Michael Rogers, a blogger who was on NewsChannel 8 promoting “Outrage,” a new documentary on closet homosexual politicians and activists who “out them.” Rogers could barely get his promotional explanation out on what the video entails, which is the sole purpose he was invited on the show.

Doug McKelway, news anchor for NewsChannel 8, creates his own purpose of the documentary and what it’s about – spin? I think so. Not to mention he gives him the old “I’ll be waiting for you in the parking lot threat,” and refuses to apologize.
 
See for yourself: http://dcist.com/2009/05/mckelway.php

The article starts out with this…

Sleazy. Disingenuous. These are words used in U.K. newspaper coverage of the public relations industry. PR, oddly enough, doesn’t have great PR. People tend to think that PR involves being manipulative and saying whatever is in the employer’s best interests.

Gee. Allow me to keep reading.

(The authors) call PR an amoral industry, a tool for good or evil purposes. There was, alas, Hitler, Goebbels, and the Nazi propaganda machine.

More? Why make my face more red that it is right now? Stop reading!  I can’t…it’s like a traffic accident. Must…keep…reading.

I’ve not read this book, but the reviewer goes on to say that in the book the authors debate whether or not it is the role of a PR professional to tell the truth.

I am here to tell you that every journalist (both traditional and new) I’ve ever worked with would tell me where to stick it if I ever lied to them.  If a client asked us to lie (and it has happened), we immediately resign the business.

I’m also here to tell you that PR professionals live by a Code of Ethics and I’ve seen people kicked out of industry organizations for displaying anything but professionalism. So there are good and bad in every profession. Until you walk a day (or five) in our shoes, let’s leave the negativeness and bashing alone.

He recently wrote a blog post called, “Get ‘spin’ out of your lexicon.” He goes on to say it’s bad for your business health because “reporters know when you’re spinning and they use it as motivation to really dig in their heels and come after you.”  Check out the post – it has a great case study via video about Jet Blue.

But this isn’t just for clients.  Yes, it’s our job to teach our clients how to work with the media, but it is not our job to teach them how to spin, lie, or evade the media.  Our job is not to spin.  Our job is to help our clients communicate with their customers via the media by being honest, open, and transparent.

Let’s do our jobs.

The creepy thing is not that they used old images, not that they used old sound bites, but that they had an impersonator do voice over “putting words into the late endorser’s mouth,” according to Technologizer.

Check it out for yourself, here. 

I agree with Harry, this is a GREAT foundation, BUT this is spin if I’ve ever seen heard it.  Who knows, maybe John would have disliked the laptop idea and would have liked to endorse smart phones instead? 

I’m just saying, it’s one thing to use an image, but to verbally impersonate a murdered iconic legend to endorse an organization is too icky for my liking.  Yoko needs to stop making these kinds decisions.   

The rates of people losing their jobs are increasing, and the amount of money companies are spending on employment is decreasing. This does not suit well for college graduates or someone losing their job or changing career paths. With the troubling economy, people are choosing to develop a trade. However, the point of a trade school is to help students develop a skill through hands-on-experiences; actually it’s everything in the trade business.

Students who attended ETI’s school learned how to install and service heating and air conditioning units and believe they’ve been burned by the misleading pitches ETI is sending out — especially that ETI is still standing by their 99 percent job placement rate in our current economy. Really? How? Is that a joke? How can they continue to pitch a statistic like that in the circumstances we are in?

One student, after graduating ETI’s program, was turned away in an interview because the employer said he didn’t know enough based on his skills and ETI’s name.

“What I would get from contractors was basically, ‘No, I don’t want those guys here in my business.’ ETI doesn’t teach them anything. They are not learning heating and cooling,” says Brenda Hudson, former ETI job placement counselor.

The students claim they were never given an opportunity to touch or allowed any real examples of repairing or servicing an air or heating unit. Doesn’t that defeat the entire purpose of developing a trade?

Gerhardt Facko was lucky enough to land a job thanks to ETI, or was he?

“All I did was clean swimming pools,” says Facko.

Makes sense right? He paid and attended a school to learn how to service air and heating units, and he ended up cleaning pools. Hey, they got to keep their job placement rate up.

Now ETI graduates are back at square one, no job and in debt with thousands of dollars they still owe ETI. In response to the student complaints Moshen Davanipour, ETI’s school director, said he would be happy to talk off camera.

Cat got your tongue?

One of Abrams’s investors believes “big companies will be attracted to its ‘expert network’ and it’s pay-per-use model.”

Isn’t this a conflict of interest?  Since when do journalists moonlight as business consultants?  Isn’t our industry trying to stay away from this type of model, citing ethics?

What do you think?

It seems as though the media carelessly reveals different poll statistics and results every day. I don’t know what to trust.

As millions of Americans place their votes and state their opinions all over the world, I’m sure it’s extremely difficult to predict and measure how everyone will hand in their ballet on Nov. 4, so what’s the value in releasing frequently mismatched results – other than creating an unnecessary fuss and destructive spin, of course.

I felt the same way in February, when Sens. Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton battled for the Democratic ticket – uncertain and mislead. Until the final results came in, I took every poll, debate, and media panel conversation with a grain of salt. I had to.

For better or for worse, many Americans look to media outlets for news and facts. However, listening to inconsistent, deceptive poll results affect public opinion and lead many to believe the status of the presidential election sways one way or the other.

Bottom line – the media should not be allowed to carelessly report every new statistic or poll result that crosses their editor’s desk. It’s a deceptive tactic used just to sell papers.

Anybody with me?!

Truth, is you don’t. 

Some types of spin can be easy to uncover and can be seen in forms close to a lie.  But evil spin can catch you off guard. 

See, evil spin has despiteful creators behind it.  This is the kind of spin that takes the statistics, findings, or quotes and manipulates them to work in their advantage.

It’s up to us to stay smart on topics and continue to question.  Fifty-four percent of Americans say they do not trust what the read in the media, according to market research firm, Harris Interactive, so it is on us to get smarter.

We want to know more.  Share your spin stories us, large and small.

Another year is wasted. T-shirts with beer stains and tears permanently on them are now tucked away in dressers; hats are place neatly on bedroom racks, and bank accounts of many Wrigleyville residents are showing signs of normalcy — well, at least mine is. Yes, the Chicago Cubs 2008 season is over with…and man did I fight the keyboard to type that sentence.

Last Friday

I was on my way to a writing conference, after the second consecutive loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just about every darn corner I passed, I looked at newspaper racks with the front page in the biggest letters possible, “Chicago Flubs.” What exactly is a flub? I clearly know the word choke or the phrase can’t hack it, but flub, come on. How much more spin can Cubs fans take year after year by Chicago and national sports writers claiming the Chicago Cubs are truly cursed. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CURSES! Next year’s story, White Sox fan brought a Derek Lee voodoo doll into Wrigley. Give me a break.
 
Pressure

The Cubs accomplished the best home record in the National League this year, and people are wondering why they couldn’t win one of the first two home games in the National League Divisional Series. I’ve got a pretty clear cut answer for you, too much pressure at home. I’m not one to make excuses, but let’s be honest — 100-year World Series Championship drought on the line embedded in the players mind by broadcasters, news and sports anchors, writers, and White Sox fans. The only way I got myself through game three, and believe me I don’t miss a game, was to mute the television and listen to WGN Radio with Pat Hughes and Ron Santo. Don’t get me wrong the broadcasters TBS graced us with are credible; you can argue Tony Gwynn is one of the best hitters of all time, but do I want to listen to nine innings of my team’s 100 year drought — no.

Next year
 
In a sad and sick way, I am glad the 100-year anniversary is over. Obviously the season didn’t turn out the way Cubs fans wanted it to. Maybe, just maybe people excluding the southsider’s, they’ll never stop, will give up on spinning the Cub’s organization with curses, black cats, Leon Durham, Steve Bartman, for the sake of the team and Bartman. I know it makes for a great story, but why are we creating all this extra pressure? Next time you see an interview with a member of the Cubs or coaching staff besides Sweet Lou, look into their eyes and tell me you can’t hear what’s really on the players mind and what they want to do to the reporter that just asked them that ever so popular question – “do you believe in curses and the 100-year stuff?”

Facts of life
 
The Dodgers were just better, clutch hitting, better pitching, no complete debacles in the infield, and in some cases were better coached. Are the New York Yankees kicking themselves for letting Joe Torre go? There were no ghosts, or curses, so stop writing about myths. How am I supposed to persuade my little nephew away from my brother’s team (god damn Yankees) with horror stories about the Cubs?
I will be there with you Cubs fans come April with all my Cubs gear, my hat, t-shirts, jerseys, beach towel, bobble heads, but with a couple changes. I’m boycotting Chicago sports media; thank god Jay Mariotti wasn’t around for this, and my television is going to be on mute and radio on, because at least I know Santo cares.
 
Wait until next year…

Apparently, there is a new program for journalists to download and it catches any bias or spin in their pieces.  As Katherine asks the question herself “do you think this product is performing a task that editors and newspapers should be doing themselves?” 

If you read the article they say 43 percent of UK newspaper readers don’t trust what they read.  I think the 43 percent is spin itself.  Yes, maybe 43 percent of people don’t trust what they read, but were there follow-up questions asked about that?  Why?  What are you reading?  If the same question was asked to avid readers of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, or Forbes would 43 percent still not trust what they read?

I say, in order to be smarter you need to read smarter.  Don’t trust the tabloids and start reading one grade level above.

By giving new journalists tools to catch their spin we are allowing it to happen.  We are allowing our writers to get lazy and that is not something we need right now.