Globe and Mail's Salutin takes cheap shot at PR

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In his column in the Globe and Mail this morning, Rick Salutin reveals a serious bias against the PR industry. What's that, you say? A reporter who's got an axe to grind against PR?

Everyone (particularly a newspaper columnist, who's paid to fan the flames of controversy) is entitled to his/her opinion. On that note, here's mine. This column is an unwarranted cheap shot at the PR profession.

Salutin uses the Michael Bryant affair as his platform (the recent case in which a former Ontario politician, in the car with his wife, was involved in an altercation with a bike courier which resulted in the courier's death). After noting that the media coverage of the event has served the public well, Salutin writes, "But there's one element that irritates me severely. It's the presence, since very early, of a public-relations firm aiding Mr. Bryant."

The rest of the column doesn't seem to have a clear point. It just rehashes journalism's old disdain for PR. He also suggests that the other problem at play is that many journalism grads end up in public relations. And that a "depressing quantity of news stories, especially in areas such as medicine, now come from well-produced PR packages sent on behalf of pharmaceutical firms and the like."

He bemoans the fact that PR people "may put words in client's mouths, vet their ideas and advise on whether to speak at all".

Is this guy for real? Salutin has been at this game a long time. His feigned naivete on the role of PR comes off more like a columnist's device than genuine concern. If a prominent public figure gets tangled up in a situation like Bryant did recently, their first two phone calls should be to their lawyer and a PR firm. The man's career, reputation and freedom are on the line. And given the media's love of 'David versus Goliath' stories, the bicycle courier starts out as the clear favourite in the court of public opinion, even though the truth has yet to emerge. Bryant likely has a million things going through his mind. Hiring experienced professionals for council on how to handle his one shot when the TV cameras are shoved in his face is not shocking, insulting, or devious. It's common sense. And if Salutin happened to be the unfortunate individual in the car that night, I'll bet he would have the Globe and Mail's PR firm (that's right, the Globe and Mail has a PR firm) on speed dial - pronto.

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Maple Leaf recall handled well: survey

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Saw this story in the Edmonton Sun today. It refers to a recent survey that found 70% of consumers think Maple Leaf Foods did a good job of managing the listeriosis crisis crisis that killed 21 Canadians last summer. And while a quarter of people who had Maple Leaf products in their homes prior to the recall say they have not eaten the company's products since, I think the really important point is that three quarters have. I also believe we'll see those numbers improve in the months/years to come.

The fact that 70% of those surveyed thought the company did a good job managing the crisis and ensuing recalls serves to underscore the importance of a sound PR approach that's based on doing the right thing for your customers.

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Really, AIG?

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$165 million in bonuses to your employees? Really?

In the wake of the $170 billion government bailout the company has received, this move defies reason and only serves to underscore the prevailing greed that has created this global financial disaster.

The best quote I've seen so far was from New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo, who said, "A.I.G. made more than 73 millionaires in the unit which lost so much money that it brought the firm to its knees, forcing a taxpayer bailout. Something is deeply wrong with this outcome."

The company says these bonuses are needed to persuade employees to stay on with the company. Where else are they going to go and work? The companies that haven't imploded are significantly impaired. These folks are lucky they still have jobs at all.

It is shocking to think that no one at A.I.G. saw the awarding of these bonuses as an impending PR or business disaster. But apparently sound judgment is not something the company is flush with.

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The cost of the listeriosis crisis

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Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has reached a $27 million nationwide settlement with plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit resulting from last summer's listeriosis outbreak, which was responsible for at least 20 deaths. The company (and in particular CEO Michael McCain) was applauded for its frank, open communications approach throughout the crisis. At the time, McCain was quoted as saying, "Lesson number one is focus on doing what's right for your customers and don't focus so much on the accountants and the lawyers." The company's PR approach, ably handled by Toronto's Fleishman-Hillard, was a modern take on Tylenol's handling of its product tampering scare back in 1982. Threatened with the potential demise of its company, Tylenol pulled all of its product from every shelf in the United States, putting the public's best interests before the bottom line. That crisis changed the way over-the-counter drugs were packaged, leading to the introduction of the tamper-proof plastic wrap on the caps of such bottles. Maple Leaf's response was bang on, both from an operational and PR standpoint. The $27 million dollar settlement sounds significant, but bear in mind this is a company with 2007 sales of $5.2 billion. And because it responded decisively, the company has solidified its future, having regained the trust of many Canadians who might have had temporary doubt about the safety of the company's products. Read more about the settlement on the CBC's website.

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