How to be a Crappy Public Relations Person, Lesson No. 3,462:
Let’s say you’re the P.R. person for a public school district. And let’s say an education reporter — oh, we won’t name any names — calls you up and says he wants to visit one of your schools. He’s writing a story on a new wrinkle in the state’s testing system, and he wants to talk to teachers and students about it. It’s a story that will probably put your school in a positive light and get cute pictures of your school’s kids on the front page of a major daily newspaper.
You say yes, and he drives the 30 miles to visit your campus. You’re there to meet him. He does a quick interview with the principal, and then says, “Great! Now I’ll just go interview some of your teachers and students.”
What do you say?
A. “What a great idea! Here’s my card, with my cell number on it. I’ll go back to my office now, but if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call!”
B. “What a great idea! I think Ms. Smith and Ms. Johnson would be particularly good interviews, but feel free to talk to whomever you’d like! This is a free country, after all!”
C. “Oh, heavens no! You can’t talk to any teachers or students! I had no idea a reporter coming to a school and writing a story about teacher and student reactions to an educational issue might want to interview teachers and students!”
If you want to be a Crappy Public Relations Person, the correct answer is C. Today, someone passed this test with flying colors!
3 thoughts on “crappy pr person”
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Oh, the joys of working in the media… I have plenty of stories of dumbassitude from my days in. But good lord, that’s brain dead.
What’s wrong with you? You can’t cut out the middle man. If you could talk to the teachers and students why would they need a Crappy PR Person?
I’m surprised by no comment on the Pew Report on Journalism
Try bringing with you a giant cock-blocker known in most circles as a video camera.