WP and Rex bicker in a diplomatic manner about public relations, government, media, technology and more.


WP: Here’s one hot off the press about the Obama Administration’s refusal to allow news photographers access to the Oval Office to shoot pictures of the new president’s first day in office. Instead, they sent out their own photo but three wire services refused to use the picture. To me, it raises a lot of big questions about the mindset of the new administration with respect to media relations – and public relations.

Rex: It’s been only three days since we have had the new president in power. We are all watching him closely, but don’t you think it’s a little premature to draw conclusions?

WP: Maybe, but as a big Obama supporter I worry that it’s a self-inflicted wound. I’m concerned that it suggests a fortress mentality somewhere in the White House. I hope it’s just a case of confusion, a first-day miscue. It’s worth noting that on the same day he dismantled the stone wall the Bush Administration had erected against Freedom of Information Act requests. That was gratifying and way more important than a blown photo op, but still …

Rex: Self-inflicted wounds have not been Obama’s style. He’s been a few steps ahead of rivals for the whole year and ahead of media during the transition. Maybe he’s just busy and wants to put an end to such phony rituals as the “first day at work” shoot.

WP: That would be more credible if they didn’t distribute their own shot, which the AP called a “visual news release.” It’s baffling because he made brilliant use of “earned media” throughout his campaign.

Rex: Can’t help looking at it from the standpoint of Government 2.0 and all the digital media initiatives we have seen so far: Obama’s video blog, the BlackBerry debate and whitehouse.gov. Why bother with the mainstream when you have social media that has made your campaign a success?

WP: Good point. When you have names of 13 million supporters in an email database your ARE the proverbial “guy who buys ink by the barrel,” i.e., the kind of force we used to say politicians shouldn’t mess with. On the other hand, he could have had his cake and eaten it in this case. I don’t think the MSM is quite dead yet. There is still a big audience for “objective” information.

Rex: Certainly not dead but adjusting. I thought the MSM was trying to make an exemplary case since it’s not the first time Obama’s keeping the press at arm’s length. What about the reader’s interest?

WP: Reality matters. And it’s a slippery slope once you start staging news events, Wagging the Dog, as it were.

Rex: Spoken like a true PR practitioner! NOT. We see “staged” events all the time in our industry. I don’t think this was a misstep or miscue. It’s been thought through, and might have been a signal to the media that things will be done differently. The question is how? I’d like to think that the new administration understands that talking to the American public directly is now a real possibility. This is not to say that the role of the mainstream media is diminished. We need them to have the access that none of us will.

WP: I don’t think most of us expect our news releases to be used verbatim, though it’s happening more as the media lay off thousands of journalists. Doing that will be slow suicide for the media involved and a long-term threat to us in PR as well. News releases play an important catalytic role in the news process but they shouldn’t be mistaken for news. Nor should “White House photos” from the president’s staff.

Chime in if you have any thoughts on the matter!