Wow. I've been ignoring the blog for far too long, and I sit to write today feeling more skeptical than ever. When did everything around us start to contradict itself? When did parents start siding with their children when they got in trouble at school instead of immediately telling the kids they were also in trouble at home? And when did doing something wrong suddenly become acceptable just because you could get away with it or fool someone into thinking you hadn't done anything wrong?
Although we make every effort to keep DynamicMediaRelations free of political discussion or opinions, some intriguing articles hit the Web today that demand we talk about the election in light of an awful problem that has taken hold of not only politics but corporate messaging in general: As the consumer news media continues to evolve into a mouthpiece for consistently repetitive organizations of all sizes, shapes and colors, communicators have thrown ethics out the window all because they can ... because deception works ... because if you say something enough, people will eventually believe it to be true.
With that, I will climb off my soap box, but not before sharing a couple pieces of required reading for all communications and messaging professionals. Please keep the ethics of our profession in mind. Please don't join the ranks of those seeking the best results at any cost who will do whatever it takes to get their story told in their messages.
So with no further adeau, don't miss these wonderful reminders of our need to not abuse the power of the pedastal:
"Shading -- or ignoring -- truth on the campaign trail"The Los Angeles Times, September 14, 2008
"John McCain's Journey From Maverick to Liar"U.S. News & World Report, September 15, 2008
Remember, being the media's only source of information on a particular organization or topic in no way gives us the right to spout lies! In fact, we have a responsibility to protect the integrity and respect of our industry as a whole (at least what's left of it).