The Scaramucci interview, media self-censorship and the PR profession

The meteoric rise and fall of Anthony Scaramucci not only demonstrated the power of the media, but the lack of self-censorship amongst journalists as well as the misunderstanding or possible the disrespect of public relations (PR) as a professional function that should be manned by professionally qualified individuals.

Media self-censorship

Regardless of the whether the interview was on-the-record or off-the-record, some of the embarrassing things (bad language and threat against others) that Scaramucci said during the interview should never have been published. I think any journalist with a high regard for media ethics and respect for continued good relations with PR professionals would understand that the information was humorous and not seriously intended.  It was also not in the interest of the public, but more in the interest of the journalist to embarrass Scaramucci and possibly to damage his reputation and the Trump administration.

The journalist should have simply referred to the rants in general terms rather than describing them in detail. If he felt that it was a non-story without the bad language and threats, then he should have abandoned the article all together. I know that off-the-record information is not legally binding, but built on trust and maintaining good relationships with your sources.  Off-the-record information helps a journalist get inside information that could give him or her a bigger picture or an understanding of what is happening in a specific organization.

Despite Scaramucci’s public persona as a loose cannon, the interview was clearly off-the-record or rather ‘unofficially’ off the record.  The publication of that interview and many others before it, only damages the trust in the media and the questioning of their ability to protect the anonymity of their sources, including whistle-blowers.  

Public Relations as an important organizational function

The fact that many companies all over the world continue to appoint unqualified people to strategic public relations positions, supports the claim by PR practitioners that organizations disregard the important strategic role of the profession. 

Many people view PR and communication as just about throwing parties, networking, and handing out flyers, while many organisations believe the best attribute of a PR professional is being a smart mouth. But PR and communication is more than that – it requires someone with a PR qualification and experience on how to influence strategic decisions; how to manage organizational reputation; how to manage relations with stakeholders, including the media; how to manage social media communication; and managing crises, to name just a few. 

There is a trend around the world where lawyers and business administration managers and practically everyone with a tertiary degree that is not a PR degree, are being appointed in PR positions. 

The White House made a mistake hiring a hedge fund manager to manage its communication division and the consequences were laid bare for all to see. The messy reputation of the Trump administration is a PR issue – a disregard for the White House PR professionals’ ability to control the message by deciding on the best way to convey the message to the public. Regardless of the hatred towards President Trump, he is the creator of this mess and it can only be fixed once he acknowledges the role of his PR advisers.

Even though I do not agree with the actions that led to the resignation of Scaramucci, I think it was the best that could have happened, because as an inexperienced communication director, I think he would have failed in the job.