John Rendon is one of the most powerful men in the world, but the PR specialist rarely comes of out of the shadows Why are we all obsessed by lists? Take a look at the news agenda of any particular week and the media is full of them. This week it’s been lists of Oscar…
A unique survey commissioned by Press Gazette gives the lie to the often quoted assumption that the British public does not value journalism. More than half those surveyed in a YouGov national opinion poll (52 per cent) said they agreed with the statement: “Journalism makes a positive contribution to life in Britain”. Some 32 per…
Prince Harry’s unfortunate choice of fancy dress demonstrates a lack of knowledge and perspective. Something should be done to awaken in the prince and his contemporaries a solidarity with earlier generations. I have a friend in New York City employed as a senior picture editor by one of the major photographic agencies. Although he is…
Germaine Greer did more than most contestants to expose the dark underbelly of the reality TV format. It seems only yesterday I was writing about Janet Street-Porter’s decision to head off into the jungle of reality TV and put her intellect on display in the Australian bush among all those loathsome creepy-crawlies.
Theatre needs the oxygen of publicity to remind us that it matters, says Mark Borkowski Thursday December 23, 2004 Roald Dahl’s children’s book The Witches was dramatised by David Wood several years ago, and in its professional productions, especially at Christmas, attracts its fair share of objections as a suitable treat for young theatregoers. The…
Yet another interesting snippet from the excellent Spin watch, but I wrote a feature on this issue in the Guardian two years ago. FLACKS ATTACK “DETERMINED DETRACTORS” http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/27/business/media/27adco.htm BuzzMetrics, a New York-based specialist in word-of-mouth marketing, is among the companies working to tame the internet by going after “determined detractors,” which the New York Times…
The note of triumphalism over David Blunkett’s resignation sounded by the Fortier-Quinn camp really tells us quite enough about them. Were not a Sword of Damocles hanging over their future in terms of the ex-Home Secretary’s action to secure access to his son, I’ve a feeling the press would be dealing with them in a…
Roald’s Dahl’s children’s book “The Witches” was dramatised by David Wood several years ago and in its professional productions, especially at Christmas, attracts its fair share of objections as a suitable treat for 7 – 12-year-old theatregoers. The letters arrive, not by the sackload, but enough: Witches = Black Arts = Paganism = The Antichrist…that…
A Dubious Doc By Eartha Melzer, In These Times. Eartha is a writer and videographer in Washington. A ‘groundbreaking’ pre-election documentary on the ‘real story’ in Iraq smells like propaganda and has the pr muscle of Manning, Selvage & Lee behind it. Just before the election, a film about Iraq hit art house theaters around…
They’ve already crowned themselves king and queen of our out-of-control celebrity culture, but now Posh and Becks are to be deified – it’s official. Well not quite, but our favourite couple might have thought twice before presenting themselves to the public as the mother and father of baby Jesus. No such qualms for Madame Tussaud’s…