Alcohol and Sexual Assault Ad Gets Mixed Reviews

7:45 PM


Wording in an advertisement plays a very important role in the effectiveness and message in the ad. When the wording isn’t just right, the message intent could be easily misjudged. This was the case when the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board pulled an ad because of its supposedly inappropriate message.

ControlTonight.com is an informative website, dedicated to educating the world on the effects of alcohol and its link to sexual assault. A website, with great intentions, sent the wrong message by poor word choice in an advertisement. On Wednesday evening, the Liquor Control Board pulled that ad because of its mixed criticism.

The ad was a picture of a girl’s legs, barefoot and seemingly passed out on a bathroom floor, with her underwear around her ankles. The wording of the ad read: “She didn’t want to do it, but she couldn’t say no.” The criticism came from those who believed the ad was placing rape victims, where alcohol was involved, at fault for the rape itself.

Stacey Witalec, a spokeswoman for the Liquor Control Board, said this was not the intended message behind the campaign. The ad was merely trying to bring attention to the fact that alcohol is the number was drug used in assisting rape. It was not at all trying to insist that because the victim drank, he or she was to blame.

However, not everyone is buying that, “Rape is not just a bad thing that happens to someone after drinking too much," said Erin Gloria Ryan, a blogger for the website, Jezebel. "It's a deliberate act on the part of the rapist, a violation of another person committed solely because the rapist wanted to rape. The sooner we acknowledge this, the sooner we'll be rid of stupid, finger wagging ads like these.”

This advertisement goes go to show why wording in an ad is so important. It wasn’t their intention to place blame on a rape victim simply because he or she chose to drink. Their intent was to inform those that choose to drink that rape can and is often times more likely to happen. Alcohol and sexual assault education and awareness is their only goal. But maybe next time, they should be more aware of the message that they could be sending.

It is a great ambition to promote awareness on the issue. It is, after all, a very important and much overlooked issue. Teens and young adults do not think that rape is even a blip on their radar. So why would they drink cautiously when they’re certain that rape just ‘isn’t going to happen to them.’ To be presented with the basic fact that 97,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-induced rape annually is an eye opener. It is a great statistic that needs to be put out there. But it is not okay to ever imply that the victim may be at fault.

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/pa-liquor-board-pulls-ad-heavy-drinking-rape-164139006.html
http://www.controltonight.com/


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Arsenic in Apple Juice and Crisis PR

11:19 PM


It seems that fruit juice brands are about to come under fire. The Consumer Reports’ most recent study shows that several children’s fruit juices were tested, and the results showed higher levels of arsenic than what is regulated for drinking water. They are measuring the levels against the regulations issued on drinking water simply because there are no regulations on fruit juice. As much as 10% of the 88 juices that were sampled resulted in higher levels than regulated. This is becoming an increasing concern for parents and a good Crisis Public Relations (PR) “learning” case.

There is nothing like a good product scandal to bring attention to just how important Crisis PR is to an organization. In the rise of a crisis situation it is first important for the organization to plan for the crisis accordingly. Every angle and scenario must be well thought out, and an organization must approach every situation with the ‘prepare for the worst but hope for the best’ scenario.

Once a crisis does arrive, it is then best to address the issue quickly and often. Do not hide from the ridicule or public concern. Doing so will almost always result in the organization looking more guilty than they are. Do not shy away from responsibility. As with the Penn State scandal, the fact that the administration refused to take responsibility hurt them far worse than if they were to admit wrong-doing and vow to make the situation right.

Lastly, it is always important to try and appear proactive rather than reactive. Call press conferences before the crisis can break, if applicable. It is, at the very least, important to address the concerns when they are small rather than waiting until they become big.

The FDA has already issued a statement, addressing the concerns of arsenic in children’s juices, “We welcome the research that Consumer Reports has undertaken and look forward to reviewing the data that formed the basis for their story and their recommendations,” the agency said. “We continue to find the vast majority of apple juice tested to contain low levels of arsenic, including the most recent samples from China. For this reason, FDA is confident in the overall safety of apple juice consumed in this country. By the same token, a small percentage of samples contain elevated levels of arsenic. In response, FDA has expanded our surveillance activities and is collecting additional data.”

But where are the fruit juice companies? Why aren’t they speaking up before their products and sales can be hurt? I have yet to find a brand that has taken the initiative to address the growing concerns; to either take responsibility or assure its consumers that their children are perfectly safe when drinking their product. Is this because they’re not?

That is why it is vital to address a crisis as it approaches and before it can blow up. Parents have every right to want to know what their children are eating or drinking, and successful brands are motivated in producing not only the best product for their consumers but in establishing that trust with them as well. And if parents see that the company is not speaking up, it automatically makes them seem guilty.

The FDA, I think, is a successful example in what to do in this situation. They did not shy away from the issue, and they did not try to place responsibility on anyone. They took the report for what it said and assured everyone that they were working to conduct their own studies to make sure that their children were, in fact, safe. It would be wise for the identified fruit juice companies to follow suit quickly.

Sources:
http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/arsenic-in-juice
http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=1400
http://crisispublicrelations.blogspot.com/
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Public-Relations-and-Crisis-Management-Planning-To-Your-Business&id=450841
http://www.parents.com/blogs/parents-news-now/2011/12/01/safety/study-arsenic-found-in-apple-grape-juices/
http://www.feedourfamiliesblog.com/2011/12/arsenic-levels-high-in-childrens-fruit-juices.html


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Little Coverage for the Biggest Protest

7:34 PM



Occupy protests have been popping up all over the U.S. since September, and have been making front page news ever since ... all except the original: Occupy Wall Street. Since the break out of the protest, there has been little media coverage addressing the concerns and actions of the original protest, and this, no doubt, has been leaving the “Wall Street-ers” a little more than frustrated. The purpose of the protests, all along, have been to get their voice out there about be heard. And well, how can that be possible when the media coverage you’re aiming for is ignoring you?

Many protests that followed suit after Occupy Wall Street have been doing a decent job in staying the media’s eye, so where did they go wrong?

Occupy Portland has been the most heard about protest, for me at least. It seems like every week, a new story is being written about the protestors’ behavior and their interaction with the police. Several are getting arrested due to their lack of cooperation, and it seems like the Twitter world is keeping track of their every move.

Recently, Seattle made news for its pepper spray incident. An 84-year-old woman was sprayed with pepper spray after the protests got out of control. This caused the police monitoring the Occupy protestors to face a small amount of scrutiny for their excessive force used to control the crowds.

And even Dallas as has become a talked about protest. Though they have been the least aggressive of the three mentioned, Dallas protestors have been given media coverage not only through local news stations but through website articles. Most articles talked about the impending eviction of the group of protestors before the news finally broke that on Thursday, Nov. 18, they were finally evicted and as many as 18 protestors were arrested.

So what was Occupy Wall Street doing wrong?

They were the creators of the movement, and have finally learned that its scandal that causes their branch to be recognized. 20-year-old Brandon Watts is officially the face behind the Occupy Wall Street protests. On Tuesday, the police found themselves in another battle with the protestors, injuring Watts in the process. By Friday, his face, bloodied from the struggle, was front page news for the Daily News and Metro newspapers. Finally, the coverage that they seek was being granted.

While all branches of protestors have, without a doubt, clashed with police officials across the country for their pickets and stances, the ones earning the most media coverage are the ones where police brutality seems to be at its most extreme. With Seattle, the 84-year-old was the story, not so much the teenager and priest that were also pepper strayed during the riot. It’s about finding that “extreme” situation. And Occupy Wall Street finally found it in Watts. The coverage of his face, covered in blood, is the very definition of a riot gone too far. And that is how to get your name out there.

While I know it wasn’t the intent of the protestors the make national coverage that way, it does define what it might take to make your branch heard over the rest. When there are several protestors spanning the U.S. standing for the same thing, police opposition isn’t going to be enough to make your branch and their issues national news. Instead, there needs to be that bigger “incident” that gives that branch their time to speak on their own personal stances.

Well, Occupy Wall Street, now is your chance.  

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/occupy-wall-street-finally-gets-face-bloody-153643148.html
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/11/17/84_year_old_dorli_rainey_pepper
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/17/us-protests-dallas-eviction-idUSTRE7AG1PE20111117


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Déjà Vu: A Story of History Repeating

9:39 PM


Two stories are strikingly similar but more than 30 years apart. Before Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State scandal, there was Donald Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was a Red Sox clubhouse manager, who like Sandusky, was involved in a series of child sexual assault cases that were ignored for years. Unlike Sandusky, even when the assaults came to surface, Fitzgerald did not generate nearly as much media coverage as the Penn State scandal has today.


Why?

While the Boston Red Sox are most definitely a notable team, Donald Fitzgerald was not. Because of this, even as the scandal broke it did not garnish much attention. There was no one that rallied against the team’s inaction or even against Fitzgerald. There was no one that really even knew the name.

The two stories are the same, but the big key difference has become the media coverage surrounding the scandals. This goes to show how big of an impact the media can have on an exploding controversy.

Fitzgerald’s story, in some cases, is worse than Sandusky’s. There were several victims, some as young as the age of four. In this case, one of the victims even stepped forward, informing Vince Orlando, the home clubhouse manager, of the abuse. The result was that it was the boy, not Fitzgerald, who was fired. Two sources came forward afterward, admitting that they’d seen Fitzgerald with boys in the shower, and like with the Penn State scandal, it was reported to the team instead of the police.

So what is it exactly that makes this story any less newsworthy? Being that it was a scandal in the 70s and was less heard of at the time, I would think the scandal and news coverage would have been bigger. But as stated above, it was pretty much non-existent. And because of that, so was the scandal.

Jerry Sandusky was a house hold name because of his work alongside Penn State legend, Joe Paterno. Donald Fitzgerald had the loyalty of his co-workers and the team’s executives, but was nowhere near the “celebrity” status of Sandusky. And there lies why the Penn State scandal became much more talked about.

The media is looking for a story that will turn heads. As if child abuse is not bad enough, the story becomes “juicer” when the abuse story involves a notable figure. And even in the 70s, when these types of stories were almost unheard of, Donald Fitzgerald just wasn’t notable enough.

The media, in cases like these, have become a double-edged sword of sorts. For the right scandal, the media can raise enough awareness and public interest to ultimately cause officials, who have ignored the accusations in the past, to finally take action. However, if the scandal is not big enough, the lack of media interest can cause the abuse to continue much longer than it needs to. Finally, Fitzgerald was fired for the accusations, but was 72 years old before charges were even brought against him and ultimately never even served a jail sentence. The repercussions could have been much more appropriate a lot sooner had the media sought after the Fitzgerald story like they did with the Penn State scandal.

All in all, in the case of these two stories, the media can sometimes make or break the justice that is served.

Source Links:
http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201111/another-era-and-another-sport-sex-abuse-scandal-still-inflicting-pain-today
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/11/09/jerry-sandusky-scandal-seven-key-players-in-the-penn-state-abuse-case/#jerry-sandusky


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    Name: Amber Mullins
    Age: 28
    Location: Plano, Texas
    Concentration: Public Relations/Marketing
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