Archive for September, 2007
A Clever Name
As I meet with public relations people in CEE –- Central and Eastern Europe – countries like Slovenia and Croatia — I find them hungry to expand their knowledge about the world of influence, and I occasionally hear about a curious thing called, The London School of Public Relations (LSPR). There is nothing like LSPR in the [...]
Krugman: Hired Guns
Paul Krugman‘s OpEds in the New York Times are always clear and deliver a powerful message. I think his OpEd from yesterday might be one of his best.
Croatian PR Pros Meet
I found the Croatian public relations people I have met at this conference at Rovinj, Croatia, to be sharp. It’s the annual meeting of the Croatian PR Association, and I spoke before the group Friday on the trends and ethics of working in a New Media. I heard many questions over issues of blogs and [...]
Debat Update: NPR’s On the Media
This is interesting listening — NPR’s On the Media interviews Laura Rozen of MotherJones.org about the latest news on the evolving scandal over credibility involving ABC News and the network’s consultant, Alexis Debat, who has a bogus resume and credentials. In a separate interview on the subject, On the Media Interviewed ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider.
An Anniversary to Remember
This guest column by Gail Collins that appears in The New York Times is both inspiring and a reminder for many of us about the last equality.
Trust Me, I Speak For Washington …
Have no fear … America’s global imagine is in the hands of … well, hired guns. No, this isn’t a posting about Blackwater. Neil MacFarquhar reports in the New York Times today that the U.S. State Department has hired a couple of Arabic-speaking bloggers (one from Texas, by the way) to weigh-in on Middle Eastern [...]
Just Use Plain Language
Want people to listen? Just use plain language. Simple words. Whenever I hear someone who is being interviewed on broadcast news begin an answer by saying, “well, ah, basically …,” I am immediately suspicious. I don’t understand today’s popular overuse of the word, basically. It’s a junk word in most contexts — means nothing. I [...]
Vintage D.C. in Photo Archive
I love to see old photos of my hometown, Washington, D.C. And the District’s Department of Transportation recently has posted its historical archives of Washington photos online. It’s a wonderful online gallery. In one photo, I saw that gasoline cost 27 cents a gallon in 1960! I hope more communities follow this example.
Debat: The Lie that Got So Big
There is an interesting update about Alexis Debat – the con artist who conned Washington — by Barry Rubin in Israel Insider. Rubin alleges that Debat threatened to kill him. If Debat was on the payroll of ABC News at the time, it might lend credence to that old adage in the news business, “he’d [...]
A Political Leader with a Clear Voice
Washington, D.C.’s mayor, Adrian Fenty, is an impressive guy. You tend to forget his political affiliation because he is an inspiring leader and sends the message that he works for the people of D.C. rather than playing politics. That’s very unusual in this city. His is a refreshing style of leadership that I hope will [...]
