Stop the Presses

As a form of tribute to the late comedian and counter-culture hero George Carlin’s seven dirty words, we thought that a discussion of another set of banned words might be appropriate today – given Carlin’s influence on communicators and marketers the world over.

A few weeks ago, the National Law Journal ran a front-page story detailing the fact that U.S. courts are banning the use of certain words in front of a jury. The courts claim that they are ensuring defendants’ rights to a fair trial. Prosecutors and victims’ rights advocates claim that the courts are going too far.

To date, banned terms include “rape,” “homicide,” “drunk,” “victim,” “murderer,” “killer,” and “crime scene.” Some white collar attorneys would also like to see words such as “embezzle” and “defraud” restricted.

Legal issues aside, this debate brings up a pertinent question for litigation communications professionals: Will prosecutors start turning to the media to lend more emotional weight to their cases with even greater frequency and intensity than before?

If so, one could argue that ex parte persuasion is about to become an even more critical component of prosecutors’ case strategy. It’s a well-known, if largely unspoken, fact that public communications strategies have played major roles in the outcomes of marquee cases in the past. Expect this phenomenon to only grow more significant if judges continue to ban the use of inflammatory rhetoric. Soon, the Court of Public Opinion may be the only place that prosecutors can make an emotional appeal.

Governments are notorious for fighting battles they know they can win – especially when picking the low-hanging fruit can divert attention from an escalating crisis.

Ronald Reagan did it in Grenada in 1983, when invading the tiny nation to root out Cuban and Soviet Communist influence helped take the nation’s mind off the tragic deaths of 241 American servicemen and women in the bombing of American Marine barracks in Beirut.

Today, the United States may be looking to do it again. Not with bullets, tanks, and fighter jets; but rather from the bully pulpit – staking out positions that Main Street’s fiscal health is still just as important as Wall Street’s accumulated wealth. (more…)

When Belgian brewing emporium InBev recently announced its offer to buy Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. – the maker of Budweiser and other beers – it created a media firestorm that resulted in a petition from Governor Matt Blunt of Missouri, where Anheuser-Busch is headquartered, seeking to stop the deal.

Websites such as SaveAB.com are protesting the sale on patriotic grounds.

And a headline on the front page of The Drudge Report mocked the buyout bid by playing off of Budweiser’s slogan: “This Bud’s for EU??”

This is just one of the many examples in which a proposed foreign buyout of an iconic American brand has sparked protectionist sentiment. The fact that other foreign buyouts of American landmarks – not only companies, but actual physical icons – have recently dominated the media also contributes to, and even enhances, these xenophobic feelings. (more…)

Standing before the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development yesterday, South Korea’s President, Lee Myung-Bak, spoke poignantly about the benefits and dangers of his nation’s emerging internet economy. Having just experienced unprecedented Internet-driven protests on the streets of his capital city, it’s a rather fitting topic for the President of the most wired country in the world to address.

In his speech, Lee spoke of the positive correlation between the expansion of the Internet and the development of a knowledge-based economy in South Korea. Today, his people are empowered to share knowledge and ideas at a staggering pace. But as president Lee recently learned, the Internet also affords individuals a degree of anonymity that can encourage the dissemination of “falsehoods and inaccurate information, threatening even rationality and trust.”

Allegations that U.S. beef would put society at risk tore through the online rumor mill with such ferocity that the South Korean government simply couldn’t keep up with a dissemination of disinformation that resembled a game of telephone taken to unimaginable extremes.

The 100,000 protesters that took to the streets of Seoul as a result serve as proof that blogs, social networks, and online forums have a power to mobilize like nothing we have seen before. To preserve their legitimacy, governments must be actively monitoring and engaging online media. As sociology professor Chun Sang-Chin of Sogang University noted, “We’re experimenting with a new kind of politics, and for many people the Internet has developed as the only platform for democracy.”

Last month, Shell CEO Jereon van der Veer offered the public a rare opportunity to directly question an energy industry leader when he participated in an online chat facilitated by the Times of London Online.

The issues covered ranged from skyrocketing fuel costs to climate change. But no matter the question, and no matter the tone, van der Veer’s responses were polite, comprehensive, and non-evasive – to the point that one commenter among the largely hostile group actually thanked him for his answers. (more…)

Yesterday, the Associated Press announced plans to meet with members of the blogging community in an attempt to, as AP Vice President Jim Kennedy put it, “define clear standards as to how much of its articles and broadcasts bloggers and Web sites can excerpt without infringing on The AP’s copyright.”

The AP’s move serves as further evidence that blogs are no longer new media, they are media – and as such, intimate knowledge of the blogging community is now just as important to communications professional as traditional media monitoring.

The time has come for companies and individuals to realize that there is no difference between Wolf Blitzer and Mayhill Fowler – the blogger who recently caused headaches for both the Obama and Clinton campaigns. Had Barack Obama or Bill Clinton exhibited a better grasp of the current media landscape, they may have responded to Fowler with a bit more tact and avoided the deluge of negative press that came after she uploaded their comments to The Huffington Post. (more…)

Reports of Japanese workers changing the ground rules that govern how they relate to their employers could well serve as harbingers for companies that span the globe. With virtually ubiquitous internet access, workers in other countries – and especially in places where the culture places the company over the individual – could see what is happening in Japan and begin to test their own independence through whistle blowing, litigation, or both.

If this phenomenon does expand, employers will of course have to deal with the legal issues in the courts. But there will be internal and external communications issues that will also demand attention. Being prepared will be critical. Surprises such as employee lawsuits – individual or class action – can have a crippling impact on a company’s reputation and ethos.

Furthermore, executives would be well advised to anticipate communications issues resulting from potential employee actions. They will be different for every company, but building an integrated team now – that includes professionals from the legal, human resources, investor relations, and communications disciplines – could be the difference between effective management of isolated employee actions and inadvertent encouragement of a broader cultural upheaval.

China’s nudge to Sudan on seeking peace in Darfur is remarkable from several political and diplomatic perspectives. Its public airing, however, is a major communications initiative for China, which seems to be leveraging the power of the global media more and more ahead of the Summer Olympics.

Operating for decades under a strict non-intervention philosophy, China has recently spoken out on several international issues that it previously only addressed in diplomatic forums such as the UN. By urging Sudan to deal with the Darfur situation in specific, clear language that refers directly to the humanitarian situation there, China enhances its image as a responsible member of the international community, willing to publicly rebuke a government with which it has close ties.

Such initiative may reflect a new sensitivity in Beijing to the benefits of more open communication. After all, Reuters moved the story on a global basis with giants such as The New York Times running it. It seems that China is learning that taking responsible positions on major controversies – especially humanitarian issues – will make world’s news media take notice and polish its image ahead of what promises to be a tumultuous Olympic season.

Monday’s announcement that Brazil will be forming a $200 billion sovereign wealth fund over the next three to five years is, at face value, a relatively benign story – as many countries have established sovereign wealth funds (investment funds owned and managed by sovereign governments) to bolster their economies.

The fact that the fund will be derived from oil revenues, however, is a recipe for potential public relations problems.

Oil revenue results from drilling, which can, in turn, result in a host of perception challenges related to environmental concerns, labor issues, and price gouging allegations.

While the Brazilian government has, thus far, successfully communicated its legitimate stance concerning the formulation of its fund, it must also be prepared to handle criticisms aimed at the source of its wealth.

Given the fact that other countries have fallen victim to such attacks, the Brazilian government should develop a clear and concise communications campaign to articulate the steps it takes to ensure that its oil interests are pursued in a manner that is as environmentally and fiscally conscious as possible. Inoculation now could mitigate serious attacks and misperceptions in the near future – a benefit that takes on added significance with a potentially protectionist 111th Congress on the horizon

Warnings about a possible connection between heavy cell phone use and malignant brain tumors are nothing new. They have re-surfaced so many times over the years that they have achieved urban legend status. With Senator Ted Kennedy’s recent brain cancer diagnosis, those scare stories are attracting fresh attention.

There is no credible scientific evidence linking cell phone use to anything worse than rude behavior in restaurants. But that shouldn’t give anyone in the cell phone business much comfort. When it comes to communicating about risk, the hard scientific facts are rarely sufficient to counter irrational fear and unfounded rumor.

In fact, most people worry about all the wrong things, even as they pay precious little attention to real risks that should scare them. When deciding what to worry about, most people are guided by emotional factors such as whether we feel we are in control of a particular risk or how familiar it seems. (more…)