PR - An Ethical Dilemna

In my networking attempts, I reached out to a friend asking if he knew of some financial advisors looking to start reaching out to clients and media. It seems to me that when things are in flux, confusing and somewhat dire, keeping your clients informed - even if it's just to let them know you have their back - is vital.

He told me to check out this new PR Firm and even suggested I "hook up" with them. The firm in question is quite interesting. It's being created by CNBC analyst Dan Abrams (pictured) who was passed over for a larger gig at the network. So he thought he'd start a PR Agency that would tap into the expertise of working journalists - and those journalists who due to the hard times we're in today, are no longer "working."

At first blush it seems an interesting proposition. PR is all about getting your message out with as much control as you can negotiate. But for a working journalist to get paid for giving PR advise, it does cross that ethical boundary. And given the transparent world we live in today, it invites even more questions about the sanctity and independence of the press.

We all know Fox News, WSJ and NY Post -- or any news outlet owned by Rupert Murdoch has bias. But knowing that bias is there, we can read between the lines.

When the insights and machinations that go on behind the scenes to negotiate a story are influenced by reporters, we don't know what lines to read between.

As a former reporter and longtime PR person I know that I frequently interview reporters about potential clients to get their view of the landscape. But these same reporters are not going to help me guide a story when I then come to them with a pitch. Or even when they come to me wanting to confirm some rumor.

The challenge today for businesses in every sphere is keeping up with the blogosphere and having influence on blogs. While like trade pubs of old they are derided inside companies as nothing more than gossip rags, we all know that where there is a little smoke, there's a little fire. We also need to realize you can't control everything. Far better to try to conduct your business in an open and honest way. Any reporter whose credibility is intact will never forgive the slightest misleading comments or influence. These are tough times. Facing it honestly is the way to go. Trying to influence it with spin control will make it worse.

Stay Inside the Shark Cage

I have been in the PR profession for like 20-years. And I'm still learning something new - seems like every day. That's one of the reasons I started this blog.

But yesterday was a lesson I will never forget. We brought a media trainer in to help a client understand how to speak from a message box. Picture a box in the middle of a piece of paper that contains the central point of what ever story it is you want to tell. Than all around the box are themes that support your message.

We came up with an original idea at the center and terrific points to support our story. And as we started questioning our CEO - easy questions then hard -- a former big CEO who is on his board came into the room. He looked at our message box, listened to the client answer a couple of questions and then he said:

"You have just steped outside the shark cage with that answer. You're going to get your arm ripped off. If you keep stepping outside the box, you'll get ripped apart. Think of that message box as a shark cage. If you stay inside, you will be safe. If you go outside, the press will tear your head off."

Brilliant metaphor. Life lesson.

PR Lesson of the Day

When they say "It's the Economy Stupid," what they are really saying is that this is the topic of the day and that's all anyone wants to hear about.

This is an imporant lesson. And once again proves something I learned from Howard Rubenstein - one of the smartest PR guys ever. If you can make your story tie into what is happening in the news, you will get interest and visibility. True then. True today.

What this means for the PR business today is that your story has to relate to the economy to get visibility. In fact a reporter at the WSJ told me that point blank yesterday that unless your story has some relation to the events in the financial markets, it's not a story for the next several weeks, possibily months.

This is an opportunity. If you can get clients and others to pay attention.

But it also works in this election cycle. My candidate has siezed on this issue as issue number one and formulated a distinctive strategy for dealing with a looming budget deficit. And I think he has the right idea.

The question I know need to answer is how to make my business survive at a time when I am seeing clients (and clients of my clients) cut spending way back. This will be a long, hard road.