Iran: Stop the Stoning

An NBC Evening News story on July 28, 2010 was a story of hope and justice that covered the effects of international pressure and online petitions from around the world on Iran as it bowed to pressure and promised it would not stone a woman to death who was convicted of adultery.

A very sad yet promising story, it showed portrait images of the 43 year-old mother of two interspersed with video clips from 1994 of individuals being partially buried prior to being stoned to death. The tone was very negative towards Iran for allowing stonings to still happen within its borders. Words such as torture and barbaricaccented the visual images, making for a very powerful story.

I believe the story originated from human rights organizations who raised international awareness and pressure to stop the planned stoning. This story and the expected outcome shows some of the power of public relations and the good that it can do. Iran could learn from this and do a lot to improve their image around the world.

I am sure that Iran is not pleased with having to back down to international pressure and my guess is having to do so will instill in them more hatred and they will retaliate against the world through other means that human decency would also despise.
 

BP CEO Tony Hayward to Resign

This Jul 26, 2010 story was a mixture of PR for BP and news broadcasting for NBC. As the tagline says: After facing criticism for his cool, detached style and his many public gaffes, BP CEO Tony Hayward will step down and be offered a job elsewhere in the company, this story was primarily about the way ahead for BP as it planned to announce that the first American will be named to head the iconic, British Petroleum, replacing the current face of the disaster in the Gulf.

The story was presented partially as the new guy coming in from Mississippi being the right guy to fix things, juxtaposed with the current CEO and his off-target demeanor being on his way out and how he is expected to receive a hefty pension package.The story was being told from London, where BP is based.

The tone was mixed; positive when talking about the new CEO and negative when talking about the outgoing CEO, Hayward. Images of the aftermath of the spill were used as well as images of Hayward out yachting instead of focusing on the spill and cleanup.  Positive images and clips of the incoming CEO put a very good spin on things for BP to try to reassure stakeholders and the American public that were dealing with the massive environmental disaster.

I believe the story worked well for BP in turning the tide of public opinion somewhat and to show that change was coming through the departure of the detached CEO seen as responsible for the mess in the Gulf.

 

Hunger Crisis Deepening in East Africa - Jul, 2011

This was a very sad and alarming piece from the NBC Evening News on Jul 24, 2011 about the deepening crisis of hunger and death in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa.

The United Nations estimated at the time that 11 billion people were in danger and that tens of thousands may have already died.  The story was told from a refugee camp in northeast Kenya and showed graves being dug, malnourished children and adults looking for food and water, shabby tents and other hastily built temporary structures, and men with weapons.
 I suspect the story originated from public relations sources with the aim to raise awareness and spark a reaction for help in the desperate situation.  People were dying every day and many who were arriving to the camp were too late and died soon after arrival.  Some arrived and, not finding the necessities for life, moved on to the outskirts hoping to find a place to stay with food and water.

I thought it was an effectively told story and should work to help, although for many it will have been too late.

Some U.S. Troops May Extend Stay in Iraq - July, 2010

This piece on the NBC Evening News in July 2010 detailed the ongoing dilemma faced by the United States in the planned withdrawal of troops from Iraq and communicated that Iraq may request some U.S troops remain behind for security and training.  The tone seemed to be negative and I think the aim of the piece was to make viewers aware of the violence still occurring and the efforts by the U.S. government to try to get Iraq to step up their efforts to be ready to take control of stability operations upon the withdrawal of U.S. troops.  It highlighted recent attacks to illustrate that stability was far from being the norm in Iraq.

Images included recent explosion scene remnants, the U.S Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, speaking in Iraq on the need for Iraq to increase its efforts, and images of U.S. troops conducting operations.

I believe the story itself probably had little impact overall as this issue and debate was something that was in the news fairly regularly at the time.  It may have served to put a limited amount of pressure on the Iraqi government and influence U.S. public opinion.  Overall I think it probably made those believing the U.S. should not pull out too soon even more committed to that point of view, and conversely it probably supported the views of those that feel Iraq should be doing more and that we should have already pulled out.

One Man Makes A Difference in Haiti

A very inspiring story on NBC about the difference one person can make in the world.  Twitter and Blackberry were prominently featured in this story that quickly chronicled his ability to help the people of Haiti and served as good public relations for those companies.  Fantastic testament to what a person can achieve with desire and initiative.  A story with a very positive tone that should certainly inspire others to help in any way they can.

Syria Uprisings

  On April 22, 2011, NBC Evening News ran a news story on Syrian uprisings using images of streets filled with protestors, injured or dead citizens, and protestors demolishing a statue of the regime’s founder the father of the current President of Syria.  Also mentioned were the protestors' use of social media to get the word out and to cry for help.  The tone was one of alarm at the numbers of civilians being killed.  There was no particular strategy, just to make the viewers aware of what is happening in Syria.

Michelle Obama Meets Nelson Mandela

In a public relations piece, NBC covered the June 2011 visit of First Lady Michelle Obama, her daughters and her mother with the South African freedom fighter and former South African president Nelson Mandela, and toured his foundation with his wife. Good public relations piece for President Obama in the U.S. and internationally and good exposure for Nelson Mandela, his new book, his foundation, and his museum, which should increase revenues.

The tone and the images were all very positive and the story ran by NBC should help all parties in their PR efforts.

Moscow Metro Bombings Spark Worldwide Fear

On March 29, 2010, the NBC Evening News ran a news report on a rush hour attack carried out by 2 female suicide bombers in the Moscow metro that left 38 people dead and dozens more injured.  The report said that the attacks renewed worldwide fear of similar attacks.

The story was presented with video images of bodies lying on the ground outside the subway cars, wounded individuals being treated, blood on the ground and smoke filling the air.  The Russian President was shown addressing the people, promising that authorities would find and punish the criminals.  Speculation was that Chechen insurgents might be responsible, but responsibility for the attacks had not been determined.

The story was presented in a neutral tone with no strategy other than to report on the attacks and the renewed fear.

The “War Next Door” Escalates

In a piece ran by NBC Evening News in Oct, 2010, the broadcast news corporation said Mexico is in peril and provided awareness on the escalating violence there over drug money, in what NBC calls, “The War Next Door.”

Many disparaging images of crime scenes and grieving relatives were used amid an overall tone of concern and alarm at the violence that had rapidly exploded in 8 cities across Mexico. The President of Mexico was shown addressing the public and expressing his condolences upon the losses of their loved ones.

I did not detect and public relations efforts in the story, only news. The war has U.S. ramifications as one of the attacks was on an American-owned company right near the border.

There were no encouraging words expressed and no signs of relief or hope for an end to the violence and the brutal incidents being directed against the Mexican state.

Alleged Killer's Manifesto Influenced By U.S. Anti-Islamic Rhetoric?

The July, 25, 2011 NBC Evening News piece titled as above was a purely PR story promoting the select views of organizations with liberal viewpoints, and further supports the widespread belief that NBC is a liberal-leaning news organization.  I believe this is a case of national media trying to influence things on an international level.  Perhaps NBC should also run stories about anti-American groups or individuals that influence Islamic terrorists to kill people.  Since approximately 50% of news stories in the mass media are public relations born, I believe news organizations should be careful to present non-biased opinions and explore both sides of situations. 

How Can America Regain Its Business Edge Internationally?

Intel CEO Paul Otellini fears the United States is losing its competitive edge to Asia, and he's spending hundreds of millions of his company's dollars to get it back.

In February 2011, NBC ran a public relations generated story in its series, America at the Crossroads, which extolled the virtues and endeavors of Intel, a U.S. company that is spending billions of dollars of its capital on research and development and K-12 education.  The overall message was that America once led the way in innovation and has time and again transformed the economy, but what will be the next big thing?  Intel was pitched as working vigorously and leading the way towards the goal of finding “the next big thing.”  The company’s CEO however believes the next big thing will not be just one thing, but a combination of hi-tech, green-tech, and bio-tech.

The story mentioned the obstacles we have all heard; companies shipping jobs overseas because of high corporate taxes and an education system that doesn’t match up with competing countries.  The Intel CEO said that entrepreneurship is not the problem in the U.S., the problems are that companies are too quick to ship jobs overseas where there are business incentives and also university trained workers, going on to say that the U.S. has to create conditions where both U.S. and foreign firms want to invest here.

It was a clever PR piece and presented Intel almost as the lone warrior out there fighting for America in its effort to regain preeminence in the economic world.  Intel has spent billions of dollars on factories in Arizona, New Mexico, and Oregon.  Also mentioned was the company A123 that is building lithium batteries to put cars and to back-up our nation’s electrical grid at its plant in Michigan.  MIT achieved great PR value for its professors being the brainchild of A123 and for having 26,000 active companies created by its alumni.

The story was filled with images of workers and hi-tech equipment and was fantastic PR for Intel, A123, and MIT.  It took an issue that almost everyone sees as critical to our future, though they may disagree on how best to fix it, and painted Intel as the possible savior.

Bomb Attacks in Mumbai Kill 21 - July 13, 2011

The NBC Evening News story on this terrorist attack in Mumbai centered around the possibility that the attacks killing 21 people were conducted by a group based in Pakistan and, if proven that the Pakistani group was responsible, the terrorist action could result in nuclear war between India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers.

The story of the bombings was told in factual terms.  However, no group had yet claimed responsibility, so the rest of the story was almost purely baseless speculation, with the exception that the last major terrorist attack in Mumbai, which was in 2008, was conducted by the Pakistan based group.

Andrea Mitchell made inflammatory comments such as “there is no hot line between India and Pakistan”, “could have an accident” and “this time they (India) most likely would (attack)”, all with the intent to sensationalize the story and gain viewership for the NBC network.  At the very end of the segment, Mitchell stated that an internal group in India could be responsible for the attack. 

Greece in Financial Crisis

This post is about a story run by the NBC Evening News on June 15, 2011 detailing the violent actions in the streets of Greece by tens of thousands of protestors. The protestors' goal was to prevent the government from making the deeper cuts needed to secure an additional 100 billion dollar loan from the European Union in order to prevent Greece from defaulting on its loans and threatening the global economy. One year previous, Greece had received a 158 billion dollar loan upon its agreement to make deep cuts, all to keep Greece afloat financially.

The piece seemed to be told from a neutral viewpoint, but did seem to leave out some critical background information as to how Greece arrived in this position where it is in such deep, unsustainable debt in the first place. They story focused on the potential domino effect if Greece were to default, and included video of the protests.

The potential for a corresponding decline in the U.S. stock market was discussed as the government of Greece teetered on the edge of collapse. The message overall was one of awareness and though the situation presented was indeed dire, I felt that NBC sensationalized it for their ratings benefit, as I could not detect any other motives for NBC running the story, and the language used seemed to be focused on a worst-case scenario and was repeated multiple times.

Obama and Sarkozy - Charged Connection?

NBC News chose to run a story on 30 Mar, 2010 to try to explain why President Obama said that he would like to see new sanctions against Iran in a matter of weeks, and NBC stated that he made the statements due to pressure from French President Sarkozy who was visiting the U.S. with his high profile wife.

Actual transcript of the entire joint briefing is available at link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-obama-and-president-sarkozy-france-during-joint-press-availabilit

In reading the transcript in its entirety, it's difficult to determine exactly how NBC made the determination that President Obama's statement was made under pressure, unless they are possibly going more on what the media has reported on prior conversations and exchanges between the two presidents. There was no proof or explanation offered to back up the overall claim being made by NBC in the piece.

In the transcript in response to a reporter's question, President Obama stated: "My hope is that we are going to get this done this spring. So I’m not interested in waiting months for a sanctions regime to be in place; I’m interested in seeing that regime in place in weeks."

An article in the Guardian ran the same day, at the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/mar/30/iran-sanctions-obama-sarkozysays the following: "Obama's stance was supported by President Sarkozy, who said the US and French administrations were "inseparable" on the subject."

In reading the transcript of the briefing, I would not have come away with the conclusion that the statement by the U.S. president was made under pressure from the French President, but rather that Mr. Obama genuinely wants to see the sanctions in a timely manner.  In fact when, during the briefing, President Sarkozy took time to identify where he and President Obama have differences, the question of sanctions on Iran was not one that he listed.

During the piece Andrea Mitchell stated that president Sarkozy is "short in stature like Napoleon...", and seemed to be attacking President Sarkozy in general.

The piece by NBC seemed to support and continue the patterns in play during the time when the two presidents were working together as allies on international matters, in that the media in general portrayed Sarkozy as taking the lead against Iran and having to lead or push Mr. Obama on the matters concerning the possibility of a nuclear Iran.