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What if the White House had a community manager?

Started by Jake McKee · 10 months ago

The NPR “Fresh Air” podcast recently had an episode made up of a collection of interview snippets from former White House press secretaries from Marlin Fitzwater to Scott McClellan.
As a huge fan of The West Wing, I was always fascinated by the role of CJ, the fictio ... Continue reading »

3 comments

  • Michael Chin

    10 months ago

    Well said! This is exactly why I think there's a HUGE opportunity for the PR agencies of the world. There are so many reasons why they're suited for this job. Problem is, most don't get it and still treat it like traditional media relations--most are trained to immediately take a defensive posture, trying to control stories & take away transparency. We should NOT expect brands to give up complete control but the opportunity is THERE for some REAL conversations. Can PR agencies evolve?
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  • Michael E. Rubin

    10 months ago

    "Above all else, they are a defensive tool that has, at least in the past, inherently blocked true transparency." Jake, in some cases, they are kept in the dark deliberately and their ignorance is used by others as a defensive tactic. Scott McClellan has repeatedly said he was kept out of meetings and briefings specifically so he would not be obligated to report to the press what he had heard. Years after Watergate, Nixon press secretary Ron Ziegler denied ever having knowingly lied to the press and claimed he was used as a "vehicle for a cover-up."

    I also would love to see a press secretary more in the mode of a community manager. The job description would have to dramatically change, though. It would become less about spinning the message or making the boss look good and more about connecting sources (reporters to White House staff?). You know yourself that acting as a community manager means being more of a Yenta than a paid mouthpiece.

    Personally, I'd love to see the press secretary start blogging. Something tells me that the "gotcha" culture of Washington, D.C. would never allow for it to happen.

    Michael -- It's not just PR agencies that need to evolve, it's the clients. Speaking as someone who used to work as the "emerging media guy" at a PR agency, I can tell you that many of the clients are nowhere near ready for that kind of conversational PR. Most still want a simple black and white spreadsheet at the end of the month along with the billings that explain "I paid for X and got Y." Social media doesn't really work that way, and it's going to take a lot of education to explain that 10 positive comments in a blog post equals as much if not more than an obscure placement in a New York Times piece.

    This is not a pessimistic statement. I really believe that we're getting there. But it's going to take a while and is certainly not going to happen overnight.

    And just for the record -- one of my favorite CJ Cregg quotes was "We screwed up by telling the truth."

    Also for the record -- I had a crush on CJ Cregg and still want to be Leo McGarry when I grow up. Don't tell anyone. *grin*

    ...Michael

    ----
    312-932-9000 / michael@blogcouncil.org / twitter: merubin
    I am a Blog Council employee and this is my personal opinion.
    reply
  • scottmonty

    10 months ago

    Hey, sign me up for any job that would let me go toe-to-toe with the likes of Helen Thomas and Sam Donaldson. Intelligent, passionate people who are willing to shout are much more fun to work with than the silent types who just write down what you say and go on their merry way.
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