Cyber security is a big and growing problem. Not just hackers trying to get at your hard drive through sneaky emails and other phishing schemes. There are bad guys out there who want to do things like take down the power grid or bring transportation systems to their knees. The threats are real and many.

There is a definite and proper role for strong, coordinated government action to protect the country from cyber-attack, and Congressional legislation on this issue has been inevitable for some time. But who in government should have that responsibility — and the substantial authority that accompanies it — is up for grabs, and a major power play is unfolding.

Continue reading " Why Professional Communicators Should Care About CISPA "

As 2010 comes to a close, I look back and reflect on a year that changed how the National Education Association (NEA) and other national advocacy organizations manage their public relations. For NEA, three key events changed how we manage advocacy communication: passage of health care reform legislation (a win for NEA and its members) and the education jobs bill (meant to save more than 200,000 educators’ jobs), and the effects of the midterm elections.

For public relations professionals, what’s important about these events — health care reform, the jobs bill and the election — is how public relations demonstrated its value as part of a national member-driven advocacy campaign.

Continue reading " How Advocacy Communication Evolved in 2010 "

Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from Roger Dooley, a writer, speaker and researcher in marketing, and in particular the use of neuroscience and behavioral research.

I tend to be more of a consumer of public relations than a creator. I’ve done my share of press releases and media interviews, but I’m bombarded with many times that quantity of public relations messages — news releases, book review requests, story suggestions and so on. Sadly, most of what I see is ineffective.

Continue reading " Engage Your Audience with Stories "

It’s been seven weeks since 11 workers were killed in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. The resulting oil leak continues to pour thousands of barrels a day into the Gulf of Mexico — despite all attempts to stop it — and now surpasses the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill as the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

Continue reading " Can the BP Brand Survive Tony Hayward? "

One of the best things about teaching at The City College of New York is overseeing internships for advertising and public relations students.

At their frequent best, internships benefit both students and their sponsors. They provide students with invaluable experience bridging the gap between academia and the real world. Students apply what they’ve learned to the public relations business and are exposed to workplace demands, deadlines, expectations and culture. They learn how to adapt to the workplace and its politics. Best of all, successful interns often are hired upon graduation.

Continue reading " Making Internships Work (Without Breaking the Law) "