Yesterday, I received an interesting phone call from Dave Forster of the Virginian-Pilot asking about the blog “Inside Suffolk Virginia“, an obviously local blog that covers mainly the goings-on in local government, which has had their request to receive press releases denied by the city’s press secretary.
Personally, this baffles me.
In today’s highly saturated media market, with many voices competing to be heard, including the established ones, why would any organization not want to find more avenues to communicate?
Debbie George, the director of media and community relations, said news releases are for media outlets, and she does not consider a blog to be one.
“If I add one blog, then I have to add all the blogs,” she said.
The city has not received any other requests from bloggers to get on the e-mail list, she said. News releases – the city sends out roughly 15-20 a week – to the media currently go to about 35 e-mail addresses, mostly at local newspapers and TV stations.
Indeed you do, Ms. George. It’s not like there are all sorts of requests pouring in to read Suffolk press releases and that this would be terribly taxing.
The reality is that as an organization, having your messages embedded, even in a web site that is critical to your operations, is better than having no message at all. At least you are giving the reader a choice to agree or disagree. With no message included, you have no voice in the discussion.
And, if the city of Suffolk is concerned about their message being twisted by a blogger, a carefully crafted press release will prevent that from happening. If the messages included are clear, consistent, and credible, it will be very difficult for bloggers with an ax to grind to take the messages out of context.
But perhaps the most egregious error of this whole episode is not the theoretical communications discussion about the changing landscape of public relations, but that rule 101 of PR was violated — the spokesman became the story.
I highly doubt city council and the city of Suffolk wants to be perceived as behind-the-times and not “transparent.” But because the spokesman wouldn’t add one lousy address of one squeaky wheel, they are.
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. 
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Suffolk is silly. It’s not like city press releases contain the most earth-shattering hard news. You’d think the city would want their side out to as many people as possible.
It’s not like the Pilot holds the presses daily until it hears from Suffolk city government.
Seems to me with all the folks recently bailing out of Ms. Johnson’s fiefdom (whether by their own coice or not)there’s a pretty Tsarist regime there. This is probably just the latest example of Linda J’s ham handedness.
What a bunch of absolute morons. Any press person in the year 2008 who denies access to bloggers, should be dragged out back and stoned with those IBM selectric typewriter balls and lead type from 19th century presses.
Let the punishment fit the crime.
The story even gets better. Our local paper, the Suffolk News Herald has come out ont he side to the City and Ms. George. The SNH believes that bloggers are undeserving and should be excluded. It almost looks like they are evious of the almost 20,000 who read the blog, given the fact that their own circulation is about 4,200… I posted the fllowing comment to their editorial today: http://www.hamptonroadsmedia.com/articles/2008/08/06/news/opinion-comment/our_opinion/opin1.txt
It is interesting to see this type of opinion, opined on this restrictive forum that hangs itself out to be representative of the community. The Suffolk News Herald has sunk to an all time low to say the least and I also would like to know who wrote this article…??? They must live on another planet from the rest of us. The purported purpose of the Press Releases is to disseminate PUBIC information. Why would there be any reluctance to give it to anyone that wanted to spread it wide and far? It seems that the statement that “we don’t want some people to have it” is more than true.
It seems that the SNH has become little more than the mouthpiece for the City Administration. When you purport to be unbiased, it would help to have fact and deportment on your side. It is also interesting to see how the SNH manipulates comments and articles for a certain point of view, so perspective is in the eye of the beholder…
Any comments???
Roger