Ruddy gives Madonna a bath over OzCar Affair

“I think what all your listeners would expect… that we all get back to the priority of dealing with the challenges of jobs, small business and schools.” – Kevin Rudd on ABC 612 in Queensland.

Probably the best thing Mr Rudd has said in a long time. Yet still he cops a grilling from a fickle and hypocritical media. Mr Rudd’s advisors, newspaper readers and voters are all aware that ute-gate is a dying if not completely dead story. The only people that seem to care about this ten-day old story are the press.

On Monday, a rather snappy Mr Rudd lashed out at Queensland radio presenter Madonna King when asked about the ute he received from John Grant.

After sticking the boot into Malcolm Turnbull over the past ten days, it is clear that the electorate is well and truly over the political brawl.

Mr Rudd’s line has all the hallmarks of a well-tested focus grouped key message. Having won the battle over OzCar, it is now time for the PM to occupy the high ground and address the electorate’s real concerns.

The morally upstanding columnists of multiple newspapers have been calling on both sides of politics to return to the main game of the economy and jobs. They have asked that the political circus end. As soon as the PM attempts this, he cops a blasting for avoiding questions.

Yesterday’s papers were full of accusations of “side-stepping”, “ranting at the media” and “putting the brakes on the utegate brawl.”

Some days you just have to absorb the media flack and hope the electorate sees the forest for the trees.  Ten days after the story broke, the only people interested in this story are a group of lazy journalists flogging a dead horse. Let’s move on.

Media Coverage of Costello’s retirement from Politics

I’ve read all of the commentary from Fairfax and News Ltd.  In many ways the sentiment seemed to mirror my expectations.  Fairfax applauded his performance, but pointed out his failings.  News Ltd seemed to use the occasion to celebrate his career and lay the boot into the current Government.

Stutchbury was measured in his approach.  He wrote that Costello will be remembered as a great reformist treasurer.  He is in the pantheon with Keating.  I would argue that he continued the good work of Keating and was fortunate enough to operate in a greater economic climate.

Colebatch was reasonably harsh in his column.  He spoke of Costello the bully.  He recalled Costello’s tactic of leaning on finance and economic commentators.  This seemed to a bit of a cheap shot on a day that should have been reserved for praise.  Criticism should come if it is merited, but perhaps it would have been better form to leave this day alone.

My personal opinion of the man is mixed.  I think he was a phenomenal administrator and great orator.  He had talent in spades, but it seems he lacked ambition and drive to seize power.  He shared a lot of traits with Keating.  They were both strong parliamentary performers.  They also shared a strong commitment to liberalisation of trade and labour markets.
I’ve been reading Don Watson’s biography of Keating, Recollections of a Bleeding Heart.  The aspect I have found most interesting is the notion that Keating thought the good work had already been done when he took power from Hawke.  He believed all he had to do was oversee his reforms as PM.  They claim he had lost a lot of drive once he had the position.  As if the battle had cooked him.  I wonder if the same would have happened to Costello had challenged Howard.

We will never know, because unlike Keating, Costello never had the courage to take on Howard.  Some claim he was putting party interests ahead of his own, but I reject this.  Had Costello led the Coalition to the last election, having challenged in 2006, I think they would have won the election.  I think his legacy is one that will be mixed with contradicitions.  If we preserve today’s coverage as a time capsule, we might find that he will be regarded with tempered praise.

RMIT Communicator of the Year Award: Indulgent pessimism and a timely reminder of hope in communications.

Earlier this morning RMIT University hosted the RMIT Communicator of the Year Award Breakfast at the Windsor Hotel in Melbourne.  Retired High Court Judge, Michael Kirby and Melina Schamroth shared the award.

Jill Singer, Mike Smith and Jonathan Green all spoke on the implications of journalist job losses and the restructuring of the balance of power between the journalist and the PR practitioner.  The key theme throughout was that truth and the public interest were being blurred and many cases forgetten in this upheavel.

Green has particularly dire predictions for the future of the dissemination of public information.  He argues that PR practitioners are getting smarter and working harder while journalists are getting stupider and lazier.  Green doesn’t believe it’s the fault of individual journalists, rather a broader problem tied to news room resources.  The frames of reference of the “public interest” are being shifted to suit government and corporate agendas because journalists simply haven’t got the time or resources to initiate independent agenda setting.
Smith, who shared similar views on the current state of journalism, believes the problem may be temporary.  He laments the lack of editorial leadership as well as newspapers increasing emphasis on puff pieces and soft news content.   If a profitable online model can be built, reporter resources will increase, and we can again produce rigorous, probing and inquisitive journalism.  The consumer will want to pay for this premium.

Classic values of hope and optimism seems to be out of fashion in media circles.  Indeed, it took someone from outside the media industry to remind us that the purpose of the awards ceremony was to recognise and remind us of the value of honest and ethical communication.

Michael Kirby delivered a gracious acceptance speech and chose not to wallow in the negatives.  Instead he spoke of his passion for communicating complicated and complex legal principles in simple terms.  He argued that the law didn’t belong to lawyers and judges.  It belonged to the people.

It was interesting to contrast Kirby’s humble and hopeful message with the indulgent pessimism that permeated Green’s speech.  It is easy to be a pessimist and prophet of doom, but as Kirby reminded us, he was only able to be the “great dissenter” because he was passionate about communicating and resolving grievances.  That Green, a senior figure in the Melbourne media landscape, couldn’t see any signs of hope or any model to build a positive way forward, speaks volumes of the industry’s current malaise.

No more neglect!

After the easter break I shall return to more consistent blogging. Life has been hectic. That isn’t an excuse rather an explanation. Great lecture today on social media by Steve Hopkins and Alice Clements.

‘PR rich’ news from the week

TAB came under fire this week for announcing that they will be taking bets on Good Friday.  Attacks from religious groups, John Brumby and Tim Costello.  Called to donate a percentage of profits to the Good Friday Appeal by Brumby.

The Age launches an editorial assault on Transport Minister Lynn Kosky in its Saturday paper.  The next day, The Herald Sun, runs a story comparing the cost of implementing the Myki system with a NASA space probe.  Of course, the Myki system proves to be more expensive than space exploration.

Australian-owned stationery company, Smiggle, in hot water with Neil Mitchell. The release of a voodoo doll-inspired pencil case draws strong criticism from child psychologists and key community groups.

Chinalco’s proposed share increase in Rio Tinto dominates business pages.  Rio Tinto’s PR team release bleak financial forecasts, hoping to garner support for Chinalco’s bid.  

The ACCC sues Telstra for alleged breaks to the Trade Practices Act.  Telstra quick to respond, claiming that they are being sued for minor breaches that they have since rectified. 

News Limited apologises to Pauline Hanson for the nude photo controversy.  Pauline Hanson fails to win a seat in the Queensland election and proceeds with legal action against News Limited.

Internal Victorian Police documents, claiming that the Victorian Police’s information systems overwhelmed by data, leaked to the media.  Police spokeswoman says the systems are secure, and that further detail would follow from the IT department.

Wednesday 4th March: PR Bulletin

A few interesting topics popped up in the press yesterday.  I have included brief commentary on all items below.

Michael West, columnist with The Age Business, took issue with AMP and it’s communications with investors and the media.  His article, titled “On balance, it’s a PR plague“, accuses the in-house media staff at AMP of engaging in “corporate double-speak” and presenting “illusory dross” to investors.  

AMP’s shares have fallen to their lowest value since August 2003, yet it seems the company is at a loss to explain the reasons for the slide.  West believes they have created convoluted reports to keep the investor’s cautiously optimistic, instead of delivering the cold hard reality of the figures. 

Bruce Esplin, Emergency Services Commissioner, has given Telstra some rare public praise.  He applauded them for leading the way on the fire alert SMS service on Tuesday. ”The telecommunications carriers, led by Telstra, decided they would do that as a community service,” he said. 

GetUp and the Brotherhood of St. Laurence have had a bit of a media dust up over climate change. The politically progressive organisation GetUp have asked activists and environmentalists to send energy saving devices to Canberra in protest to the Government’s proposed Emissions Trading Scheme. 

This has ruffled the feathers of the Brotherhood of St. Laurence, who see energy saving devices as essential cost cutters for lower socio-economic groups in society.  They have claimed that GetUp only care about the “political elite” and “well off” members of society.

Finally, Shaun Carney, Associated Editor of the Age has given Pacific Brands another hiding in what has already been a disastrous week for the Company.  In his article, “Greed without end“, he has used Pacific Brands as the whipping boy in a larger argument questioning the ethics of executives salaries.

Left, right, left, right, left, right, left! Think-tanks march on climate change.

After the release of the Government’s Green Paper on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, there has been a great deal of opinion pieces popping up in various news publications. In this post I wanted to reflect upon the sources of these articles, the think-tanks who write and submit the articles, and their importance in the broader sphere of public policy debate.

Aims and Objectives: Weeks, Months, Years

More than slightly indulgent on my part, but I can’t think of a better place to list my aims and objectives for the rest of the year.  Given it is online, there is a little more at stake, for if I don’t achieve said goals, there is public record of my failures.  I have decided to split these into short-term and medium-term.  By medium-term, I am only stretching to 18 months.  I see no reason to hold this off any longer, so here we go.

Bushfire Disaster

The bushfires that engulfed the state over the weekend have devastated Victoria, killing over 170 people and destroying a massive amount of property. As horrendous as the story has been, the response of individuals and corporations in raising over $27 million for the Victorian Governments Bushfire Appeal has been phenomenal. The big banks have all donated $1 million and Wesfarmers have used their retail arms to raise money and awareness of the fund amongst the public, whilst also donating $500,000 directly. 

I can’t think of a better example of the positive effects of the often maligned PR Industry. Few would dispute that the donations are an exercise in corporate citizenship by these big corporations. The donation serves to benefit the victims of this horrible disaster,  whilst also garnering positive press and publicity for the organisations. At the end of many news bulletins, which are packed with horrific stories relating to the bushfire, the good news story of the generosity of Australia’s people is constantly linked to the organisations mentioned earlier. 

On dark days like these, it is comforting to know that the industry we work in can contribute positively to the lives of those who have suffered tremendous loss.

Coca-Cola Amatil v. The Dentists

A large PR war is being waged by Coca-Cola at the moment. They are hitting out at the perception that their product has negative health consequences. Just when they thought their myth-busting advertisements were making in-roads, the dentists, through Australian Medical Association, have denied any veracity to the claims.

Coke need to be careful here, it seems as though they want to get into a ’spin war’, and I don’t think they can win, given the lack of credible third party experts on their side of the argument. They did receive a potential opportunity this week, with the AMA endorsing the addition of fluoride to bottle water. If Coca-Cola’s subsidiaries Pump and Mount Franklin are the first to undertake the added fluoride, they might yet have some genuine claims to looking after their customers. I will keep an eye on this issue.