When PR and Blogging Collide – Is it a Conflict?
A scandal has unfolded among U.S. Military reporters and bloggers that even made its way to the virtual pages of Gawker – blogger Gina DiNicolo was attending an annual event called the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), where Marines and sailors convene in Hawaii for more than a month’s worth of “nation building and joint operations.” After attending the event, she retitled the event “SNOOZEPAC” on her blog and proceeded to infer the meeting of the minds was little more than a gorgefest and floating cocktail party.
Most PR people understand that when you invite press or bloggers to cover an event, despite your best efforts, you can’t guarantee a positive story (that’s why it’s PR and not advertising). Editorial is just that, the perception and interpretation of the writer, which is why it’s so critical to ensure you provide as much helpful information as possible.
The problem in this story is that DiNicolo, retired from the Marine Corp, wasn’t just an attendee on the press list. Apparently she was attending the RIMPAC per the Marine Corp as a civilian public affairs representative for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. After the blog post hit, DiNicolo was fired. In a statement to the Military Times she indicated she thought her blogging and contract work should have been treated separately.
So if I’m creating a fair comparison, we could liken this to serving as a publicist for an event, wrangling press, issuing credentials, arranging interviews – and then criticizing said event on a blog.
As PR people, where do we need to the draw the line between voicing our personal thoughts and our commitments to our clients and employers? Blogging gives us the ability to weigh-in on topics important to us and our industries, and while many add disclaimers to their social networks that “these are my words and not those of my employers,” is there really a true division of church and state? Do you think DiNicolo was disrespectful? Should she have been fired? Or do we need to retain to the right to disassociate ourselves from the companies we represent at some point?
Photo Credit: Daryl L. Hunter
Whether or not she should have been fired is debatable. Disciplined yes, but fired…not so sure. However, she should have known better. Sometimes stuff like this happens when you try to exist simultaneously in both the PR and media worlds. I say just pick a profession. It’s okay to be a PR pro that also blogs. But I believe it’s a no-no to be a PR pro and a blogger that covers stories.
Thanks L.A. I agree that it’s you can do both but you have to draw the line and be cautious of conflicts. As more and more PR people start blogging, we’ll continue to see this.
I think the key component here is was she paid to provide a service (PA) for the military at this event? It seems the answer to that question is yes. If that’s the case, I think she’s definitely at risk for discipline (but I agree with L.A. here–firing her may have gone too far).
I think if a client is paying you to manage an event, coordinate PR, or gain press coverage, it’s probably not the best idea to go off blasting said event. I don’t think it’s a black-and-white issue, but it’s certainly something I wouldn’t do. In fact, I rarely reference clients in blog posts–positively or negatively. So, I guess from that vantage point, I do believe in the separation of “church and state” a bit.
In this case, it seems like expectations could have been set better beforehand. The military most likely knew she was a blogger–why not just address this point beforehand (no blogging about the event if we’re paying you to coordinate PA/PR)? That may have head off this whole situation (maybe Gina wouldn’t have taken the job then).
Curious to hear your thoughts, Rachel.
@arikhanson
Arik – I agree, but I think (as usual
) it’s less grey and more black and white. I’d be beyond mortified if one of my staff members supported our client at an event and then bashed the event on an industry blog. In fact, I can’t even fathom it to be honest. Perhaps they should have set expectations, but from the client’s perspective I’d say it’s fair for them to assume if they are paying someone to secure positive press coverage of an event, that they aren’t going to be the source of negativity.
Rachel
First, know your employer. For some, the “views expressed on this blog are mine alone” will suffice. For others, you won’t be able to blog quite as freely as maybe you would like. Make a decision: is it more important that your blog be as free-wheeling as you’d like, or is it more important to remain employed?
Second, use judgment when posting. I’d sooner…I don’t know…go without Internet access for a month than I would criticize a client in a blog post–and that’s basically what she did.
Is there a “true division”? I think it’s a matter of degrees, for some this situation would matter a lot, for others, not so much.
Interesting post, thanks to Arik for pointing to it via Twitter.
Jen
Jen,
Great thoughts and I agree, it’s important to know your employers threshold. Regarding this story though, I think Gina could have assumed the MILITARY might err on the conservative side.
Rachel
In situations like this, I usually side with the person in Gina DiNicolo’s position, but in this case I’m leaning more toward the Marine Corp. Arik makes a good point that these situations aren’t black and white. I think they have to be handled on a case-by-case basis.
If I bring this case down to my level, I can’t imagine working for a client and then bashing that client publicly. I think the client would have every right to terminate my contract. With that said, I also think blogs and contract work should be separate. Unfortunately, no matter what disclosure is placed on your blog people will link your personal opinions to your professional ties. It’s not right, but it happens more often than not and this conversation is proof.
I agree with L.A. when he commented, “I say just pick a profession. It’s okay to be a PR pro that also blogs. But I believe it’s a no-no to be a PR pro and a blogger that covers stories.” If we choose to do both, we’d be wise to follow Arik’s lead and not blog about clients.
Great post, Rachel. Made me think.
@BrandiNeloms
Brandi,
Thanks for chiming in. I agree, that they should be separate, but when you commit to representing a client, not bashing them in your blog shouldn’t even be a point of consideration in my book. I agree – stay away from clients in your blog completely.
Rachel
I’m all for freedom of speech and expression, but if I am paid by a client to manage PR at an event, it is totally unethical to publicly act in a way that defeats the client’s objective in presenting the event in the best possible light. If she objected to the tenor of the event, DiNolcolo could have resigned on the spot, as I would have if a client asked me to publicize something I deem unseemly. (Being an ex-marine herself, she should have known what to expect.)
Alternatively, she could have resigned when she decided to negatively portray the event after the fact — in effect choosing to play the role of whistleblower, which is her right.
But she can’t be both things at the same time. Blogging is an admittedly independent activity but it’s no excuse to break a client’s trust by acting against their interest. I would have more respect had she boldly resigned first rather than defend herself with a shallow argument about the terms of her contract.
One curiosity raised by all this: Did any of the so-called independent media expose RIMPAC as a boondoggle or were they happy just to enjoy themselves at taxpayer expense?
@gronnerpr
Sam,
Well put and great points. Most ethical PR people won’t represent something we don’t feel good about. And I’m guessing she never spoke up to the planning committee with reservations about the event. It’s blindsiding the client in this case.
Rachel
It was poor judgment on her part and she deserved to be fired. If you represent a restaurant and put together a big grand opening event, you write press releases talking about how great the food is, you pitch food writers on the up and coming new chef … and then you go home and, on your personal blog, talk about what a terrible event it was, the food was cold and the service was slow … are you surprised when the client fires you? Do you think you deserve just a reprimand? If you work for someone, you represent that organization day and night, 24/7.
Greg,
As always your candor is appreciated, and we agree.
Rachel
If I worked for Organization X which was part of larger Organization A which invited all of its sub-organizations to a confab (and paid my way there) I probably wouldn’t bite the hand(s) that feed me on my blog. I agree with the comments that you should know your employer before including in posts (or tweets, or Facebook updates). This sounds much different that inviting bloggers & press to an event and receiving mixed coverage. It also sounds different than being critical of an event you yourself coordinated. This sounds like being critical “within the family” which is always a bad idea when done publicly.
Robin,
To be honest I was having a difficult time actually working out the involvement and relationships which is why I “interpreted” what I was reading. But regardless, it still seems to be a violation of client trust.
Rachel
My entry post was not about the employer or the client. I am a paid defense writer who happens to have created a column (blog) for the Military Officers’ Association. All parties knew of my work and my associations. I stand by the post, which to me, of course, was completely appropriate.
That the client was upset and we parted company is the client’s choice. I’m fine with it.
Shill by day write by night? Of course. These are disparate revenue streams and outlets for different creative energy. Though I find the topic boring, there is a bigger issue here. This applies to all writers and those in broadcast.
The full post: http://moaablogs.org/inside/2010/07/rimpac-foreign-policy-tool-or-snoozer/
Note, the Navy Times version is somewhat embellished.
Gina,
Thank you for taking the time to respond. Due to all of the nuances of your position and relationship to the organizations involved, I was a little hazy on how everything intersected. I do believe we should be able to write blogs that are considered separate from our work, however, my interpretation of this situation is that by writing about an event that you were representing means you melded the two, not your client.
As a PR or public affairs official, our jobs (at least part) is too garner positive publicity for our clients. It seems counterintiutive to write a derogatory coverage about an event you were supposed to be publicizing. The comments here seem to reflect that perception as well. Are we misunderstanding?
Rachel
RACHEL, could you link my photo credit to my website – thanks
http://www.daryl-hunter.com
Daryl – Just saw this. You got it. Don’t know why it wasn’t linked before. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!