Except, not the type anyone expected.  And it wasn't gentle. Or quiet.

We're looking forward to hearing from Tim Riley, Battalion Chief with the Virginia Beach Fire Department at the June PRSA chapter meeting.  In his position as the Media Relations point of contact for the city's emergency response to the US Navy jet crash this past Good Friday,  Riley was "front and center" when it came to dealing with local, national and international press corps. 

Chief Riley's presentation will describe what that was like and why, in his opinion, a far greater story is what occurred during the week after the crash.  

June 14 for a special PRSA Thursday lunch meeting -- one week later than our regular meeting day. 

Not to be outdone by Mr. Murdoch, we have this item.

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Media General newspapers sold to Berkshire Hathaway

That amounts to about $2.2 million dollars A PAPER!  Such a deal.

I guess it can now be said that Mr. Buffett pays a smaller tax rate than many of his editors, too.

Where do you come down on mega-media conglomerates?    

Welcome new chapter board member:

Christine M. Brantley, Community Relations & Development Coordinator for the Virginia Beach Public Library.

Christine will fulfill the unexpired term of Laurie White, who has taken a new position out of the market.   

Our chapter congratulates and welcomes Christine to the board. 

One would think that when the Wall St. Journal mentions your profession and includes the word "fiasco" in the headline, you know it's going to be a rough day.

The lead paragraph of Francesco Guerrera's article in the WSJ yesterday also gave no solace for the PR soul when it began thus:

Nine-and-a-half seconds. Or the time it takes to upload a YouTube video. That is how quickly corporate reputations can be hit these days

Guerrera lists a few of the most recent victims of "bad PR" -- JetBlue, BATS Global Markets, credit card processor, Global Payments -- among others.  Might as well settle in for another retelling of yet another bad day for the profession and/or the professionals who have to deal with the messes, right?

Ah, but you'd be wrong. 

What follows is a fascinating (and short) article about how today's immediate social media landscape might actually be as much a blessing to reputation managers as conventional wisdom would lead one to think otherwise.

Enjoy! 

Rulings from the Court of Law concerning actions within the Court of Public Opinion.

Two recent news headlines -- one in Hampton Roads, the other out of Richmond -- have implications for communicators, and the public we jointly serve.  

When cases such as these pop up we are given a reason to pause and reflect.  For better or worse (most would say worse) PR is an industry more famous for tactics such as special events, newsletters, promotions and campaigns.  Serious pros know that communications is a very serious business -- one with real financial implications and (sometimes) even matters of life & death.  

Events such as these should remind us about the seriousness of what we do -- along with all the other players in the symphony of the news process symphony.

For those of us in the communications industry, stories such as this are never easy to read about and it seems that there is really no "winner" in either instance.  But, as a "teachable moment" it serves a purpose. 

As spotted by our immediate past president. 

"Phil Shuchet is my hero"--Sid Bridge, APR

 

Go to the Virginian-Pilot for more.

 

In case you missed this one, our profession is being investigated by the US Senate for possibly having too much influence in the workings of government.  From the ethical lapses we've seen and the bitter partisan fighting one would think that true PR principals -- open, honest communication in the public interest -- doesn't have ENOUGH influence in that particular part of society. 

Killing the messenger won’t make the government’s public trust and transparency issues disappear.--Gerard F. Corbett, APR, Fellow PRSA, Chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America in Roll Call, 3/15/12

Check out our next guest speaker, today featured in the Richmond Times business section under the "60 seconds with ..." column.

Enjoy!

60 Seconds with ... Michael Allen"

Interesting Crises Communications Case from Central Va. from this past summer. 

Much like our February meeting, this IABC chapter was addressed not by a communicator but the head of the responding agency.  And lo, communications and cooperation with the news media was discovered to be a key part of the success of the response operation.

Imagine that.