Posted my 400th Tweet this morning. Dogbert’s “PR Ethics” highlight negative perceptions about our craft.

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I moderated two APR Readiness Review panels a few weeks ago and neither candidate had given the PRSA Code Ethics serious consideration (yet).  I believe we can all benefit from further reflection on the ethical choices we make daily on the job.

The following post appeared in the Capitol Communicator, March 8.

Donald Trump’s foray into reality TV has made “you’re fired” an engaging melodrama. But in real life, that’s a very challenging pronouncement.

The recent firing of Kurt Bardella, deputy communications director for the House Committee on Government Oversight, is instructive to all public relations professionals.  From the most junior practitioner to the most experienced executive, we are reminded that we can only be successful if we are credible.

And what is credibility?  At its core, credibility is trustworthiness.  Are you a believable source?  Are you timely and responsive?  Are you honest – when sharing facts and insight – and do you have approval to do so?

For Mr. Bardella, his reputation took a significant hit after Politico reported that he might have inappropriately shared correspondence with a New York Times reporter for a book project – perhaps BCC’ing the NYT contact on emails with other reporters. We will never know specifically the nature of the information, but the Congressional office investigated and concluded his conduct was inappropriate. It was also unprofessional and unethical.

Once Bardella was dismissed from his position, his reputation was permanently damaged.  While I expect that he will, in time, recover from this personal crisis, it will forever be part of his professional history – and Google search results.

Please note, that I do not wish Bardella ill will.  I believe that he will able to demonstrate to future employers that he has learned from his mistakes, which will make him a better practitioner.

What can we learn?  Here’s a refresher on establishing and maintaining credibility.

1)    Honesty is the most important principle of our practice.  Provide information that has been approved for dissemination.  If you can’t disclose facts, say so. Provide a timeline, if you can, for when such information can be made available.

2)    Relationship building isn’t a quid pro quo.  Providing confidential information or sharing information without the owner’s knowledge to curry favor with a journalist isn’t a constructive way to establish a relationship with a journalist. Take time to learn what the journalist needs and be responsive when she calls.

3)    Trustworthiness is essential to provide counsel to senior leadership.  Once you lose the trust and confidence of an executive, you will have a difficult time doing your job effectively.

4)    Follow the PRSA Code of Ethics, which includes among its values the protection of the free flow of information and privacy.

Credibility is an essential part of professional development and advancement. With it, you are a trusted advisor and source. Without it, you risk the pronouncement – “you’re fired.”

Farewell Aughties! The year 2011 marks the beginning of a new decade – the Teens.  And what would the first month of any New Year be without some forecasting? Thus, here are my observations of the changes still to come during the adolescence of the 21^st Century.

Social Media. For those waiting for “proof of concept” before joining the revolution – enough already. You’ll never be perfect, so get in the game. Yet, there will be higher expectations for social media channels. Measurement rightly will become more important – to identify outcomes, to define value and to justify staff and budget.

And the business of social media…. Both Facebook and LinkedIn are expected to go IPO!  Others will follow.

Need more insight on social media?  Check out these 30 predictions.

Grammar. Unlike Latin, English is not a dead language. As such, it’s time to become more comfortable with the morphing of texting conventions into every day business writing. Heretic, you say. In a day where good copy writers are a dying breed and newspapers can be riddled with typos, its easier to just adapt. (lack of apostrophe intentional) Generation Y will define the norms.

Global. If you can, learn a foreign language. Make it Spanish if you plan to stay stateside. Non-Hispanic whites will lose their majority status by 2042, if not sooner. If you believe, as I do, that the 21^st Century will be the Asia-Pacific Century, try Mandarin Chinese.

Relationships. Video conferencing – via GoToMeeting, Skype or a yet to be determine technology – will increase in frequency. However, a person-to-person meeting around the boardroom table, a business dinner with steaks and salads or chat over coffee will remain critically important to develop solid relationships. In business, in media relations or in social circles who you know well will always matter.

Success. It requires knowledge, effort and bit of luck. Investment in continuing education and professional societies remain essential for advancement. They are good networking opportunities too.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year!

My newspaper is rarely read in paper format anymore. The iPad is my preferred device of choice for reading the news. I like the Sunday New York Times. I get the Washington Post delivered seven days a week.  I read for the news, not the coupons or sale advertisements, but for information.  However, every time I walk the pile of news print to the recycling bin, I threaten to cancel my subscription.

I’m not alone. Newspaper circulation has been declining, sometimes at double digit percentages, for several years. It’s a trend and reality that the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) continues to deny if their latest pitch to advertisers is any gauge.

The NAA is running an advertising campaign to validate that newspapers remain a valuable advertising medium.  While I haven’t seen the print ad, I did check out the 6 minute 20 second video. This video is an example of how NOT to produce a video pitch. Here’s my critique.

* SIX MINUTES AND TWENTY SECONDS? I was bored after about a minute.  I had to force myself to watch it twice.  In today’s fast paced world, two and a half minutes (2:30) is the best practice in video length.

* Use a boom mic. While it may seem like a minor detail, reader testimonials will appear more authentic if the microphone is hidden. The lapel mic on some readers in the NAA video looked hastily connected and thus sloppy.

* If you’re talking about the value of newspapers, please show someone reading the newspaper. A newspaper doesn’t appear until about  3:25 into the video. Reading by laptop is mentioned 2:25 into the video.  In both instances, most viewers likely would have stopped watching the video.

* Should it take more than a dozen people to tell why the newspaper is an important part of their daily lives? While the producers did capture a range of ages (save teenagers), they failed on ethnic diversity.  It seems only whites and blacks care about the paper.

* If this video is targeted to advertisers, why does the “Advertising Engagement” section begin 4:30 into the video?  My estimate is that about 85% of the overall video is about why people like the editorial content and printed format of the newspaper.  An appeal to advertisers about how readers use newspaper advertising would have been more effective with statistics to support the interest in coupons for cereal.

Less the NAA feel that I’m picking on them, I was also very disappointed in the PRSA National Capital Chapter’s video to promote the annual Thoth Awards.  The annual video historically explores the value of public relations counsel — often in a humorous or satirical manner.  This year, however, the “I’m a god” rap video did nothing more than spoof the name of the award “Thoth” (pronounced tot) named after the Egyptian god of communication. The video may have been creative, but it wasn’t strategic.

After all, employing a video as part of communications strategy should be connected to business goals. Sell more advertising. Sell more tickets to an awards program.

Finally, national newspaper week is Oct 3 – 9, 2010. The theme: Newspapers – the print and online connector for today’s communities. I bet they show the video at some point during the week.

The experiment at Harrisburg University wherein access to social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, were blocked for a week proved to be assignificant publicity push for the university.  Forcing students to listen to lectures, take notes, and speak to classmates (unless they chose to use mobile devices that are not dependent on the University’s network) may have been useful instruction for the students.

From the comments in the numerous national and international news stories that have appeared over the past week, many of the students seemed surprised that they understood lectures more clearly when their weren’t multi-tasking. (Is IMing your friend two seats away really “multi-tasking” or just not paying attention?)

Now that Harrisburg University has reopened the social networking pipe, students will head to class to tomorrow with the ability to return to old habits.  Hopefully some with rethink their behaviors and realize that they (or their parents) are paying good money to be lectured to.  It’s better to listen and learn, then later compare notes and complain.

Also, perhaps Harrisburg University will turn its experiment into tangible lessons for its students about responsible use of social networking sites. Or was the publicity the lasting legacy of this fast?