A Call to Arms: Using ethics in digital media
By Judah Martin I would hesitate to call myself a practicing journalist. In fact, I think such a claim would be patently wrong. In the years that I have worked as a student writer for The University of Alabama’s engineering college, I have written news releases, research articles, award announcements and “In Memorium” obituaries for […]
What Cam Newton could learn about public relations from Satchel Paige
There are some things you cannot control, as Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton learned during Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016. The only thing you can control is how you respond. And Newton showed little control in one of the few things he could control – how he dealt with journalists after the 24-10 […]
Cross-dressing PR: Why trust in government continues to decline
Trust in local government tends to be higher than state and federal government, but is there a relationship between decline in trust and the rise of PR in government? That’s too big of an issue to address on a Friday afternoon. Instead, here’s a story from Cranston, R.I., where a male van driver for a […]
On the ethics of doing public relations for the Russian Federation
A Bloomberg story reminds us why transparency is an imperative for ethical communication–but sometimes a bad thing for public relations companies who might rather not tell us that they are working for governments that would not allow them to exercise the same freedoms they have in the United States. The reporters searched federally required disclosure […]
Chrysler: If you can find a journalist for sale, buy him
You might recall the 1980s Chrysler ads where then-chairman Lee Iacocca challenged buyers: “If you can find a better car, buy it!” A post from Jalopnik site suggests Fiat-Chrysler has a new line: “If you can find a journalist for sale, buy him.” Automotive News journalist Nick Bunkley noted that the company, at a media […]
How responsible are journalists for catching liars Lance Armstrong, Manti Te’o and others?
The world’s most famous cyclist, Lance Armstrong, lied and lied and lied, and even sued a news organization who called out his lies. (He may have even lied while backpedaling for Oprah.) Notre Dame defensive player Manti Te’o, whether he meant to or not, lied about what turned to be an imaginary girlfriend. The result […]
Remember the PR backlash against news about News of the World’s ethics?
With news that News Corp.’s News of the World will fold in the wake of criminal investigation involving the paper’s considerable hacking into private phone voicemail accounts, a few thoughts worthy of an ethics class discussion: Is it ever right to hack into a phone or computer system? There’s nothing new about this. (Compare what’s […]
Facebook, public relations firm caught trying to (anonymously) slam Google
The Daily Beast’s Dan Lyons and USA Today called out Facebook and its (now-former) public relations agency, Burson-Marsteller, for trying to hide its hand while asking reporters to look into negative reports about Google’s efforts at social media. When one blogger asked who was Burson-Marsteller’s client, the PR firm wouldn’t say. The PRSA Code of […]
Is it ethical to fool AP, news media to make a greater point?
A group opposed to what it calls “corporate tax cheats” and “unfair public service cuts” issued a fake press release under General Electric’s name, claiming GE the company would donate $3.2 billion to add jobs and aid the U.S. economy. It then issued its own press release, praising GE’s actions. The AP acknowledged its mistake, […]