Take pity on us journalists. I tried to reach Toshiba’s PR handlers in Asia this morning. It’s not easy. Their Japanese site has a webpage which contains press releases but none of those releases contained contact numbers, names or emails. (How are we expected to ask follow up questions if there’s no contact number? A press release … Read more
PR folk and journalists have an uncertain relationship. Journalists know they’re being spun, but PR people can be helpful, providing fast access to new sources, evaluation units and story ideas. But if you’re in PR, and you claim victory, make sure you get your facts right. I recently read on PRNewswire about how I had … Read more
(an update on this episode: the bank in question has now compounded its faux pas by sending me press releases I didn’t sign up for. After the first one I sent a polite request for them to stop, but another one arrived half an hour later. My second request was slightly less polite. More on … Read more
Interesting piece from MediaBistro about how journalists use Google searches as a fast and loose way to prove a point. The article doesn’t pull its punches. “What’s a simpler, or faster, way of quantifying a trend,” writes Lionel Beehner, “than typing a key word or phrase into Google? Type in almost any person, place, or … Read more
Here’s a very interesting piece from Mark Glaser on the Adopt-A-Journalist movement, otherwise called Watchblogs. “The so-called “watchblogs” are generally anonymous bloggers who have taken it upon themselves to read each report from a particular presidential campaign reporter and then critique it for factual errors or bias,” Glaser writes. “If they gain traction, watchblogs represent … Read more