here it is

Feb. 16‘10

Most people who know me know that my parents are from Italy.   While I didn’t “Grow up Gotti” (remember that show?), I can certainly relate to and laugh with the FaceBook group 42 Things in the Life of an Italian Child, which outlines common and funny things that my brothers, sister, cousins and friends can relate to.  Whatever.  I’m not that offended.  I can take a joke. 

Now, I haven’t seen MTV’s Jersey Shore – partly because I refuse to watch it – but it is causing quite a stir among the Italian-American community, particularly The National Italian American Federation (NIAF).

Based on everything I hear – the tans, the clothes, the tattoos, the fighting, the partying, rinse and repeat – it sounds like a dramatic group of young adults who, together, are bound to draw some attention.  It just so happens that they are Italian, and are waving their Italian flags everywhere and busting out of their “I love Italy” shirts while causing all sorts of commotion.  For all the Italians I know in America and in Italy, I don’t know any like them.   

So the NIAF sends out emails monthly to members asking for help “to promote positive media portrayals of Italian Americans,” and has campaigned against the show through national media outlets like Fox, ABC, Newsweek, and The New York Times.  I appreciate the NIAF for valiantly defending the Italian-American name, culture, heritage and reputation, but so much time is spent campaigning against this show.

As a public relations pro, I have a tendency to look at the positives to a situation.  What about NIAF using Jersey Shore to leverage a campaign to educate America on what real life Italian-American families are like?   There is no other time more appropriate than now to launch a positive campaign.  There are many media outlets willing to listen because of the controversy caused by Jersey Shore. 

There are so many inspiring stories of immigrants coming to this country and finding their way, carving the path to success, making a name for themselves and building a legacy for their families.  What about the Italian-Americans who have contributed to entertainment, government, law and business in America?  Do the names Giada De Laurentiis, Chief Justice Antonin Scalia, Janet Napolitano or Jerry Colangelo ring any bells? 

NIAF is an influential group based in Washington, D.C. and has access to many of these Italian-Americans who they should include as part of their campaign to “promote a positive image of Italian-Americans.”  They need to act quickly on a positive publicity campaign while this story is still hot.  Then, maybe the NIAF will make the tans of the Jersey Shore group pale in comparison.

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Feb. 11‘10

A few short weeks ago, an offensive letter – mistakenly replaced for a permission letter to the parents of Litchfield Elementary School students – found its way into second graders’ backpacks and into their parents’ hands. Part of the letter reads something like this:  “If your child is either too lazy or too stupid…”  I need not continue because I think you get the point that it is not a permission letter.

So how is this qualified as a crisis?  It diminished the credibility and integrity of the school, the principal and the staff.   Not to mention how it hurt the morale of the students.

It was meant as a joke among frustrated peers, which occurs frequently and across many industries, but this joke got out and parents are outraged and the media is having a field day.  That embarrassing letter is forever housed on AZCentral.com for all to see and reread.

By the immediate actions of the principal, it is questionable whether or not a crisis communications strategy was in place.  He did what he could to rectify the situation.  When he realized the wrong letter had been sent out, he personally called parents and said that a “friend” had sent them the letter and allegedly asked teachers to lie to parents on the origins of the letter.

Now for a minute, let’s say an offensive letter wasn’t sent out and instead a staff member was involved in an altercation or something happened on campus.  A general crisis plan is needed for all the possibilities that can take place.  As the saying goes, prevention is the best medicine.  But crises are likely to happen.  The key is to have a plan in place.

How would you have handled this crisis?

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Jun. 26‘09

Between watching live breaking news coverage on CNN, and checking updates on Google News, NYTimes, and Twitter, it was hard to tell if the news of Michael Jackson’s death was true.  TMZ.com was reporting his death, Tweeters were posting “RIP Michael Jackson,” yet CNN was reporting that he was in a coma.  I mean, was TMZ.com really the most credible source to break the news?  Perhaps yes, since they are an entertainment source, but I wasn’t believing it until NYTimes.com said it.

Once the Associated Press reported that Jackson had passed away, many media outlets began posting obituaries, biographies, life timelines, highlights, pictures, videos, montages, you name it…

How were they able to get all of this information together within minutes of his death? Perhaps they had time to write these stories when reports of his cardiac arrest had taken place?  Possible.  Most likely is that many of these outlets already had his biography written and on file for when a tragedy would occur. 

It is not uncommon for the media to do this.   Last year AP had written Britney Spears’s obituary when the troubled star was at an all-time low.  In defense of the news, AP entertainment editor Jesse Washington told US Magazine, “We are not wishing it, but if Britney passed away, it’s easily one of the biggest stories in a long time.”

The AP reportedly has 1,000 obituaries on file, according to TheWire.com, including one for Amy Winehouse.

In the book, Mediawriting: Print, Broadcast, and Public Relations, the authors state, “Both newspaper reporters and public relations practitioners often keep on hand up-to-date biographical narratives or pre-written obituaries of prominent people.”  This ensures that when someone prominent dies, the appropriate stories are written in a timely manner. 

So keep this in mind when you are watching live coverage (or sometimes, marathon coverage) and wondering how the media is able to get this information together so quickly.

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Jun. 17‘09

As the talented and tenacious publicists across the country furiously craft and spin pitches about their companies or their clients in an attempt to gain the interest of certain journalists, the Iranian government is cracking down on its journalists in an attempt to prevent them from covering the opposition.  That means they are supposed to stay in their offices and not report from the street.  They are, however, permitted to conduct telephone interviews and monitor “official sources” such as state TV.   This isn’t good enough for a journalist, and it isn’t’ good enough for the people of Iran.    

There is a natural need for people to be informed and to share information, and it is the role of the journalist to deliver an unbiased story to the masses.  However, in Iran, the government is withholding the facts and not allowing journalists to deliver a solid, well-rounded story.

The people of Iran are on the brink of making world history with their silent protests and very vocal and visual posts to social networking sites such as Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace and YouTube.   Journalists are turning to these social networking sites in an attempt to gain important access to the images and the opinions, and to what is happening on the ground.  

YouTube’s blog states that Iran “has become a citizen-fueled news bureau of video reports filed straight from the streets of Tehran, unfiltered. Because the Iranian government is cracking down on local and international media coverage, these citizen-generated videos are providing an exclusive look at the developing violence.”

The movement in Iran is proof that news is vitally necessary to a society, and journalism is reigning through its citizens with the help of social networking.  

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