PR at its low point… the Blagojevich media circus tour

What we witnessed this last week was one very sad spectacle for a profession that, while never held to the standards of say, investment banking or even politics, nevertheless continues to at least strive for a modicum of respectability. The sadness lay not so much in the now ex-governor’s search for his version of truth and justice, but in the “publicity plan” and firm that devised it; and one assumes was paid handsomely for its execution.



It’s not that Blagojevich didn’t deserve PR advice, for he surely did every bit as much as insurance giant, AIG, did upon learning of their need for redemption in the press (as well as a large hunk of federal cash.) But rather than pay the princely sum of $100,000 per month in retainers and hourly fees to Burson-Marsteller, Governor Blagojevich chose to summon the keen insights of the PR firm that gave such great advice to Drew Peterson, run by the guy that none other than Ms. Media Credibility, herself, Nancy Grace, refers to as “The PR Guru”…Glen Selig and the Publicity Agency. Just how much, I wonder, did the ex-governor have to pay to gain exposure on just about every talk show currently on the air...not surely enough to make up for becoming a walking, talking target and joke. Mr. Selig clearly was not responsible for the ruination of Blagojevich’s political career or alleged illegal acts. Blago did a wonderful job of this all on his own. But without question, his subsequent descent into becoming a truly memorable and long standing punch line and poster boy for modern media self-flagellation is owed to the modest efforts of Mr. Selig and his firm. A firm that bills itself as “the only PR firm created and staffed by former journalists.Which means we know news better than any other agency out there. So if your goal is to land news coverage or manage news coverage, there is no agency better than our agency.”

Really? The only PR firm staffed by former journalists? I can name literally hundreds, including my own, INK inc. No agency better at news coverage or managing news coverage…? Was this sad spectacle of a ruined Illinois politico traipsing from one talk show to another, a sound example of garnering coverage or managing the news? Not to most of the PR agencies I’m familiar with, nor the clients that really deserve coverage of newsworthy happenings that might actually enrich or expand or inform their audiences. Most of us in this profession take pride in the real work and process of gaining both the attention and the coverage of the news media. It’s damn hard work and it takes a collaborative effort between the client, the news media and the PR rep to see it through to success.

But the media itself is not without blame for this spectacle, or for PR firms like Mr. Selig’s, that cater to its insatiable appetite for the bizarre, controversial, and even grossly sad. I wish the media that truly pander to this type of “news” were still the exception, and by and large, they are. But broadcast media in particular, is seeing sensationalism crowd journalism for airtime. It doesn’t take much skill (and little to no scruples) to “manage the news” by asking these types of media outlets for interview time with a controversial subject…newsworthy or not. (If David Frost could get a “confession” from Nixon, no telling what Whoopi will get out of Blago!)

Unfortunately this type of “Blago PR Circus” is growing and going to be around as long as there are clients in search of perceived media redemption, media outlets more interested in gotcha’s and scoops than journalism, and PR firms willing to suck up to both.