Overwhelmed by Mis-Information

A few years back I was invited by the University of Maryland to attend a discussion about the future of sports journalism.  The panel was comprised of a collection of well respected media personalities, broadcasters and reporters, including ESPN's Scott Van Pelt -- a fellow Terrapin graduate.

It came time for Q&A and I asked Van Pelt if the pressure of producing and publishing content in Internet time had led to a decline in the accuracy of news reporting.  Specifically, I referenced ESPN's faulty report on football star Terrell Owens' attempted suicide. 

Understandably, Van Pelt defended his employer citing a police report as the source material for ESPN's reporting of this breaking news.

It wasn't the time or place to dive deeper into this issue, yet I would have made the point that perhaps someone from ESPN should have contacted Owens or the Dallas Cowboys (the team he played for at the time) for confirmation.  That's reporting, right?

A couple of recent developments brought this interaction with Van Pelt to mind:

1.  Washington Post sports columnist Mike Wise's month long suspension for knowingly sharing misinformation via Twitter to prove how inaccurate news spreads like a plague on the Internet.

2.  A good friend and former client self-publishing on Pitch Engine to combat a damaging profile in the Washington Business Journal.

3.  My colleague and partner Chris Parente tackling a client-related public relations issue created by near negligent reporting by the USA Today.

I am an ardent believer that there has been a shift in influence from traditional sources of information and credibility (i.e. news media, industry analyst firms and conferences) to the content and discussions in social networks and online communities. 

It's why Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) has reinvented its business during the past three years, transitioning from a public relations consultancy to a provider of social media marketing services.

Yet, I recognize the importance the business, sports, news and trade press have in shaping discussion and debate.  Personally, I'd be lost without the insight and analysis from BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Computerworld, Informationweek and the Washington Post.

This is why the precipitous decline in the quality and accuracy of news reporting is so disconcerting.  It will accelerate the importance of social networks which is beneficial for Strategic. 

However, I worry that the lack of credible, editor-reviewed content will leave us all overwhelmed by misinformation.

SEC Blesses Blogs for Reg FD

My colleague Shany Seawright turned me on to this significant (yet somewhat overlooked) announcement from the Securities and Exchange Commission:

SEC Provides Guidance to Open Up Use of Corporate Web Sites for Disclosures to Investors


Jennifer Leggio of ZDNet provides an excellent review and analysis of what this announcement means for public companies that use blogs and other forms of electronic media to communicate with key stakeholders.

SEC unanimously approves use of corporate blogs to meet Reg FD requirements

One Blogger's Betrayal

Something unexpected happened last week which caused me to betray the principles of the “Strategic Guy” blog.

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we counsel our clients at the onset of an executive blogging initiative about the importance of establishing an editorial mission and following the guidelines of journalistic integrity. These include:

1) Honesty when expressing opinions and assessments
2) Full disclosure of individuals and companies cited (no anonymous sources)
3) Acknowledgment of any relationships that may shape the views expressed

Last week I attended an executive networking event in which the speaker arrived late and unprepared. As a result, the presentation wandered through a number of topics without much in the way of structure or a central theme.

Bad enough…right? Well, the speaker also made a point of how their company’s culture is defined by integrity. This was followed by two anecdotes which completely disproved this assertion.

The first story detailed how they negotiated in bad faith with a vendor to secure more favorable contract pricing. There was then an account of their removal of equipment from a partner’s facility using a tactic of questionable legality.

I arrived back in my office well prepared to flame this speaker, while making a point about the requirement of public relations professionals to coach and prepare their executives before they hit the stage.

Then the press release crossed the wire. The CEO of a Strategic client was named to the Board of Directors of the speaker’s company (which is publicly traded). By providing full disclosure in my blog, I could potentially damage an important relationship.

A more daunting issue is one of ethical client representation. Strategic always acts in its clients’ best interests. Yet, one could credibly argue a critical post about this speaker could reflect poorly on our client.

So, I sacrificed my conviction to full disclosure. Did I do the right thing? Would you have done the same?

Altron's Unique Perspective

Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) is fortunate to be working on a corporate positioning and awareness campaign for government integration and services firm Altron. As part of our efforts, we've launched an executive blog for the company's new president, Mike Zaramba.

The initial post is an excellent read on how entrepreneurial-focused integrators in the public sector must strive to create a culture of opportunity for its employees.

Perspective: Executive Blog from Altron's Mike Zaramba
http://altroninc.blogspot.com/

InfoWeek's List of High Impact Blogs

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we continue to work with our clients to evaluate the blogosphere as a channel to message the market. It’s quite a challenge though to determine which bloggers have real influence and credibility, as well as a large enough readership base to justify an investment in resources.

There is simply not enough time in the week to talk to everyone. It’s all about prioritization.

An article this morning in Informationweek features an excellent selection of informative and high-impact blogs. The list covers areas including security, wireless, hardware and technology finance/investor relations.

If respected journalists such as Charles Babcock, Antone Gonsalves and John Foley are turning to these bloggers as credible sources, than there is a strong business case to reach out to them as part of your next campaign.


Top 60 Little-Known Technology Web Sites
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205917062&cid=nl_IWK_BTL

Feds Move on Social Media

Federal Computer Week's Jason Miller just wrote an interesting article about the continued adoption of social media by the current administration as a means of connecting more directly with key constitutencies.

White House to Blog about Middle East Trip
Federal Computer Week
http://www.fcw.com/online/news/151238-1.html


What does this mean for systems integrators, professional services providers and technology vendors selling into the public sector? For starters, the ability to post comments on these government executive blogs is a good way to increase visibility and demonstrate thought leadership with a particular agency. A good first step to incorporate a social media program in your marketing mix is to identify a list of target blogs, monitor their content using a service like Bloglines and provide comment, as appropriate.

It also presents a business case for government-focused organizations to consider launching an executive blog. At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we're working with a provider of professional services to federal agencies to stand up a blog in support of a corporate launch campaign.