I received this information from the Florida Public Relations Association today: 

A recent CBS program called “Sunday Morning” featured a rather scathing commentary on the public relations profession from the perspective of a legal analyst named Andrew Cohen. This nationally-televised program garnered the attention of many of our members and, justifiably, caused those members concern. 

 The Public Relations Society of America released this response:    

Lorrie Delk Walker, president of Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc., recently wrote an article that will appear in the July 2008 issue of Super Chevy magazine.

The article is about Winter Haven resident Emma Ely and her 1970 Chevy Camaro, which she purchased new and has driven more than one million miles, said Walker, who started her Lakeland, Florida public relations firm in May 2007.

“Emma Ely had an incredible story to tell,” Walker said. “I’m glad I was able to share that with readers who will relate to her story.”

In addition to writing articles for national magazines, Walker is a copy writer and SEO writer. She writes content for companies’ printed promotional materials, Web sites and for search engine optimization purposes.

About Lorrie Delk Walker

Lorrie Walker has worked in the journalism and public relations fields for the past 15 years. She served in the U.S. Army as a journalist and has worked for weekly and daily newspapers, non-profit organizations and universities. She has had articles published in local, regional and national magazines. She founded Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc., in 2007. LWC is a public relations firm that specializes in media plan development, copy writing and writing for search engine optimization, among other public relations services.

Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. recently celebrated its first anniversary.

The Lakeland, Florida public relations firm, which celebrated its milestone on May 5, will continue to grow and expand its services in the coming year, said President and Founder Lorrie Delk Walker.

LWC specializes in professional writing services for companies in need of an SEO writer or a copy writer.

“I’ve found that companies often know what they do in terms of carrying out their day-to-day business,” Walker said, “but putting that into words for a Web site, brochure, article or press release can seem a daunting task.”

That’s where LWC steps in. The company has a track record of writing effective Web-based and printed promotional materials for construction, graphic design, medical and non-profit businesses, to name a few.

“Our clients seek to stand out from the competition when it comes to promoting their services, be it through printed materials or Web sites,” Walker said. They turn to us to cut through the clutter of fluff writing and jargon to write compelling copy that accurately conveys their message.”

For more information on Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc., please visit www.lorriewalker.com or call (863) 614-0555.

With a background as a journalist and as a public relations professional, I feel fortunate to have been on both sides of this fence that I currently straddle- albeit uncomfortably.

As a public relations professional, I make it a priority to be as cooperative with the media as possible. I want them to write about the companies I represent when these companies have something important to say. I also want the media to have all of the facts and information to write a fair story when they are writing about a less-than-flattering topic regarding the companies I represent. This is the dance you must learn in public relations. Sometimes the media will write about what you want them to, and other times they will write about what you wish they hadn’t. But above all, keeping those communication lines open is paramount.

As a reporter at a daily newspaper, nothing was more irritating than to leave messages with people you needed to get comments from, and as your deadline loomed, the people hadn’t returned your calls. In the back of my mind, I would find myself thinking that if it was possible to work around this person next time, I would do so.

These days I play the role of reporter and public relations professional, which makes this dance even more interesting. I am a freelance writer for several Polk County publications, and I’ve had two instances recently that to me, really drive home the title of this blog- return a freaking phone call!

Instance #1- I recently wrote an article about company Christmas parties, the reasons for having them and the potential liabilities involved. My husband works for Publix (I love Publix, so it pains me to write this), and I learned that the employees in his department had raised their own money to host a Christmas party. I wanted to speak to the organizers and make arrangements to get photos at their party to accompany my story. I called a fellow Florida Public Relations Association member involved in PR with Publix, and she referred me to the appropriate person I needed to speak with to obtain permission to conduct this interview. I called that person and emailed her. I called four times. I emailed twice. I spoke to another woman in her office. I never- NEVER- received a call back.

I was indignant. And, I said to myself, “Screw it. If they don’t want good publicity, I’m certainly not going to force it down their throats.”

Is this a professional attitude? Certainly not. But take note, PR professionals: this is how MANY journalists react when you don’t do what they want, when they want it. It’s an ugly truth, but it’s the truth, nonetheless.

I went to this Christmas party with my husband and wound up meeting the organizer I had hoped to interview for my story. It turns out that she knew I had been inquiring about an interview. The woman who never returned my phone calls had been working behind the scenes to get me my interview. Here’s the problem: I never knew that, so I moved on to other sources. The party organizer couldn’t have been more disappointed to hear that I no longer planned to include the Publix angle in my story. She was apologetic, and was sure to tell me she had been seeking permission to speak to me through her chain of command. This is a concept I understand well. I would have been glad to hold off on the story, had I known that my requests were being addressed. Instead, I felt ignored and disregarded.

Incident #2- This is a story idea that isn’t dead yet, so I’m intentionally being a bit vague. I’ve placed two calls to a source at Lakeland Regional Medical Center about a feel-good story I hope to do for a local publication’s spring issue. The group within the hospital has an on-going complaint of never getting any media attention. I’m prepared to help change that by doing this story. The friend who told me about the story idea gave me a point of contact at LRMC. I’ve called this person twice, and she hasn’t called me back. I spoke to my friend recently and told her I’ve made two attempts, to no avail.

The friend calls the contact person and finds out that she has received my messages, but she is going through the public relations representatives at the hospital to get permission to speak to me. Again, this is a concept I understand. So why not call me and tell me that, so I at least know you’ve received my messages?

Solution
So what am I getting at, dear PR professionals? Return a freaking phone call!!! If a reporter calls and wants to do a story, but you must first clear it through your internal processes, that’s fine. We understand. But CALL US AND TELL US THAT. Don’t leave us hanging, thinking that you’re disregarding our requests for interviews.

And to those of you who include not returning phone calls in your day-to-day PR practices, let me share this with you: you are soooooo not doing yourselves any favors with the media. Reporters are avoiding people such as you like the plague. You are the ones on whom we hinge our hopes of getting those great quotes by deadline. And you are the ones who disappoint us. And then, you become the ones we put on our mental list of people not to call, because you refuse to return a phone call.

I would love to hear from journalists and PR professionals on this one, so I welcome your comments. Don’t hold back!

Have you ever read a book about your industry that left you feeling incredibly stoked to be a part of it? That was what “The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR” did for me.

This national bestseller written by Al Ries and his daughter, Laura Ries, gives an excellent argument on why companies should turn to public relations to build a brand, rather than advertising. They say that brands are built by publicity.  

The authors have a way of driving the point home throughout the book without appearing to beat a dead horse. They provide dozens of examples of how companies successfully branded themselves through PR, and examples of how others relied too heavily on advertising and fell short of their branding goals.

Repeatedly, the authors reiterate that advertising is not brand-building. It is brand maintenance. Brand building is a function of PR. Why? A company can purchase ad space to say whatever they want about themselves, but getting others to say positive things about you…well, that’s public relations, my friends.

“To get something going from nothing, you need the validity that only third-party endorsements can bring,” they wrote in the book.

They also make a good point that advertising has become more about creating edgy, water-cooler talk ad campaigns that win awards than about promoting a product or service.

This book is brutally honest in some areas, and scarily edgy in others. One good example: the authors point out the huge uncertainties of public relations- you can’t control the content, the timing or the visual appearance. You can’t even be sure that your message will be delivered. But when it is delivered, oh, how sweet it is! That’s because the one advantage of PR that advertising can’t offer is credibility. PR has it, advertising does not.

Now on to scarily edgy: these PR professionals once had Guatemala as a client. Guatemala sought to increase its tourism. The professionals suggested changing the country’s name to Guatamaya. Hey, if a name change is good enough for Tom Cruise, Meg Ryan, Woody Allen and Judy Garland, why not a country, too? As wacky as the idea sounds, the authors made a really good argument that I won’t go into in this book review.

Instead, I’ll leave you with this: if you’re looking for something to reignite that spark that got you interested in public relations to begin with, this book is a great start. I found numerous tools that I intend to use with future clients. For me, this book has become a great reference guide, where I’ve highlighted entries and tabbed pages for future needs.

It seems the election season brings a bounty of examples in public relations, both what to do and sometimes more importantly, what not to do. This evening marked the second night in a row that I heard about Hillary Clinton’s Bosnia fib. You can watch a YouTube video of it here. Clinton has mentioned on at least three occasions that this trip was marked by sniper fire and ducking for cover. As you can see from the video, that wasn’t the case.

So what do you do when you make such a public flub? If you’re former New York City Mayor  Fiorello La Guardia, you say something like this:  ”When I make a mistake, it’s a beaut!”

Sen. Lloyd Bentsen once said something similar: “I’m not known to make many mistakes,” said the senator once when discussing a fundraising issue, “but when I do, it’s a doozie.”

Last night, Clinton wasn’t open to admitting her mistake in the fashion of La Guardia or Bentsen. Tonight, she did admit to having made a mistake.

It was a little too late, for many Americans. In public relations, it is imperative to get the information out there, even when that information is admitting that you’ve messed up. Think of it as a game of hot potato. Had Clinton immediately admitted her error, it is likely she would not have been in the headlines for two days in a row regarding Bosnia. But as she has proven, when you drag your feet on information that is unflattering, you do nothing but keep yourself in the headlines.
 

Since millions of people are watching American Idol each week and since a certain incident happened last week that could have used a good public relations professional, I thought I would focus more attention- albeit, from a different standpoint- on the issue that had Idol fans buzzing.  For a couple of weeks, American Idol contestant David Hernandez made entertainment and Internet blog headlines with news that he worked as a male stripper at a gay night club prior to being selected to appear on American Idol.

American Idol spokespeople have not commented publically on the issue, and Hernandez basically said publically, “No Comment.” That is, until he was voted off the show.  When asked by Entertainment Weekly prior to last week’s performance to address the rumor, Hernandez said: “You know, honestly, I’m here to sing… I’m just focused on singing, because that’s what I’m here to do.”

Last week, the interview question asked of each contestant prior to their performance was, “What was your job prior to coming to American Idol?”  

To be sure, tongues were wagging at the thought of what Hernandez might publicly reveal of his rumored past. Instead of mentioning the gay night club, Hernandez said he had worked at a pizza bistro. Hernandez was voted off the show the next night. No one knows if his refusing to address the burning question or his tepid performance of a Beatles song earned him his ticket home.

The day after he was voted off, Page Six published an interview with Hernandez. In it, he said he believed that his past as an exotic dancer didn’t factor into his early ousting.

“I think America is smart enough by now to know that people’s personal lives should not influence their musical career,” he said.

He said American Idol producers knew of his past all along.

“If they weren’t comfortable with it, I wouldn’t have been on the show. Everything was totally out there and open,” he said.

So why the big denial until after he was voted off? I think the topic warrants some discussion, because it offers the opportunity to learn how to approach what is perhaps the most nerve-wracking aspect of public relations: answering the question you hope no one will ask.

As a Lakeland public relations professional, I had my own ideas of what I would have done. Chief among them being to ‘fess up immediately. When you address that which is spinning rapidly around the rumor mill, it has a way of knocking the wind out of the situation.

According to the Page Six interview, David Hernandez was quite open and honest after being voted off. What prevented him from doing that before?  When you deny or avoid accusations that have taken on a life of their own on Internet gossip sites, only to admit it later, you earn yourself zero credibility points, in my book. If you’ve made some decisions in your life that in hindsight, you might have done differently if given a second chance, say so. Did he misstep by avoiding the question prior to being voted off? A bit.

I posed several questions on this subject to other public relations professionals in Central Florida over the weekend. One person said you should keep restating what you want your public to hear and know “and what will eventually be repeated in print and video.” I agree in part. He could have admitted the truth and followed it with a “let’s all remember why I’m here” remark, similar to the one he told Entertainment Weekly. However, I think it’s inaccurate to believe that the message you keep repeating is what will appear in print and video, especially when sources all around you are saying something different- and airing the photos to prove it. 

A PR professional with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, who deals with negative news more often that she would like, was to the point in her remarks: “Tell the truth.  Be as specific as possible, and make it as quick as possible.” 

When Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd spoke to the Florida Public Relations Association’s Dick Pope/Polk County Chapter last month, he made several points regarding media relations. One comes to mind right away, she said: “Bad news doesn’t get better with age, so deal with it quickly.” 

Another area PR professional known for his just-the-facts-ma’am advice said: Face the negative news head-on.  “Look at the examples of crisis-type situations handled the best, those firms or people always faced it head-on.  There will be pain and embarrassment, but nothing like what will occur if you bob and weave.”  

He also offered these wise words: “The questions you don’t ever want to answer are the questions your PR advisor should prepare you for first.”

So if there’s something to be learned from all of this, I think it is that, like your mother taught you, honesty is the best policy. How’s that for a PR no-brainer?

The Associated Press reported today that Samantha Power resigned on Friday as Barack Obama’s advisor after being quoted as calling Hillary Clinton a “monster.”

This situation brings to light a very important topic in public relations- off-the-record comments. Power’s comment was made during an interview with The Scotsman: “She is a monster, too- that is off the record- she is stooping to anything.”

Power’s fatal flaw is making a statement, then saying it was off the record. That’s not how you do it, and no reporter is obligated to abide by your after-the-fact “off the record” rule.

As a rule, I don’t think it is a great practice to make off-the-record comments, and I don’t routinely advise clients to make them.

Although I don’t advise them, I understand that you can develop a rapport and a mutual trust with a reporter and you feel comfortable making them. Prior to saying anything you don’t want published, ask the reporter about his/her policy regarding off-the-record comments. Some reporters don’t allow them. The reason is because most often, they are not able to publish comments that can’t be attributed to someone, or must be attributed to an anonymous source. Although we all see anonymous sources quoted occasionally in newspapers, there are strict guidelines that reporters and editors use prior to publishing those comments.

If you feel comfortable enough to make off-the-record comments, this is how I recommend you do it:

“The following information I’m going to tell you is off the record.” Then say what you’re going to say. When you are finished making your off-the-record comment, say, “This concludes my off-the-record comment,” or words to that effect.

When in doubt, I refer everyone back to plain old common sense: if you don’t want to see something printed in the paper or put on TV, don’t say it. 

Did anybody read this morning’s Ledger article about Jeb Bush and the CSX project? I bet Chuck did, CSX fan that he is.

I got a kick out of it, simply because of my past experience having worked at Southeastern. I can imagine there were at least two people instrumental in the planning of the National Leadership Forum who were FUMING that a reporter would have the audacity to ask a non-Forum-related question of the Jebster at their event.

Kudos to Robin, or whichever reporter attempted to ask the question. CSX is a huge issue for Polk County residents, it has divided entities on the issue, it will have a HUGE impact on us all, and people want answers. Reporters may not always be liked or appreciated for their actions, but they have an obligation to make reasonable attempts to gather information for valid news stories. In this case, CSX has tongues wagging from one end of Polk County to the other. A reporter would have been remiss not to have attempted to address the issue with the man who was governor when the deal was made.

That is a fact Public Relations professionals should keep in mind when organizing events in which the media will attend. Any time you invite the media to an event involving a speaker who played an instrumental role in a divisive issue and you open it up for questions at the end, you stand the potential of opening a can of worms if a reporter asks a question. But those are the risks you take! You must take the good (publicity for your event) with the bad (the potential for reporters to ask off-topic questions).

This is the second year Southeastern University has hosted the National Leadership Forum. The coverage provided by The Ledger this year was far better than last year. I attribute that to two things: last year was the first event and its speaker line-up was preacher-heavy. Although those preachers are well-known in religious circles, they aren’t popular in the mainstream media.

This year’s event also featured heavy hitters who are household names- Gen. Colin Powell and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Those who are in the know in business circles might also have heard of Ken Blanchard (who also spoke last year). Blanchard authored the popular book, The One Minute Manager.

So combine an event that proved itself last year with well-known speakers, and you have a recipe for media interest. Southeastern got that this year. (Update- I’ve also learned The Ledger sponsored part of the Forum this year. That’s another good clue as to why the coverage was better.)

In situations such as this, I recommend that you hang onto the good parts- great publicity for your event- and chalk up the “inappropriate questions” to the occupational hazards of allowing media into your events to begin with.

I happened upon a great post recently, called Wi-Fi Etiquette for Telecommuters by Vivian at Mama Need Java. As someone who does a bit of telecommuting, I know too well the closeness of the walls after too many hours spent home alone in my office. Vivian offers some great advice on how to remain a welcome guest at free Wi-Fi locations while escaping the stir-craziness of the home office. I hope you’ll check it out!