have to go on.” If I have learned one thing from my internship this summer, it is the importance of words and how they can be both your greatest asset or your biggest threat. Words are the primary tool we use to interpret the world around us and at Starkman & Associates I believe that good writing is the foundation of our business.
From press releases to website content, a large part of my responsibilities over the course of my internship have involved writing. Whereas in the English papers I write back at Holy Cross I can cover up a bad idea or statement with fancy language, PR writing strips language to its bare minimum, leaving no room to hide. PR writing is not about how many SAT words you can use in a sentence, but rather how clearly and effectively you can communicate your ideas. In PR writing, less is always more.
In the wake of the Bear Stearns scandal, I have learned that for better or worse every word counts. From the way one talks to clients on the phone to the way emails sent throughout the office during the day are worded, you have to be ready to be held accountable for everything you say or write. Being able to anticipate how the person at the other end is going to interpret your words is very important. Does this fall under the qualifications of being a people person? Perhaps, but the point is that you cannot simply get by in this industry only with charm.
Although my experience in this field is limited, I have discovered a common trait amongst the people I work with and that is their inability to settle. This company could throw out catchy press releases or become complacent with the success their clients have already had, but that is not the case. The true PR individual is always striving to learn more and do more. They find the most creative project to recently have been done and they find a way to top it.
According to the Public Relations Society of America “public relations helps an organization and its public adapt mutually to each other”. This description is aligned with the views of Edward Louis Bernays, one of the “founding fathers” of PR. PR firms and the media must reach a half-way point in which one does not impose their own ideas upon the other. PR therefore is largely about compromise.
While I do not claim to be an expert, I can say that my time at Starkman & Associates has revealed the public relations industry to be a challenging and exciting world in which only the ambitious will survive.
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August 1, 2008 8:33 am : Comments 001
Among the many reasons I think so highly of my colleagues here at S&A is that they have all advanced themselves professionally by the sheer strength of their talent, enthusiasm, and strong work ethic, not by their ability to play the “corporate politics” game. While it is commonly said that 20 percent of employees do 80 percent of the work within any organization, that is most definitely not the case here. Every member of the S&A team is in full swing well before most companies’ employees are just clocking in for the day.
Given the high performance bar that these employees set, S&A can be a rather daunting place to work, especially for a college junior. Our exacting internal standards coupled with the sophisticated client projects we undertake and the mach speed at which we often work can tax the most ambitious college student. Understandably, we don’t expect our interns to keep up with the pace. We simply expect that they truly partner with us to make their internship a meaningful learning experience.
As I’ve written before, we participate in an internship program by Holy Cross that has been an incredible experience for us. We learned of Holy Cross’ internship program through one of their graduates that we had hired. It’s a rather novel approach – we provide the learning opportunity and, as long as there is a Holy Cross grad on staff, the school’s alumni organization takes care of paying the intern’s seasonal stipend. Every Holy Cross student and graduate that has walked through our door has vastly exceeded our expectations. This summer was no exception.
We had the distinct pleasure to work this summer with Kaitlyn Curley, who became a critical member of our team almost from the moment she arrived. Kaitlyn doesn’t just seek to perform tasks – she strives to understand the rationale behind them, to identify trends, to spot parallels. Her analytical skills are quite impressive. As a result, Ms. Curley took on considerably more responsibility than we anticipated with amazingly little direction.
Kaitlyn has a great work ethic. She always arrived on time and often worked well beyond her designated departure time to finish her projects, even when they weren’t due for another day or two. When given assignments, she would take copious notes and ask insightful questions to ensure she had what she needed to complete the task with exceptional speed, accuracy, and proficiency. We never saw Kaitlyn websurfing, talking to friends, or working on personal matters while on “company time.”
To say that Kaitlyn is quiet is an understatement. She is one of those people who you never know quite what they are thinking and, like my colleagues Jackie and Jeff, can keep her opinions and emotions VERY close to the proverbial vest. I also know that she plays lacrosse, as I caught her one night trying to quietly sneak past my door in her field attire. Although Kaitlyn is slight of build, I strongly suspect she is a terror with a lacrosse stick. You know what they say about the quiet ones – they’re always the ones you have to watch out for!
Today is Kaitlyn’s last day with us, and we are all noticeably disappointed for it. We will miss her spirit, her great work, her strong ideas, her fresh enthusiasm, and her company. Good luck in school this year, Kaitlyn, and don’t forget to call us first when looking for your first full-time job. It would be our great honor to have you back on board.
I’ve often wondered if Holy Cross makes its students great or if it simply has a knack for attracting great students. Regardless, I’m impressed how everyone I’ve met from this well-respected institution is intellectually well-rounded and inculcated with enviable values and discipline. If anyone knows of a Holy Cross graduate interested in initiating or continuing their career in public relations, please send them our way.
Let’s just say that résumés with Holy Cross on them tend to move to the top of the pile at S&A.
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