This story out of the New Haven Independent today raises questions about whether or not a former (maybe, sort of) on-air television journalist now doing PR misrepresented her status and clouded her client relationship while making a newsy video for the client that looked a lot like the sort of thing she used to do for years at WFSB-TV Channel 3.

The article gives you a link to a site where you can view the video for yourself. I watched it.

I'm in no position to know whether this was just a disclosure oversight on the part of a former TV journalist or the overt act of someone counting on the notion we're all stupid so what the heck. Either way, it dosn't improve my impression of the traditional public relations profession. How about you?

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1. Without a social media strategy, how does a company manage the expectations of new and younger incoming professionals who expect access;

2. What is the future of internal communications for an employee base that is increasingly immune to messaging the old-fashioned way;

3. Why is it so important to have a high level interal IT champion when advocating for corporate social media adoption;

4. How should social media and Web 2.0 tools and technologies be positioned internally so that others don't have an irrational level of fear and anxiety?

These and many other really key questions are answered in this item by Marc Wright appearing in simply-communicate.com today all about BT's evolutionary adoption of social media policies and practices leading to a revolution in the way employees and partners around the world feel connected now.

Enjoy.

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Here's an interesting story about a California mall called Pacific View (owned by the Macerich Corporation) banning an anti-war demonstration on their premises at the peak of this past holiday shopping season. Turns out, it seems the court is siding with the protestors in the name of free speech, etc. But that's not what got my attention focused on this item. Instead it was this segment of the report, which in a wide variety of forms, you've read a million times:

Pacific View Mall Spokeswoman Alice Love was on vacation and unavailable for comment for this story. Other mall representatives, including Kathy Taggart and Macerich corporate public relations representatives did not respond or could not be reached for comment on this story.

If that were a rare or unusual reaction on the part of PR people to difficult news or awkward subjects, that would be one thing. But it happens routinely. I've done it. The idea is to hold your breath, hide out, get scarce, and wait for the thing to blow over. The conventional, traditional PR thinking is that by addressing such things, things only get worse.

I used to believe that. I could stonewall with the best of them. And maybe back then in my day that was the right approach? I don't believe it is any longer, especially not in today's world of evolving transparency and conversation and pro-sumerism. Today, I think companies like Macerich have a chance to talk about things, explain their position, diffuse bad news, and possibly come to a reasonable compromise through a dialogue with various parties with a multitude of real and imagined gripes. In this case, the story hasn't been killed by silence. It seems the marchers will be back.

By the way, if you go to the Macerich one-way, highly-polished, non-interactive website linked above, please notice their drop down under the general heading "Social Responsibility" and read about their community-based philosophy and Acts of Kindness. I think it illuminates why ordinary people often feel such a disconnect at a website and quickly head for the metasphere for new or better sources.

Before I go, I also just have to note the irony of a mall called Pacific View denying a peaceful anti-war protest.

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