Obama and Kanye – Off the Record
After the media frenzy about Obama’s comment regarding Kanye West’s actions during the VMA Awards, many people have questioned the relevance of “off record comments.” Who is at fault for Obama’s comments ending up on Twitter? Obama? The ABC News employees?
The LA Times referred to the situation as, “Obama, Kanye West and the trouble with Twitter.” However, according to most public relations professionals, the problem is not with Twitter or the ABC New employees, but rather with Obama. It’s not because he’s a democrat, but it is because he is a public figure.
When politicians, executives, or any other public figure speaks with the media, there are certain written and unwritten rules they should all know. These rules are not a secret, but a basic part of spokesperson training. One of those rules is that off the records does not guarantee you won’t read it in the paper.
Although CNBC granted an explicit agreement with the White House that Obama’s pre-interview chitchat was off the record, there are still certain things Obama should not have said. Public figures have to realize off the record does not grant immunity and that social media is desperately waiting for their next comment.
Off the Record does not Exist
Most public relations professionals, executives and spokespeople know “off the record” no longer exists. The problem with saying something off the record is two fold. The first problem lies in the memory. If a spokesperson or executive tells a reporter something off the record during an interview, the likelihood of that something showing up in the reporter’s story is very low. However, after some time has passed, when the reporter goes to write about that spokesperson or executive’s company, they probably will not be able to remember what was said off the record – hence, the danger of speaking “off the record.”
Comments and Social Media
The second problem with “off the record” is social media. Social media has truly revolutionized journalism and the way story ideas and news comments are reported. Just as Obama learned, if you are a public figure, and your comments are within earshot of anyone with an internet connection, chances are, your comments are going to be part of someone’s latest Tweet, blog post or Facebook status. A brand new social media service, www.iFollo.com, launching mid-October, will make celebrities even more aware of the need to behave at all times in public.
Despite what happened with Obama, social media is not a big ugly beast. Twitter, blogs and Facebook can all be used as constructive tools for businesses and professionals who want to get their comments out to their clients or customers. There is not a quicker way to reach a very specific target market than through social media.
The moral of the Obama and Kanye story is simple: Off the record does not provide eternal protection and public figures’ comments are always public. Social media can be your best friend, but it can also come back to bite you. Just remember there is always someone that knows who you are and wants to have the next coolest Tweet.
About the Author
John Pilmer, APR is the founder and president of PilmerPR, LLC. In its 6th year, the award-winning PilmerPR team provides enterprise-level expertise at a small business price. The company is a 2008 recipient of the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce Arthur V Watkins award for excellence. PilmerPR was recently recognized at the National Press Club in Washington, DC for its work in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Also, see the KSL Channel 5 interview of the author regarding crisis communications.
The views presented in this blog are solely those of the blog post author and not necessarily those of Utah Business.
Tags: Communications, Obama, public relations, Spokespersons
September 30th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
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