I may know the reason that BP's early PR was so AWOL

Brent Boynton, formerly the news anchor on KOLO-TV, Reno’s ABC affiliate, conned me into attending this mornings monthly breakfast hosted by the local chapter of PRSA - Public Relations Society of America. We’re both stirring around, looking for our next professional adventure, and you have to do this sort of thing to keep your hand in, so to speak.

I’ve avoided getting aligned with this group simply because the great share of my PR experience has been for a large non-profit closely affiliated with the military, and was better fit with the NIOA - National Information Officers Association.

But Brent said, “oh, it’s going to be about Crisis Communications, and you’ll be interested in that.” True enough, and I thought the networking opportunity might be worthwhile, too.

Here was the official program:

“Successfully Responding to Crisis”

When things go wrong, what do you need to do as a communicator to get your organization back on track? What are the steps that lead to not only resolving the crisis, but also to repairing your organizations’ reputation?

The most well-intentioned projects and well-meaning companies can be rejected or ignored amid a chorus of naysayers drowning out their message. At our May luncheon, you’ll learn how to identify and refine the positive messages that will beat back that chorus and ensure the true issues are brought to the public’s attention. We’ll discuss how to create detailed message plans and outreach strategies to prevent misinformation from disrupting your efforts.

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Gibbons and Burns:Go shopping for a clue on health care reform

In response to suggestions that the Federal Government might actually have the right to insist that all Americans will get health insurance coverage - per the mandate of the new legislation - America’s craziest governor, Jim Gibbons, plans to join 13 other contestants (states) in suing the Federal Government.

“The federal government has no right to tell state residents that they have to go out and buy something,” said Dan Burns, Gibbons’ spokesman.

Oh, but Dan, this is how it works! Don’t you remember,  just two weeks after September 11th, we were all encouraged to go shopping by our Most Delusional Leader?

Here’s the difference between then and now: health insurance is actually better for you than, say, a $150 premium jeans, a big screen television or even a trip to Disney World.

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