January 2011
2 posts
December 2010
10 posts
5 tags
JOUR 4470 Blog - What Ifs
It looks like my first official post-grad job might be with the Allen Americans. There has been talk and nudges and insinuations, but nothing official or in writing yet. I may be a paid employee in the next few months, or have to wait it out as an intern until the season is over in May or June. I think I will end up happy either way—I love this organization and everyone who works there. It is a...
2 tags
JOUR 4460 Blog - Don't be a Goofus
Before I hit double digits, one of the highlights of my weeks were the days when my new Highlights magazine would come in the mail. Highlights was the typical gift of choice for my great-aunt. A smile would instantly appear on my face when I saw its shiny cover peeking out of the mailbox. First, I would skim the crafts section to read what sort of crazy concoctions they would recommend to my young...
5 tags
JOUR 4470 Blog - Celebrity Endorsements
This semester in my ethics class, one of the conversations that was the most fueled and energetic was on the topic of celebrity endorsements and ads. My professor told us at the beginning of the semester the things that really got her students talking and engaged: celebrities, food and sex. This topic covered all of these things and more. I had never given much thought to the legal or moral...
November 2010
21 posts
4 tags
JOUR 4470 Blog - What SpongeBob taught me about...
Over the holiday break I finally got a chance to catch up of all of my favorite television shows. Satisfied to be in on all of the latest Grey’s Anatomy drama, I found myself flipping channels and happened to end up on an old episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. The series began when I was in 5th grade and will always make me smile, but I was shocked at the newsworthiness and relevancy of the content...
4 tags
JOUR 4460 Blog - Where did our vacations go?
CNN Money reported this week 59 percent of Americans will check their work emails over the holidays this year. This statistic didn’t shock me, as this is the norm in my family with my dad and sister who work in computer engineering and marketing, respectively. What was different about this year however is it was me doing the most work over the holidays. From assignments and projects for school to...
4 tags
JOUR 4460 Blog - Pitching journalists (and how to...
In his blog, Charles Arthur (Technology Editor for The Guardian) discusses his frustrations with the overabundance of emails he receives from PR practitioners. From pitches to press releases, Arthur finds himself deleting the majority of mail that winds up in his inbox. I get frustrated when UNT sends me just five emails in an afternoon, so I completely understand his complaints.
During the...
“The reason we all like to think so well of others is that we are all afraid for...”
– The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde (via fuckyeahliteraryquotes)
5 tags
JOUR 4470 Blog - Cooks Source or Crooks Source?
Journalists and bloggers alike were blown away earlier this month when writer Monica Guardino exposed an undeniable case of plagiarism against Cooks Source magazine on her blog. The magazine lifted an article written five years ago by Guardino from her website and published an edited version in their latest issue. This case produced a plethora of attention, with coverage from popular sources...
2 tags
“Merlin: You know lad, that love business is a powerful thing.
Arthur: Greater...”
3 tags
JOUR 4460 Blog - Amazon Kindle Controversy
This week the PR team at Amazon has come under fire for one of its Kindle books written by Phillip Greaves that has now been pulled from the database. After widespread complaints and media attention, Amazon announced that they stand behind their decision to sell the book and that they believe that choosing not to sell it is censorship. Normally I might agree with Amazon’s point of view here, but...
5 tags
JOUR 4470 Blog - The Yes Men vs Chevron
Late October was a messy time for Chevron’s Public Relations department. Hours before the launch of their nation-wide “We Agree” campaign, The Yes Men, an environmental activist group, made a preemptive strike with a campaign of their own. The group targeted Chevron’s campaign because of an ongoing lawsuit over the company’s activity in Ecuador. Some speculate that Chevron knowingly put lives in...
October 2010
22 posts
4 tags
JOUR 4460 Blog - Social Media in Sports
One of my responsibilities as a media relations intern for the Allen Americans is controlling social media. The team has twitter and Facebook accounts and recently I have been trying to think of ways to utilize them to their full potential. Sports teams have been on the ball (See what I did there? Totally not on purpose.) concerning social media from its beginning. With a built-in fan base already...
3 tags
JOUR 4460 Blog - Location-Based Social Media
Today I attended the Dallas Public Relations Society of America’s 2010 Communication Summit. I have been to several journalism conferences over the years, but this was my first in Public Relations. The information was great and I am excited about many of the connections that I made. My favorite session of the day was presented by Simon Salt, who spoke about how to utilize location-based social...
4 tags
JOUR 4470 Blog - ESPN vs Mike Leach
In his article titled “Three sides to every story,” Don Ohlmeyer presents a case study of a 2009 football broadcast between Texas Tech and Michigan State and its aftermath. The controversial portions of the broadcast concerned the coverage of Tech’s recently fired head coach Mike Leach. There were accusations of unfairness from both sides, but I believe that ESPN was in the wrong, at least...
2 tags
JOUR 4460 Blog - From the Other Side
A few weeks ago I tweeted a blog submission called “Working With a Public Relations Firm.” In the blog, Jennifer Walzer, the CEO of a business in New York, describes how she deals with the PR firm she has hired for her company.
Her first piece of advice is to “designate an internal champion” within your company to be the main contact with the agency. I couldn’t agree more. From my internship...
3 tags
JOUR 4460 Blog - Why PR?
This morning I shadowed at Lewis Public Relations in Dallas. Blake Lewis and I had a long conversation about why I am interested in PR and what I can do to achieve all of my goals. My number one objective is obviously to have a job secured by the time graduation rolls around in December. This is always on my mind and a constant weight on my shoulders. I told him of my aspirations to do sports PR...
