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The most media-driven White House in history

“The Obama administration has started with 14 professionals working in the office of the press secretary—and an astounding 47 more devoted to other aspects of media and message—which is significantly more than the communications staffs of many Fortune 500 corporations. But the media operation goes deeper than that. It’s more central than in any previous administration, and run more knowledgeably.”

-- Vanity Fair columnist Michael Wolff in The Power and the Story, on the administration’s seemingly total control of the press.

Ten years later, the face of Columbine looks in a mass media mirror

National media played up Oprah Winfrey's decision to pull a previously-taped show that was to commemorate the Columbine High School massacre ten years ago.  Winfrey decided that the show "focused too much on the killers."

One of the people on the canceled show was Columbine High School principal Frank DeAngelis, who's had a constant presence in media coverage leading up to and during the ten-year anniversary.

Some critics argue that media is focusing far too much on Columbine's principal as well.

Westword media columnist Michael Roberts finds something "unsettling" about how eagerly DeAngelis seems to be engaging with the press, considering the criticism and lawsuits that alleged he had not done enough to prevent two teenage boys from murdering 12 students and a teacher. Roberts writes:

Perhaps he's simply trying to be responsive to press inquiries, of which he's no doubt swamped on a regular basis -- although saying "yes" to every request tends to reinforce the equating of Columbine and school shootings, as opposed to emphasizing that the school has moved on...

Or maybe he's interested in establishing himself as the person most responsible for bringing Columbine back from an unimaginable nightmare, as opposed to helping to fuel problems that may have contributed to the event.

Sure, DeAnglelis wants credit.  He deserves it.  But to suggest there's no more to it echos an unfortunately typical black-or-white, sincere-or-insincere interpretation of people who put themselves in the media limelight after such tragedies.

People are more complicated than that.  And that includes people like DeAngelis, who looked a killer in the eyes and missed being killed himself by a few inches before kids slaughtered kids in his school.

"You start reading about yourself, and people are saying you have blood on your hands," DeAngelis told the Denver Post. " You receive threats on your life. And it gets to the point where you ask, 'Are they right?  Am I a bad person?'

Being public through mass media seems one way that the face of Columbine is helping to answer to those questions.
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(Photo courtesy of the Denver Post)

When the past becomes today's crisis

History is one of the trickiest areas of crisis management. Even with the most sincere intentions, an organization's presentation of the past can explode in emotionally charged controversy.

Here's a perfect example:

Many veterans are fighting the Indianapolis Veteran Administration hospital's decision to remove an old newspaper from a historical display because it contained the headline, "Japs Surrender."  The hospital replaced the newspaper with one simply headlined, "Peace."

The newspaper had been on display for ten years until a new employee complained that it was offensive.  The VA Ethics Office agreed that the hospital did the right thing to avoid creating a hostile work environment.

Supporters of the decision to yank the newspaper remind people that Congress passed a resolution in 1986 acknowledging that the term "Jap" is racially derogatory and offensive.

That doesn't fly with angry veterans and others who have inundated the hospital, media and government offices with protests.

"Any Marine will tell you that, in this day and age, they damn well know the term 'Jap' is a rude and insulting remark -- that is not the issue," a decorated Vietnam vet told one news outlet.  "But you've got people here who are trying to change history."

It's a classic damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't controversy.

And it's a reminder.  Your crisis plan must not only consider how you respond to events that might happen in the future, but also how you represent events that did happen long ago.
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Bottom photo: Historic newspaper display at Indianapolis VA hospital (Courtesy Indy.Com )

More good reasons to not do my timesheets

When the going gets calamitous, the calamitous get going:

... Famous book-selling pastor David Wilkerson predicts an "earth-shattering calamity" of Biblical proportions centered in New York City that will spread around the world.

... Prince Charles says we have 100 months to save the world from cataclysmic climate change. That's 8.333333 years. We have even less time because this week is already this week.

... Russian Foreign Ministry School dean Igor Panarin says President Obama will order marshal law this year and the U.S. will collapse before 2011.

... A group called "End World 2012" lists several reasons why the big send-off might coincide with the end of the Mayan calendar on December 24 that year.

... Billionaire Warren Buffett said the nation's economy has "fallen off a cliff."

On the good side, the Wall Street Journal has discovered Twitter and "Octomom's" second publicist quit because his client "got real greedy." Maybe there's still hope for us all.
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Goodbye, Rocky Mountain News.

And just like that, it's gone.

Colorado's first newspaper, The Rocky Mountain News, closes today just shy of its 150th birthday.  That leaves the Denver Post as the only daily newspaper for a region that the Brookings Institution calls one of the top five emerging economic and political centers of the central U.S.

Many folks around here lament that Denver lost the better newspaper.  The Rocky won four Pulitzers in the last decade.  It ranked high among the nation's best best business sections, sports sections and photojournalism teams.  The Rocky's business newsroom in particular had a remarkable consistency, with veteran reporters who knew far more about the industries they covered than the PR people who called to shill press releases.

You don't see that much in cities our size.  Not any more.

Most importantly, the Rocky's demise means less journalism that matters.  As my friend and Rocky business editor Rob Reuteman writes in his last column:

"There will be many nooks and crannies around this town that won't see the light of day any more.  It will be somewhat easier for all manner of crooks to prosper. Corruption at all levels of government will grow some.  Politicians will escape embarrassment.  Businesses will will hoodwink their employees and shareholders. More taxpayer money will be wasted.  And far fewer people will be looking out for you.  I'm talking about trained, dedicated, experienced journalists who know what to look for and know how to get it bin front of you to read in digestible form."

We can't say when or even if anything will fill the void created by the Rocky's loss. 

In the meantime, we should look back on one of the nation's best newspapers with thanks and admiration.
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Buzz words for a new, more newer new world

2.0 ... For a second straight year, marketing executives surveyed by Anderson Analytics said they were sick of hearing Web 2.0, a term coined in 2004 to mean a better designed, collaborative Internet.  Today two-point-oh means anything that's supposed to be better than yesterday's anything.  There's Wine 2.0. Sales 2.0. Beanie Babies 2.0.  Even Reuters reports how the global financial crisis has everyone "hoping that Capitalism 2.0... will result in a more equal society."  Sounds good.  But we're already looking forward to Capitalism 3.0.

Change ... Okay, you saw this one coming.  But it's astonishing to hear so many politicos, talking heads and executives talking about change like we just discovered gravity. Maybe they're talking about Change 2.0.  It's possible the word has already become a metaphor for unrealistic expectations: After basing his entire campaign on "change," President Obama used the word only once in his inauguration speech.

Transformational ... Remember when companies stopped selling stuff and started selling solutions? Transformational could become that big.  That means solutions companies will start selling transformational solutions.

And that means we're a fast buzzboat to Transformational Change 2.0.  You heard it here first.
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Links to Google search for:

• "Transformational Change" (158,000 results prior to this post)
• "Change 2.0" (22,000 results prior to this post)
• "Transformational Change 2.0" (No results prior to this post)

Change we can stop talking about now

Change. Change We Can Believe In. The Change We Need.

The word "change" anchored Obama's campaign. Change was the theme, the message, the promise and the deliverable.

Yet the term that defined a candidacy might be less desirable in the lexicon of a president.

In his inauguration speech, President Obama used the word "change" only twice, and both in the same sentence:

"For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

By comparison, Senator Obama said "change" 13 times in his Democratic convention acceptance speech.
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Best of Scatterbox - 2009 Edition

Based on comments, links and other highly unscientific measurements, here are the top ten Scatterbox posts from the last year:

Five things you didn't realize you learned from Obama's victory

Good intentions aren't good crisis management

Best worst excuse to avoid jury duty: Your studly hotness

Big brand doody from the toilet paper wars

What's missing from your communications plan

The low risk, high rise of phony grassroots groups

Hate mail and other comments from our readers

Blah Blah Nation: PR people promote the value of blogging by boring readers to death

John Edwards scandal shows conflicting truths about mainstream media

How the PR business is changed forever (And why you might not be in it)

... Have an idea or link to suggest? Send to scatterbox(@)stevensilvers.com.

Super Black Eye Sunday

The regular-season finale between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions might impact the NFL's reputation more than the next Super Bowl.

One of two things will happen.

Either the Lions will lose and become the first NFL franchise in 32 years to go an entire season without winning a game.

Or Detroit wins, making the Packers the first NFL franchise in history to lose to a 0-15 team.

In these bad economic times, either scenario will cost the NFL some of its famously premium brand value. The Lions have already announced plans to reduce or freeze prices for season tickets next season.
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Obama: The Man, the Myth, the Cheesy Collector Plate

Barack Obama's historic election has launched the biggest global gift shop since JFK and Elvis.

Tee-shirts, coffee cups and posters are selling wildly in stores, web sites and alleyways across America. Washington D.C. Metro is selling a commemorative five-dollar farecard for ten bucks. A life-size peel-and-stick Obama poster goes for $89.95. The Obama "That One" Mino camcorder goes for $179.99. An Obama Yes We Can wall clock, $24.95. A framed, autographed 8x10 photo, $868.55. A 15-inch model of Obama's airplane, $280. An Obama Swarovski Crystal Rhinestone tee, $36.00.

The Franklin Mint is on back-order for its collectible 50-cent piece with an Obama-Biden sticker on one side - price $19.95 plus shipping. Trademark applications are pouring in for things like "Broccoli Obama" and "ObamaLand." Even Obama's official campaign website is still pushing product, offering deals like an official Democratic National Convention Water Bottle sale priced at only $6.00 ("You save $6.00!").

And then there's the hyper-cheesy, incessantly advertised Change Has Come! Victory Plate, which is indeed a plate decorated with a picture of Obama looking stage left and bearing the official seal of the "American Historic Society," which doesn't really exist. Order now and you'll also receive the "special commemorative stand to perfectly display your Victory Plate!" It's just a little plastic plate holder, of course. But to millions of Americans, it's Victory. Only $19.95, limit two.

Washington Post writer Howard Kurtz notes that the nation's news media have played a big part in merchandising the President-elect for profit. ABC and USA Today are pushing books, and NBC News is selling a DVD titled, "Yes We Can: The Barack Obama Story." Newsweek offers a picture-book, "Obama's American Dream" and a Time Magazine cover depicted Obama as the new FDR. The New York Times has heralded the coming of "Generation O" in its ad-driven fashion section.

"What's troubling here goes beyond the clanging of cash registers," Kurtz writes. "Media outlets have always tried to make a few bucks off the next big thing. The endless campaign is over, and there's nothing wrong with the country pulling together, however briefly, behind its new leader. But we seem to have crossed a cultural line into mythmaking."

Maybe he's right. But on the other hand, ObamaMania might get Americans spending more this holiday season, prompting banks to open up their business credit lines so retailers can order millions more Victory Plates. Who knows. America's recession might start to turn around thanks to the economic stimulus of Obamacession.

We Americans know how to make markets out of myths. That's just history.
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