Articles published in September, 2009

1. Media serves up hard economic information … but are we interested?

   Published on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

   The economist Edgar Fielder, who served under Presidents Nixon and Ford, is quoted as saying ‘ask five economists, and you’ll get five different answers – six if one went to Harvard’.

   This self deprecating comment would draw mirth from his peers because they understood the complexities and intricacies of taking historical economic data, and trying to forecast what it means for the future.

   For those of us who are not economists, and who try to make sense out of what will happen on the basis of the media coverage of economists’ comments, the result can be bewildering.

   We are no sooner buoyed by headlines proclaiming New Zealand’s recession is ‘over’ than we are brought down to earth by headlines elsewhere forecasting the economy is going ‘nowhere fast’ over the next 18 months or that unemployment will ‘continue to rise’.

   How can this be? Well, the answer certainly isn’t the economists are playing mind games with us, or the media is misquoting or misunderstanding what the economists are saying.

   In part it is the price we pay for trying to understand an issue as complex as the economy on the basis of sound bytes, or a 250 word précis of a 60 page report.

   It is also a reminder that we should view potted media coverage of most topics as the start point – and that there is far more to the full story than the media will ever give us.

   If we want that full story, then we are required to go out of our way to learn more.

   Which bring us round to the issue of whether it is the media’s role to inform us, or to report what others are saying?

   It can be argued that economics is one area where the print and online media in particular do try to inform and give a balanced view, through comment by in-house and external columnists, and by in-depth coverage of personal finance, business and agricultural items.

   Whether we choose to read the in-depth economic stuff with the same desire for knowledge as when we are looking at the All Blacks’ performance or nutritional and health issues, is another matter.

   

   Posted in Economy, Journalism, PR Matters

2. No nonsence nanoscience

   Published on Friday, September 25th, 2009

   What a week when we’ve just witnessed the miracle of our very own John Key on Letterman , and a scientist tells us that immortality is only 20 years away.

   The 61-year-old American, who’s been right before, says that at the rate our understanding of genes and computer technology is accelerating, new nanotechnologies will be capable of replacing worn out organs inside a couple of decades.

   If that’s not tempting enough, nanotechnology is also being attributed with the ability to extend our mental capabilities to such an extent that humans will be capable of superhuman wonders like being able to write whole books in a matter of minutes.

   But wait, at a recent liability symposium  nanotechnology was highlighted as an emerging risk, despite the fact material and particles on a molecular or atomic scale are already in daily use in consumer products. 

   So nanotechnology, where small appears to be the new big, heralds in exciting new boons, but also signals some potential and as yet not-even-imagined pitfalls. 

   For example haven’t we been down this road before is with asbestos. This former wonder product has a fatal legacy and has delivered a hefty bill to the insurance industry because of mesothelia disease. This illness was unknown when the product was released for use.

   So while some scientists may look forward to a world where humans have cyborg limbs thanks to nanobots, our suggestion is to tread wearily when claims of immortality are bandied about. Imagine going to hospitals to have a new liver dropped in like some car part….wait there could be something to this.

   

   Posted in Health, Media landscape, PR Matters, Technology

3. Critics are emboldened in a crisis, so don’t fall for making excuses

   Published on Monday, September 21st, 2009

   The Sunday Star Times yesterday reported that Auckland’s new community laboratory company, Labtests (which won the contract from DML) believed that some of the complaints it was receiving about its service were the result of “propaganda”.

   Its chief medical officer, Dr Michael Coglin, said that some complaints were being encouraged by the company’s critics and were without merit. The suggestion was that people’s confidence in the service could be undermined by this “propaganda”.

   However heartfelt, this was an extraordinary statement.  No one expects Dr Coglin to be a media or crisis expert, but it is difficult to comprehend that his advisors have not shared with him the anatomy of an issue or crisis. What he is experiencing is as normal as it is real, and any organisation that handled an issue of this nature the way Labtests has was surely headed for a crisis.

   On changeover-day plus-one, they were virtually boasting that everything was running smoothly. The reality was different and got worse.

   It is a fact that in any crisis, critics are emboldened.  Remember the lab contract was competitive and contentious, so there were many with strong held views. In this type of situation, people who would normally say nothing speak out, thereby encouraging others. Extraneous matters suddenly assume some relevance, or at least appear to. But at times like this, it is not the company in crisis that adjudicates on what is relevant and what is not. That lies with its critics and the media.

   What can you do about it? Not a lot. Stay humble and avoid enflaming the situation with attacks on the critics. At a time like this you can’t do better than follow the C.A.P formula: show Concern for what is happening, constantly update people on your responsive Actions, and, if you get the chance, provide some Perspective. But here’s a warning, never leave your “perspective” floating out there alone, or it will be interpreted as an excuse. Dr Coglin’s comment looked much like an excuse.

   

   Posted in Brand, Crisis Communications, Health, PR Matters

4. A happy slip of the tongue

   Published on Thursday, September 17th, 2009

   Let me get one thing off my chest, whether it was on the record, off the record, a throwaway comment, a personal observation or an official declaration, fortunately for President Obama he was right on the money. Kayne West is a jackass.

   The golden boy rapper’s churlish treatment of country singer Taylor Swift at the MTV awards was pure-fool, and he may never live the moment down.

   In the aftermath, ABC News employees overheard a conversation between the President and CNBC’s John Harwood on the matter, where Obama called West a “jackass”.

   The comment was recorded, tweeted and lit up the internet.

   The television network has since apologised and said that it was wrong for its employees to tweet the comment, but they didn’t realise it was considered off the record.  But was it?

   Obama is the President of the United States, and his words, every one of them is newsworthy. He’s gained much of his popularity because he’s used online social networks with real savvy, and this time it’s no different, because unlike many nasty asides that have been recorded during on-mic mishaps, Obama got it so right.

   As one web commentator put it, “just when I thought I couldn’t love Barack anymore!”

   Another world leader making headlines is French president Nicolas Sarkozy. He’s said that gross domestic product, inflation, and unemployment are all old-fashioned, Anglo-Saxon indicators of national wellbeing, and from now on, the country’s economic progress will be measured in terms of happiness – bonheur.

   The French president has some heavyweights to help him back up this new measure, Nobel Prize-winning economists, the American Joseph Stiglitz, and India’s Amartya Sen, who have concluded that new indexes are needed to measure wellbeing and environmental sustainability.

   Surely he’s hit the nail on the head, as isn’t this what corporate social responsibility programmes should be all about, creating bonheur for all?

   

   Posted in Brand, Crisis Communications, Journalism, Media landscape, PR Matters, Social Media

5. Just how can Phil Goff win the hearts and minds of Labour voters?

   Published on Thursday, September 17th, 2009

   Phil Goff has surely got the worst job in New Zealand politics right now?  Taking over the leadership of a party that was soundly trumped in an election is bad enough. But inheriting this role from St Helen, whose new position in the UN only serves to entrench her legacy as PM, makes his situation even more difficult.  

   The magnanimous way he was appointed as leader makes it even harder to use a new broom, and clean house. This was evident in his somewhat half-hearted speech during the party conference when he apologised for his then-government appearing to be distracted by small matters such as light-bulbs, smacking and Electoral Finance Acts. 

   The position he finds himself in now is potentially tainting how he goes about developing his own brand as leader of the opposition, and I am wondering if it is part of the reason for his somewhat lack lustre performance in media interviews. 

   It looks to me like he is saying what he thinks people want to hear and how they want to hear it.  The result is a Mr Goff who looks more like a friendly and polite church vicar than a political party leader. 

   Unfortunately in politics today, the brand of the leader reflects on the popularity of the party, and for Mr Goff that brand is yet to be revealed. Or is what we are seeing now all we are going to get? 

   Where is the man who was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade? In this role he was one of the most interviewed politicians of his day, and I was always impressed with those media performances where he came across as passionate and committed. He was forceful and dynamic in his responses, and you really did feel he was representing our interests on the world stage. 

   Mr Goff now needs to set about showing that same passion and commitment in his new role and demonstrate that he is the real deal. It remains to be seen if he will prove the neigh sayers wrong, and establish his own legacy as leader of the opposition. Or will he simply be the temporary custodian that many say he is? 

   

   Posted in Brand, Media landscape, PR Matters, Politics

6. Absolutely Terminally Wellington

   Published on Monday, September 7th, 2009

   I have a blended family, a blended cat family. For a whole raft of legacy reasons I’ve ended up playing den-mother to four cats, which is odd really because I’m not that much of a fan.

   Lovely ‘Larry’ the strident striped Bengal, ‘Golly’ the black as soot moggy, ‘Pepper’ our outdoor cat and ‘Wellington’, a scrawny chocolate Burmese, call my house home. 

   By their very nature cats are hierarchical, territorial and not team players. Trying to wrestle some kind of order with these four has been no mean feat, but we’ve brokered an uneasy truce through staggered feeding times and strategic division of affection, so currently all is peaceful on the cat front.

   Well it was until Saturday when Wellington, after a long battle with diabetes, went and died. Since then all hell has broken loose. As nature abhors a vacuum, the change in cat dynamic has resulted in fur flying and all out war, as the remaining three jostle for position in the new cat order.

   This was an unexpected response after the loss of a beloved pet, and one that has left the humans in my house sleepless in the din. But change it appears, even the most subtle, can have unforeseen consequences.

   The weekend not only saw the demise of our cat, but the long awaited reveal of the blueprint for the supercity. There were no surprises, the new mayor of Auckland will get wide ranging powers and have a dedicated budget to lead the new council which will have 20 to 30 boards under it, with control of funding for community initiatives and local decision making powers.

   But big question is; how much fur will fly before Auckland gets its new top-cat?

   

   Posted in PR Matters, Politics, Supercity

7. Media training lessons from another country

   Published on Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

   A propensity to blame others and our environment while avoiding personal responsibility has become a national trait. It now appears however, that we do not have this on our own…

   We are all familiar with the allegations of corruptions and the dalliances of the 72-year-old Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, and his apparent shameless predilection for what Italian call “veline”.  This is a term that has come to mean young girls with no talent (but other endowments) except for appearing on television.

   Well in his hour of need, the philandering PM has adopted a media strategy that takes some beating.  Firstly, he uses his lawyer as his third-party advocate (this man is also a parliamentarian); who, secondly, explains that all the allegations are flawed because they are against him – and that’s just anti-Berlusconi-ism!

   We know this because there is this fascinating article about Berlusconi’s scandals in the September issue of Vanity Fair entitled, “All Broads Lead to Rome”.

   Let’s look at some of the key messages in response to Vanity Fair’s questions.

   His separation from his wife?  Response: He still loves his wife. Perhaps if he was able to involve his wife more in his life.  But this is not so easy, because he is a very busy man, and also a man with a strong character.

   His relationship with 18-year-old (barely) Noemi? Response: He has a long relationship with her family. It is common for people to remember things differently.

   The allegation that a British lawyer took bribes from Berlusconi, in exchange for giving false testimony in an investigation into Berlusconi corruption.  Response: But you see he was the main witness, so that must be proof that he was not given money.

   If only dealing with our media was that simple.

   

   Posted in Media landscape, PR Matters, Politics