Maple Leaf PR: praise and pans

While Maple Leaf is getting good coverage for the way it’s handling the listeria crisis, some in the blogosphere take a dimmer view. Check out the Financial Post (for) and Warren Kinsella (against, concommitant with a small political firestorm.) Scroll down on Kinsella.

Financial Post, August 26 2008

Warren Kinsella’s blog

NATIONAL ENQUIRER BANKRUPT???!!!! (Elvis, aliens distraught)

Yes, it could happen. The venerable scandal rag’s parent company is floating a bond to stave off bankruptcy. Yes, it’s focus was limited, primarily to sex scandals involving public figures (Bill Clinton, John Edwards), but it is to be hoped its unique voice won’t be lost. Preview below, unless you want to read the full report in today’s Report on Business.

Wall St. Journal, 28 August 2008

NY Times takes financial hit

Ad revenues down 16 per cent, overall revenues down 10 per cent. The US newspaper industry is continuing to bleed. It is unique though. Around the world, Canadian and European newspapers are generally steady (ad/circulation revenue at plus/minus three per cent a quarter, depending on the time of year.) China and India are booming. The US newspapers have been hit by a double whammy of the credit crunch and the burst housing bubbles. Discretionary spending is tightening, and hitting staples of newspaper ads such as cars, houses, entertainment etc.

Associated Press, August 26 2008

An “old” technology strikes back

Yes, radio is having a great year, despite downloads, Ipods, Jpods, X-files and whatever other flavor of the day technology pops up.

Canadian Press, August 25 2008

Stats Canada, August 25 2008

Feds cut funds for magazines, books, video

The Globe and Mail reports today a $44.8 million cutback in the arts, particularly affecting the very vulnerable book and magazine industries. At least they’re not trying to spin this as an advantage to the arts movement.

“When we find examples of programs that are clearly not meeting their objectives, without apologies we will cancel them. That is the entire purpose of Strategic Review. We owe that to taxpayers,” Mr. Teneycke added, calling PromArt “a boondoggle.”

Globe and Mail, August 21, 2008

Another attempt to bury bad news fails

Today it’s the B.C. gov’t that gets raked over the coals for trying to bury news, instead of just address it. The Globe’s Gary Mason provides very cogent arguments for why this tactic always fails. This is prompting a new file: Burying the News.

Globe and Mail, August 19 2008

Free electronic media monitoring, and some limitations

The Financial Post yesterday ran a good story on a couple of free web sites that will monitor media for you. As a balance, BurrellesLuce discusses some of the drawbacks (you have to register to hit the actual brief BurrellesLuce piece.)

Financial Post, August 18 2008

BurrellesLuce, August 19 2008

Court decides media are not evidence gatherers for police

A long standing bone of contention between police and media is police subpoening video and audio of criminal acts for use as evidence. The police argues it is vital information to protect public safety; media respond that police should collect their own evidence. After a hockey riot in Montreal last April, a Quebec Superior Court sided with the media.

The Gazette, August 19 2008

CNW joins Marketwire in social media releases

Now two of the major news release services in Canada can connect you with social media as well as MSM in your releases. Bias alert: Marketwire is a sponsor of In the News: The Practice of Media Relations in Canada.

PRweek, August 18, 2008

Magazines pirated

An offshore web site is downloading magazines without copyright. I don’t care what your opinion is, it’s still illegal.

CTV, August 15 2008