Sound Communication

THE Pope’s outburst about condoms and AIDS has understandably caused a firestorm of controversy.

An online petition protesting at the Pontiff’s position has now been started by the excellent global campaigning organisation, Avaaz.

It is clear about what Pope Benedict actually said about condoms on his flight to Africa, where 22 million people are infected with HIV.

As the controversy raged, both the BBC and the Times also seemed fairly categoric.

But then a familiar phenomenon took place. It became a process story: about the Vatican’s press office. [Read more →]

Tags: Media relations by Matthew Finnegan
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ONE of the world’s biggest advertising agencies is trying to sell its stake in a Zimbabwe company masterminding the re-election of President Robert Mugabe.
WPP, which owns a huge raft of global Public Relations companies including  Burson-Marsteller, Cohn & Wolfe, GCI, Hill & Knowlton and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, has found itself in the embarrassing position of apparently aiding the re-election of Mugabe.
WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrel – one of the world’s richest men – told Radio 4 that he was keen to sell his 25 per cent stake in the advertising company, run by Mugabe’s daughter, “as soon as possible.”
The Zimbabwean advertising company is said to be orchestrating the election campaign of Mugabe whose dictatorial regime  has been roundly condemned by almost everyone.
“There is no reason whatsoever for us to be associated with the Mugabe regime or the campaign for his re-election,” Sorrel declared.

[Read more →]

Tags: Corporate Social Responsibility (Sound behaviour) by Matthew Finnegan
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RADIO 4′s Today programme has been broadcasting a new series of special reports on the care of elderly people.

This morning’s report provided a powerful reminder of exactly why the BBC is still the best public service broadcaster in the world.

Reporter John Manel told how he had enlisted a 70-year-old woman to go ‘undercover’ in a care home for almost a week – and keep a secret audio diary.

What was utterly enthralling about the report was the freshness of the insights provided by the volunteer, Debbie Davies, trustee of the charity Compassion in Care. [Read more →]

Tags: Media relations by Matthew Finnegan
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