Author Robert Glennon Speaks at U of M

On Feb. 22, Robert Glennon (pictured above with Deborah Swackhamer), author of Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It, addressed the “urgent water crisis" in our country in a free public lecture at the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul Student Center Theater.

The lecture was sponsored by local nonprofit, and Lilja client, Freshwater Society, celebrating 2010 – The Year of Water, a yearlong series of activities organized by the Freshwater Society to increase public awareness about water issues.

Among the media outlets that covered the event, the U of M student newspaper Minnesota Daily wrote an excellent piece that gives us at Lilja hope for the future of journalism.

With the news media in a state of disarray and budget cuts stretching today’s reporters (who, make no mistake, are excellent in their profession) thin, it seems that journalism would be an unattractive job for the future. But we are happy to see that is not the case, with young capable journalists-to-be ensuring the survival of the free press into the future.

-- Alex Cook

When Bad Publicity is Actually Good

PR professionals have debated if there really is “no such thing as bad publicity” since time began (or at least, since the profession began).

In the spirit of a healthy point/counterpoint to my colleague Alex, I am going to assert that bad publicity can be good – it all depends on how the situation is handled.

There really, truly are situations where bad publicity can help achieve the goals of an organization or person. While we instinctively think a bad situation would draw negative visibility, a bad situation handled properly and with good, solid communications, can actually increase positive thoughts about that person, product or organization.

One may point to Toyota and their handling of faulty brakes as an example of bad publicity being bad. While this isn’t the first time a company has dealt with a product safety issue, others have pulled it off gracefully and with their reputation intact. In contrast, Tylenol’s handling of cyanide-laced caplets in the early 1980’s is the classic example of good crisis management.

Amazing: something dubbed the “Tylenol Murders” by media actually helped Tylenol reinforce its dedication to product safety.

Every issue has two sides. It is the responsibility of the organization in question to react and present their side of the story in a swift and responsible manner. The question is not will communication take place – the question is how you will manage it.

-- Alicia DeMatteo