Bad publicity?
By Effective Communication
SOME say there is no such thing as bad publicity.
I disagree – and advise our clients accordingly. How can media reporting of a messy employment tribunal, a factory closure, or an unprofessional act by a member of your staff be anything but bad publicity?
There are, of course, some challenges to this rule – John Prescott’s stock rose immeasurably when he punched a protestor who threw an egg at him during the 2001 General Election campaign. Some might even say his affair with aide Tracey Temple increased it even further – but let’s dismiss that vision from our minds!
I’ve been watching with great interest the number of complaints flooding into Ofcom over the recent performances of Sky presenters Kay Burley and Adam Boulton – by this afternoon Ofcom had received 1,500 complaints.
I have two views on this. Sky will always lose out to the BBC in terms of viewers’ preferred channel during dramatic moments in British history, such as last night, so you can probably argue that the subsequent media furore about the conduct of these two highly prominent presenters will do nothing but helpfully raise the profile of Sky News.
Secondly, I would question whether their actions have been any different from the behaviour of a number of leading presenters across the channels over the past month.
There may be talk of a new era in politics…but we are also witnessing an evolving era of a certain breed of news reporting – full of comment and aggression. Thankfully, though, it can backfire….just ask Jeremy Paxman and Dr Eurfyl ap Gwilym
Tags: Alastair Milburn, Effective Communication, General Election, John Prescott, Tracey Temple
