Thursday, June 10, 2010
Another Awful BP Spill
Thanks to Talking Points Memo.
Meanwhile, BP once again proves how inept it is at PR -- by complaining that the obvious-parody Twitter feed needs to state clearly that it's a parody!
Well, on the upside, BP does help BPGlobalPR's public relations!
Monday, June 07, 2010
New "Public" Enemy No. 1
POLITICO'S Maggie Haberman (my erstwhile Post colleague) and Ben Smith report on the bipartisan backlash against public employee unions. Two factors are driving this: 1) The fiscal challenges all states are facing -- partly created by overly-generous benefit and pension plans; and 2) The education reform pushed by the administration that is giving states leeway to demand work-rules changes and concessions from teachers unions.
Key point here: Public employees are no longer perceived as overworked and underpaid. Instead, they are seen as having much more privileged existence as their counterparts in the private sector. In New York, the teachers unions ganging up on charter schools -- which have produced better academic results than the traditional public schools -- has caused a revolt among minority parents who see charters as a way up for their children.
|
Key point here: Public employees are no longer perceived as overworked and underpaid. Instead, they are seen as having much more privileged existence as their counterparts in the private sector. In New York, the teachers unions ganging up on charter schools -- which have produced better academic results than the traditional public schools -- has caused a revolt among minority parents who see charters as a way up for their children.
Labels: organized labor, public employee unions, teachers unions
Helen Gone
A handy primer on the "Helen Thomas problem" from The Washington Post's Dave Weigel. Yes, she has First Amendment right to say Israel should "get the hell out of Palestine" and go back to Europe. But there is no "right" to a prestigious slot in the White House press room and no "right" to be recognized by presidents or White House press secretaries during press conferences and gaggles.
|
Labels: Anti-Semitism, Helen Thomas, Israel
