Online Public Relations Thoughts

College and university campuses across the US have erupted in protests over the destruction of Gaza by a superior IDF.  Students are calling for an end to the violence and in some cases are anti-Semitic in tone and words.  This has posed a quandary for the administrations -- how to allow free speech yet control verbal attacks on Jews.  There have been no easy answers so far.  University administrators have been found wanting in relations with their student bodies and professors.  Hair-trigger responses to protests are poor PR, but patience hasn't worked well either.  Now is not a time to be the head of a university.

Former president Trump has mastered the craft of keeping the media spotlight on himself whether good or bad.  He is a publicity case study of seizing the headlines and holding onto them at will.  One might not like how he has done it, but it has worked for many months, far longer than one might expect.  Even if he is convicted, he will use his sentences for leverage.  One must respect his ability, whether likeable or not.  

The House and the Senate have proven with the military funding bills that bipartisanship works.  It's the result of hours of talking, jawboning and negotiation -- public and private pressure.  The legislative skill of the President was essential in breaking a logjam that started in September.  It should be a lesson to PR practitioners who use persuasion to achieve their communications ends.  Never give up.  Keep talking.  Provide facts and evidence. Hammer and hammer again until someone listens.  It's tough work but essential.  Changing hearts and minds is never easy.  

 Do what I say, not what I do.  Hypocrisy in action and poor PR.  

Public confidence in Israel requires that some of the senior military and civilian leadership step down over their failure to anticipate and prevent the Hamas October 7 attacks.  The resignations have begun with the military intelligence chief stepping away.  More to come... 

President Biden says he is going to raise tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum to protect American industry and workers.  Apparently he hasn't read an economics text book for why this is a bad idea.  Yet, his message is favorable to the unions who work in these US plants and they support it wholeheartedly.  Who will pay?  Consumers, of course, when the charge for raw materials climbs domestically.  But, that is far enough off that Biden needn't worry about it now. His message is short-sighted and wrong but popular nonetheless.  

Tesla's board wants to reinstitute Elon Musk's $56 million pay package and is asking shareholders to reapprove it.  The unanswered question is whether Musk will pay close attention to the carmaker if he gets the largesse.  Recent news reports have concluded that Musk has lost interest in Tesla.  Its sales are dropping.  It has no new models in the works.  Other EV makers are quickly catching up.  Tesla has started laying off workers.  Tesla has competition for the first time.  Will Musk take them on or scurry to the sidelines and watch his company go belly-up?. 

Tesla has settled a lawsuit brought by the family of a mam who was driving one of its vehicles in  autonomous mode.  The family's suit cited Musk for "repeatedly exaggerating the capabilities of Tesla’s self-driving car technology."  Musk hyped the self-driving mode for years even when it was shown that self-driving failed during key steering decisions.  Other autonomous companies, notably Waymo with a far more sophisticated system, has never rolled out its technology to the public at large.  They have learned that driving is far more nuanced than hardware and software can handle or anticipate.  But Musk wouldn't back off and now he is paying the wages of hype.

It used to be a sign from the gods.  Now it is a tourist attraction.  How ideas have changed.   

Israel's good reputation is lost on the world stage and has been replaced by that of a sanguineous bully mowing down noncombatants and aid workers alike.  It will take a long time for the country to win back the perception of an upright and caring citizen of the Middle East -- even if it starts now. 

To digital photographers for whom 45 megapixels is large, this camera is BIG.  A total of 3.2 billion pixels per image and a 10-year lifespan to deliver 60 petabytes of data.  It is the largest astronomy camera ever made.  That's worth noting in press releases and PR fact sheets.    

 Already abuse of AI is prevalent and individuals need to protect themselves.  It is an enormous opportunity for communicators to get the facts out in the face of misinformation.  

It is almost certain that the Israeli army did not plan to kill members of the World Central Kitchen but seven are dead today from an Israeli strike.  The sends a message that no one is safe in Gaza and humanitarian efforts are dangerous.  It is not the communication Israel wants, but it is the one that faulty intelligence has produced.  The US is intimately familiar with such military error.  It has happened to the US in its foreign interventions and sent the wrong messages as well.  There is no good way to eliminate the fog of war.  Intelligence to some degree will always be faulty, which is why diplomacy is the better answer if at all possible.  

Hyundai and Kia are playing with fire in their delayed vehicle recall.  Their reputations hang in a balance and any ignition from leaking brake fluid will tilt the beam against them.  The companies plead extenuating circumstances but that is not enough for consumers who watch their cars burn.