This interview debacle was at the fault of everyone who was involved. MSNBC should have made known, and could have easily, casually done so, the relationship it had with Starbucks during the interview with the CEO. Personally, I feel if they had just quietly mentioned it in the beginning, nobody would have even noticed or thought anything of it.
If I was the public relations manager for MSNBC, I would have stressed the importance of A) disclosing the relationship the network had with Starbucks and B) talk to Howard Shultz in the same manner as any other guest or interviewee would be talked to. The sponsorship by Starbucks is not a problem until they become exempt from the same scrutiny and examination as other news makers.
If I was the public relations manager for Starbucks, I would have told my CEO to be prepared to be interviewed the same way as any other guest would be and that our sponsorship of the show did not give us a free pass. But then again, the public relations manager, the CEO, and the news director were probably all involved with planning the interview to be a promotional spot for the company.
No comments:
Post a Comment