Politics and PR
By Brittany Robinson
This past year has been a whirlwind for politics and the American People. From the election of the first African American president to the fall of our economy, public relations is as important now as it ever has been.
Throughout our public relations studies at Gaylord College, we have always been taught to respond in a timely manner. In the words of Mr. Mossman, OU's Media Relations Director, "If you respond too quickly you might not have all the facts and say the wrong thing. If you wait too long, your going to look stupid and not prepared ."
My example of how correct Mr. Mossman is in this statement goes hand in hand in crisis management and how public figures need to address issues quickly.
On March 24th, President Obama held a press conference addressing the war, his current budget proposal and other pressing issues such as the current economic situation. After giving his speech, President Obama opened the floor for reporters to ask questions. CNN Reporter Ed Henry asked the President why he waited several days to go public with his outrage over the AIG scandal. President Obama's response was, "I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." Also, many found that there was a look or glare given to Mr. Henry after that statement.
This particular example shows that the media will keep any person or company in check on the timeliness of their responses and actions. When I heard this my immediate thought was that this was exactly the type of thing we learn in public relations. This just happens to be a concrete example with a high power individual that demonstrates the importance of planning for a crisis or responding to an issue in a timely fashion.
