EULOGY FOR A PARKING LOT: "Deep Throat garage" an iconic site in journalism

Parking lots come and parking lots go - they are among the most forgettable features of any urban landscape.  But when a particular underground garage in Arlington, Virginia, falls to the wrecking ball in the not-too-distant future, more than a few of us will take note. 

The "Deep Throat garage," Arlington, VA.

This particular garage played an outsized role in American journalism and American politics.  It is where Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward secretly met with "Deep Throat," the government source who helped him piece together the Watergate scandal. 

It was largely the reporting of Woodward, and his colleague Carl Bernstein, that put Watergate on the national radar - eventually leading to the 1974 resignation of President Richard Nixon.   Courtesy USA Today.

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IS THE CORPORATE WEBSITE DYING?

Is the signature communications tool for the 21st century corporate world - the web site - on the way out?  "There appears to be a growing consensus that the corporate website as an online brochure displaying 'About Us,' 'Our Products,' 'Latest News About Us,' and 'Speak To A Representative' isn’t working," says SAP's Global Marketing VP Michael Brenner.   

And what will replace it?   "More attention," Brenner writes, "is being stolen away by more progressive brands who have started acting like publishers and displaying content that your customers actually want to consume."   Courtesy Business2Community.com.

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THE SLOW WHITE BRONCO and how it reset our news clock

Twenty years ago this week, Nicole Brown Simpson, the wife of former football great and sports commentator O. J. Simpson, was found murdered in her Los Angeles home, along with her friend Ronald Lyle Goldman.   The Simpson chase, arrest and trial, played out in real time before a live television audience, forever changed how we consume news. 

"Before the killings on June 12, 1994," writes media critic Kent Babb, "CNN was 14 years old and had a foothold in households but wasn’t yet appointment viewing; Court TV was a startup network with a niche of drawing legal die-hards into courtrooms. Fox News and MSNBC were two years from their cable debuts. Prime-time programming in those days consisted of scripted entertainment; no one then could imagine that, two decades into the future, televising the trivialities of daily life would captivate the public."  Courtesy The Washington Post.  Subscription or pay-per-view may be required. 

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THE PEN: MIGHTIER THAN THE KEYBOARD?

Ditch the laptop and pick up a writing implement for comprehension, a new study finds.   Courtesy the Association for Psychological Science. 

New research demonstrates what we've been saying in Dunlop Media trainings for years: if you want to remember what you're learning, take your notes in longhand, not on a laptop.  A new study published in the Journal of Psychological Science indicates that when it comes to taking notes, writing things down - rather than tapping them out - is a more effective method.  

"We believe the processing that occurs during the act of note taking improves learning and retention," said a co-author of the study.  "Laptop users were more inclined to take verbatim notes, which hurts learning."   Courtesy The Association for Psychological Science.

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THE LATEST CRITIC OF "CLICKBAIT" JOURNALISM? FACEBOOK

The Urban Dictionary defines "click bait" as "an eyecatching link on a website which encourages people to read on."  Journalistically, it's an approach to web content featuring sensational headlines that practically compel the reader to "click here."   The more clicks, at least in theory, the better the revenue. 

A composite image lampooning "clickbait."  Courtesy CBC. 

"On Thursday," according to The Huffington Post, "a crotchety man took to Facebook... arguing modern journalism has abandoned real reporting in favor of clickbait headlines and insubstantial listicles only meant to garner traffic."   The man who wrote the scathing critique, says the Post, is none other than Mike Hudack, director of product at Facebook - which the Post describes as "the super-popular website that rewards the clickbait [which Hudack] so laments."

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EMILY POST DESCENDANT UPDATES BUSINESS ETIQUETTE

Emily Post, the original (1872-1960)

The popularity of the AMC series MadMen reminds us how thoroughly the business world's culture has evolved.  Many practices and attitudes that were common in the office a half century ago are viewed as alien, rude, or worse in the 21st century.

Lizzie Post, the great-great granddaughter of Emily Post, America's longtime etiquette arbiter, figured it was time to bring business etiquette guidelines into better harmony with today's societal norms.  (Emily Post, after all, died in 1960.)  One simple piece of advice from Lizzie aimed at today's young professional:  avoid the urge to get all loosey-goosey.  Courtesy The Associated Press.

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HOW A KILLER RABBIT CHANGED PRESIDENTIAL PR

A 1979 cartoon caricatures President Jimmy Carter fending off a "killer rabbit."   Image via wnyc.org. 

Of all the anniversaries we observe in 2014 - the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, the 50th anniversary of D-Day, the 40th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation - one odd anniversary should not be overlooked.  Thirty-five years ago this summer, President Jimmy Carter - armed with the oar of a rowboat - fended off a so-called "killer rabbit" while vacationing in Georgia.

The 1979 incident, captured by a White House photographer in April of that year but not made public until August, "changed the presidency," claims this audio retrospective.  While Watergate showed a chief executive losing control of his narrative in a constitutional crisis, "Rabbitgate" demonstrated the same could happen when the incident was trivial but symbolic.  "[It] crystallized an emerging sense that Carter was a man in over his head."  Courtesy WNYC News.

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VICE EMERGING AS PLAYER IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Last year, Rupert Murdoch called hipster-styled Vice Magazine a “wild, interesting effort to interest millennials who don’t read or watch established media.”  His News Corporation then proceeded to buy a 5 percent stake in Vice, a leading outlet for the highly controversial "immersionist" school of journalism.  

At a conference in Belfast last month, London-based media professor George Brock predicted that one of what he called three “laboratories” of journalism – Vice, Vox or Buzzfeed – will in a decade be regarded as a fully respectable “media institution.”  Vice is well on its way: having partnered with CNN in 2010, it is now producing segments for the once-staid BBC program Newsnight.  Courtesy The Irish Times.

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KANGKUNG-GATE: Malaysian prime minister's gaffe goes viral

For Malaysians suffering from escalating food prices, prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak didn't have sympathy.  He had a complaint.

Why is it, he asked, that people blame the government when prices go up, but they never give it credit when prices go down?  For instance, he said, the price of "kangkung" (the Malaysian equivalent of spinach) has dropped.   The remark went viral among the region's netizens, who are remixing his comments on YouTube and wearing t-shirts proclaiming, "Keep calm and eat kangkung."  The BBC chimed in, "be careful what you say about spinach." 

Najib initially tried to defend his remark.  But after his economic czar was quoted as saying people should "stop eating chicken" if the prices are too high, Najib ordered mandatory media training for his mInisters.   Courtesy The Malaysian Chronicle.

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SMOOTH OPERATOR: Charles Rangel and the media

Whatever your political persuasion, you have to acknowledge that Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) is a survivor, plain and simple.  He's survived 43 years in office.  He's survived multiple ethics inquiries.  And he's survived a formal censure by his colleagues.   He is a living institution in his Harlem district, and is now the third longest serving member of Congress.

Representative Charles B. Rangel (D-NY).

Although it's rarely spoken about, part of the reason for Rangel's professional longevity is his longtime good vibe with the news media.  Whatever the subject, he is almost always accessible, accurate, and quotable.  He seems to relish the give and take.  In this New York Observer article, journalist Ben Widdicombe tells an intriguing story about how he was once cleverly "spun" by Rangel while he was investigating rumors of an extramarital affair.  He suggests a fresh-faced congressman from Staten Island could learn a lot from him.  

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GAINING ALTITUDE: Airline's outlook up as gaffe-prone CEO finds his media rudder

Does a more polite media image really translate to better business?  Linking cause and effect is always tricky, but the recent experience of Irish discount airline Ryanair may be instructive. 

In the US, the no-frills carrier is perhaps best known for the outlandish comments of its CEO, Michael O'Leary, who was dubbed "Master of the Gaffe" by Management Today. 

But buffeted by two profit warnings and a torrent of customer complaints, O'Leary has stepped aside as spokesperson-in-chief.  He's also tweaked his pricing formula, and made a number of customer service improvements after acknowledging that some of his policies  did “unnecessarily p--- people off”. 

For whatever reason, the kinder, gentler Ryanair now seems to be putting the turbulence behind.   It just reported record traffic in December, and the Wall Street Journal reports the airline should have no trouble maintaining cruising altitude. 

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TRADITIONAL MEDIA MATTERS - And here are 5 reasons why

For nearly a decade now, communications pundits have been heralding the inevitable demise of traditional news media.   Too much competition, say some.  Social media is the new printing press, say others.  But to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of TV, radio, and newspapers are greatly exaggerated.

In this post, a PR executive from Phoenix argues that traditional news media still carries clout that newer, digital-only forms fail to match.  Traditional media remains a trusted source for information, especially when news breaks - and, contrary to perceptions, the big three evening TV newscasts actually added close to a million viewers in a period ending last year.   Courtesy PRWeek.

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ADVICE FOR UTILITIES: Media train your line crews

From brownouts in the summer to hurricanes in the fall to ice storms in the winter, it seems electric utilities never get a media breather.  That's fine, their PR execs will tell you - the excitement comes with the territory.   And just about all their traditional spokespeople are required to go through some form of media training. 

A linesman repairing damage following the Christmas ice storm in the Toronto area.  Courtesy The Toronto Star.

A businessperson in Canada writes that his local electric supplier, Hydro One, appears to have taken the practice several steps further down the chain of command.  During a recent storm, he said the line crews repairing damage in his neighborhood were so pleasant, compassionate, and forthcoming with information that he could reach only one conclusion: they had to have been media trained. 

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PR SPAM: A reporter takes revenge

One of the PR outreach techniques most frowned upon by journalists has been dubbed "PR spamming" - where reporters wind up on an email list pitching stories that have no relationship whatsoever to his beat. 

Giving PR spam the boot is the objective of a New York Times reporter.

New York Times reporter David Segal, a/k/a The Haggler, has had enough.   After unsolicited pitches imploring him to write about "Christmas Cookie Treat Boxes, or a document previewer called Igloo, or a liquor called Pura Vida Tequila" - and noting that the odds of his writing about any of these topics "could safely be described as nil" - Segal devised what he calls a "one paragraph get-out-of-PR-spam kit."  He published it in his column and urged reporters everywhere to follow his lead. 

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CORPORATE REPUTATION MAJOR FACTOR WITH JOB CANDIDATES

If you think a corporation's reputation is only of primary importance to its investors and customers, you should have a look at this eye opening article from Corporate Responsibility Magazine.   In a new study, the magazine found that 69 percent of Americans would rather remain unemployed than work for companies with bad reputations.  And 84 percent would consider changing jobs to work for a company with an excellent reputation.  Courtesy The Bulldog Reporter. 

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HEALTHCARE UNCOVERED: A town hall meeting

LOS ANGELES:  Dunlop Media specialist and KNX reporter Charles Feldman co-produced an important two-hour broadcast today entitled "Healthcare Uncovered," a live, town hall-style meeting on Obamacare. 

The program's goal was to untangle the complicated ways in which the Affordable Care Act will affect everyday Americans.   Fifteen panelists, including Feldman, and a live studio audience took part.   

Listen to the broadcast by clicking on the link below.  Free HulaMedia account required to access the player.    

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PUBLISHING "BOOM" ATTRIBUTED TO HYDROFRACKING

It's been a long time since print journalism has spoken of boom times - but that's just the way they're talking in Texas, where history runs in tandem with boom-bust cycles of all kinds. 

Forbes Magazine reports on the sudden growth of print media in the fracking regions of South Texas. 

It seems that hydrofracking - a new technology that frees natural gas trapped in underground wells that conventional drilling cannot extract - has spurred sudden growth in newspapers and magazines.  It's happening in South Texas, home to one of the country's premier fracking regions.  

One new publication is being led by an area advertising executive, who saw untapped audience potential in the influx of a new workforce.  “We found out that these guys down there – and it’s mostly guys – they’re bored,” she said. “We decided to do something that would go after the lifestyle.”  Courtesy Forbes. 

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AL JAZEERA AMERICA LAUNCHES IN 48 MILLION HOMES

Cash starved newsrooms of the world are taking note of Al Jazeera America, a new, deep-pocketed competitor with an image problem.   With a staff of 900, the Qatar-based network represents "one of the most significant investments in television journalism in modern times," writes TV critic Brian Seltzer.        

Al Jazeera, the Qatar based cable news network, is launching a US based channel featuring award winning journalists and a commitment to quality reporting.  Photo courtesy Al Jazeera.

By purchasing Current TV for $500 million, Al Jazeera automatically gains access to 48 million homes, or nearly half of those wired for cable television, Seltzer reports.  But that doesn't change a fundamental problem:  that since the days following 9/11, the network's Arabic language flagship channel has developed a reputation as a global mouthpiece for Al Qaeda terrorists. 

Still, the network has managed to attract a number of award-winning American journalists with assurances of a commitment to hard news with editorial independence (Al Jazeera is funded by a charitable foundation established by the royal family of Qatar). 

When a media wag asked newly hired Al Jazeera correspondent Paul Beban if the network had asked him to wear a burqua, he simply paused and replied, "You know what? They were out of 42 long."  Courtesy The Denver Post.

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UK STUDY SHOWS LACK OF PRESENTATION SKILLS HURTS SALES

Organizations of all kinds, public and private, routinely kick presentation training for their employees to the back burner: it's something that's nice to have, but it doesn't necessarily contribute directly to the bottom line.  A new study in the UK puts the lie to that misconception. 

According to a survey of over 250 senior business decision makers by Casio Projectors, nearly half (49%) are unlikely to buy from a company that makes a poor new-business pitch presentation.  In addition, some 60% of employees were so bored during a presentation that they admitted to texting or emailing people during meetings.   Courtesy Fresh Business Thinking. 

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TRADING IN PRINT FOR TV

A giant in the ailing print industry, the Tribune Corporation, announced plans to spend $2.7 billion to acquire 19 local television stations across the US, according to The New York Times.  

The move may seem odd for a company that has been cost-cutting in its core properties, including the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.  But the firm's leadership clearly sees untapped potential in the visual medium, which has been struggling with challenges of its own.  Courtesy Dealbook. 

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