This story verges on the incredible. If true, the hypocrisy of a company is without limit. The narrative is that Coca-Cola is defending itself against a public interest lawsuit over health claims for its vitaminwater by saying that ““no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.” In other words, the […]
Posted on January 15th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 163 Comments »
The board of JP Morgan Chase & Co. is considering whether to release an internal investigation that faults Jamie Dimon’s oversight of a division that lost $6.2 billion on bad trades. If it does, it will be another ding to the reputation Dimon had of being the best bank CEO in the US. Dimon might […]
Posted on January 14th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 184 Comments »
The question facing Herbalife’s shareholders is who do you believe? The hedge fund manager shorting the company’s stock, the hedge fund manager supporting it or the CEO defending its reputation? Herbalife is in the position of fighting for its existence with forces lined up on both sides. Shareholders are caught in the middle. If […]
Posted on January 11th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 409 Comments »
As this story and this one point out, journalism has returned to its roots. Until well into the 20th Century, news employees were ill-paid. They were, as the cliche states, ink-stained wretches. The ink may have disappeared but poor compensation has not. From a PR perspective, should a practitioner care? Yes and no. It is […]
Posted on January 10th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 180 Comments »
New York football fans are inured to spin. They look at final scores and records. That is why this session of hoo-ha was laughable at best and saddening. Fans won’t believe the coach until they see results. And, that is as it should be. Public relations is what you do and not what you say. […]
Posted on January 9th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 174 Comments »
There have been complaints for years that the giant Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas at this time has outlived its usefulness. This is only the latest. From the perspective of the show’s organizers, how does one make the show relevant in an era dominated by software applications? Who would, for example, erect a […]
Posted on January 8th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 181 Comments »
It might seem an over-reaction for a US nuclear lab to pull out Chinese communications equipment, but the Chinese brought it on themselves. The country’s recent history of industrial spying, whether government-sanctioned or not, raises a credibility issue. Huawei is affiliated with the Chinese government. It is a precaution not allow its equipment in areas […]
Posted on January 7th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 427 Comments »
Here is a case in which there is credible spinning in favor of and against a policy — the grounding of the well drilling rig in Alaska. Environmentalists say the accident after a tow line snapped in bad weather is proof that oil drillers can’t work safely in the arctic. Royal Dutch Shell, the owner of the […]
Posted on January 4th, 2013 by admin
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Among nearly hopeless causes, this one takes a front rank. The US should have gone metric more than 100 years ago but it didn’t and now there is less chance than ever that it will. Nevertheless, the US Metric Association continues to call for the country’s conversion to the worldwide standard for measurement. This raises […]
Posted on January 3rd, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 187 Comments »
Is a half-step toward solving the country’s budget and debt crisis good enough? The public perception and approval of Congress is about as low as it can go with little likelihood of improvement. There are more fiscal fights coming up in 2013 and chances are that the electorate will witness more tangling in Washington, especially […]
Posted on January 2nd, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 189 Comments »
