Grumpy Editor

Reporter, PR exec, broadcaster among top stressful jobs

Newspaper reporter, public relations executive and broadcaster are among the top 10 most stressful jobs today, notes Grumpy Editor.

In its 2017 “Jobs Rated” report, CareerCast.com, Carlsbad, Calif., places newspaper reporter at No. 6, public relations executive in eighth place, followed by broadcaster in 10^th spot.

Topping the most stressful list is enlisted military personnel.

CareerCast points out “in the cases of newspaper reporter and broadcaster, working under tight deadlines and the fear of lawsuits or layoffs may cause stress."

For the tally, CareerCast evaluated 11 stress factors: travel required, growth potential, deadlines, working in the public eye, competition in the field, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered on a regular basis, own life at risk, life of others at risk, and meeting or interacting with the public at large.

And the least stressful job?

Diagnostic medical sonographer.

Read the full report at www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/most-stressful-jobs-2017

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus says, “There’s an obsession by the media to delegitimize this president, and we are not going to sit around and let it happen. We’re going to fight back tooth and nail every day, and twice on Sunday”…"Perhaps the most stark contrast between the Obama administration and the Trump administration is on global warming,” cites Climate Depot.com. It points out that climate differences were visible on Friday, just as Donald Trump was sworn in as president. That’s when the “White House website was scrubbed of all references to ‘climate change’ at exactly noon”…CBS didn’t waste any time with injecting “fears” with the change in the oval office. CBS News says a new series on CBS This Morning, “We the People,” will spotlight “Americans share hopes, fears of Trump’s presidency.” One wonders if CBS would have done the same with Eisenhower or Kennedy stepping into the White House…Media gave heavy coverage to a Boeing 747 crashing near Kyrgyzstan’s Manas airport --- but failed to pinpoint the location of the little-known country, as if the location was as well known as Italy or Mexico. Grumpy Editor’s history lesson for media: Kyrgyzstan, formerly known as Kirghizia, is in central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west and southwest. Now, repeat those names…Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim plans to launch a TV channel “made by Mexicans, for Mexicans” in the U.S. later this year…Seven years after Bowe Bergdahl walked off his post as an Army private first class in Afghanistan and was held captive by the Taliban until exchanged (as a sergeant) by the Obama administration for five Taliban prisoners in 2014, he finally goes to trial in April at Fort Bragg on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy…Nigel Paul Farage, a British politician, broadcaster and political analyst who was the leader of U.K.’s Independence Party from 2006 to 2009 and again from 2010 to 2016, is joining Fox News to provide political analysis...Sneaky increase:  With little media coverage, cost of buying a Forever Stamp increased two cents yesterday to 49 cents.

 

Change a Pet’s Life Day is observed tomorrow.

Adopt a homeless pet or assist one that needs medical care.

For more info: www.petmeds.org

Dark disrespect cloud drifts over United States

Disrespect and anti-American are the words coming into play in the past week linked to two shameful events --- both with limited media coverage, noted Grumpy Editor.  

A Gold Star family from California, on their way by plane to meet the remains of their Army son, Sgt. John Perry, killed by a suicide bomber inside Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, were greeted by boos from some first-class passengers when the American Airlines pilot of their delayed jet allowed a "special military family" to deplane first so they could make a connection in Phoenix.

The father, Stewart Perry, a retired Marine, said, “It was really disgusting on the passengers’ part.” 

Sgt. Perry, who will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, was among four American's killed and 14 injured on Nov. 12.

Meanwhile, following a performance of the Broadway show "Hamilton," and with the cast lined up on stage for a curtain call at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, cast member Brandon Victor Dixon took to the microphone to address Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who was departing, with the message:  “We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights."

President-elect Donald Trump later demanded an apology to Pence from Dixon and the show's producers.

Meanwhile, the theater's PR person is probably having fits while bracing for a drop-off in ticket sales for the show.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Post-election media notes. The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and CNN continued to take post-election jabs at Trump and his actions.  Example from a N.Y. Times lead: "With Donald Trump set to become the 45th president of the United States, the spirit of openness that has permeated everything from our increasingly global economy to how we travel may be poised to change.”…A majority (59 percent) of U.S. adults reject the idea of adding interpretation in news stories, saying media should present the facts alone, found a Pew Research Center survey..."One of the biggest disappointments of this election season has to be the final unraveling of the mainstream media," declared Mario Diaz, writing at CNSNews.com. "I hesitate to say it, but for practical purposes, the mainstream media are dead." He added, "They're dead because they cannot be trusted.” Díaz serves as Concerned Women for America's (CWA) legal counsel and leads CWA's Legal Studies Department…A Texas television reporter is out of a job after she criticized President Obama and praised President-elect Trump on her personal Facebook page --- claiming the country went “downhill” under the outgoing commander-in-chief.

Fort Motor Co. decided to reverse course on a plan to relocate Lincoln sport-utility production from Kentucky to a factory south of the U.S. border...And the slow legal action continues: Trial for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, accused of walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009, is now slated for May 15, 2017...Projectiles fired from the Navy's biggest and most advanced destroyer cost too much.  So the USS Zumwalt is likely to be firing blanks...California quake chatter pops up again: Scientists discovered two fault lines link north of San Francisco, creating a risk for those living in the Bay Area…Three Trump Place apartment buildings along New York’s Hudson River were being renamed solely with their street addresses --- 140, 160 and 180 Riverside Blvd. --- after a group of residents started a petition before the election to take the name down. While built by the Trump organization, new owners took over in 2005…Fashion designer Sophie Theallet, who dressed first lady Michelle Obama, said she refuses to dress incoming first lady Melania Trump because of the “rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign,” reported the Huffington Post.

 

Look for major changes at Bloomberg Businessweek. The action will include layoffs, desk shuffling and new top leadership.

Busy days ahead for Wells Fargo's PR department

Think you have a tough job?  Grumpy Editor says consider the folks in the public relations department of Wells Fargo.

Bloomberg figures about 2.1 million fake deposit and credit card accounts were opened by bank employees without authorization.

Aside from irate bank customers, there's a groundswell of pressure for CEO John Stumpf to step down.

But even if he does depart, Stumpf is likely to walk away with a fortune.

A CNNMoney analysis puts the figure at about $200 million, made up of cash, company stock and options, adding, "Even if Stumpf is fired 'for cause,' such as violating company policy, he would have to forfeit only a portion of that sum."

As CNN points out, "Stumpf, 63, has been CEO since 2007 and was at the helm the entire time that the phony accounts scandal was taking place at the bank. Two weeks ago Wells Fargo was penalized $185 million in penalties and admitted to firing 5,300 employees for engaging in these shocking tactics."

Wells Fargo last year rewarded Stumpf for his success in "reinforcing a culture of risk management and accountability across the company."

The San Francisco branch of the Federal Reserve says Stumpf resigned from a Fed advisory board. No reason was given, but the resignation is effective immediately.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

Surprise!  The New York Times on Sunday --- one day before tonight's TV debate --- selects its presidential choice.  In an editorial, it cites "Hillary Clinton has a record of service and a raft of pragmatic ideas, and the other, Donald Trump, discloses nothing concrete about himself or his plans while promising the moon and offering the stars on layaway”…North Korea continues to threaten, last week blasting America for "aggression" in Asia, and threatening the U.S. with "tremendous consequences beyond imagination”…Fox News’ Megyn Kelly is among those behind the scenes of a political comedy called “Embeds.” Six half-hour episodes --- focusing on five reporters on the political trail --- have been ordered…Look, up in the sky! China’s first space laboratory, now 200 miles above Earth, will come to a fiery end at an (so far) unpredicted location late next year, say experts…A Marine Corps pilot ejects safely when his AV-8B Harrier Jump Jet crashed into the waters off Okinawa. It’s the latest in a series of U.S. military aircraft crashes as equipment is getting old. The Marine jet entered production in the early 1980s and continued to be made until 2003…But there’s hope with upcoming aircraft. On drawing boards is a radar-evading B-21 long-range bomber (it will be called the Raider). However, it is not scheduled to enter service until around 2025…Hillary and Bill Clinton are adding to their compound in Chappaqua, N.Y., buying the 3,631-square-foot neighboring house for a reported $1.16 million…Fox News says Sean Hannity won't be appearing in any more campaign videos for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

 

Changing times:

Influenced by same sex marriages, Modern Luxury Brides magazine is changing its name to Modern Luxury Weddings.

CenturyLink sneaks up to $5 more in monthly charges

 

While a half dozen or more taxes, fees and surcharges on monthly telephone bills already irritate subscribers, other sneaky charges (without broad announcements) --- certainly spell BAD PR in capital letters --- irking people into looking at alternatives, observes Grumpy Editor.

New York Stock Exchange listed CenturyLink (CTL) provides the latest example of trickiness in squeezing $5 more monthly from many unknowing subscribers around the country.

First, starting tomorrow (March 1), the Monroe, La. communications and data services company hikes the monthly rate by $2 on all residential lines. Few subscribers are aware of this.

Then when it comes time to pay the monthly bill via the Web, CenturyLink this month quietly added a “convenience fee” of $3. (This compares with snail-mailing a payment, with higher costs to process, at 49 cents per envelope.)

Voilà: Up to $5 more a month per subscriber, just like that.

Perhaps the additional amount goes toward CenturyLink’s growing hefty printing/postage bills as it pitches customers up to three times a week with mailings touting its various services, including Prism TV. This is in addition to similar material e-mailed to customers.

Or maybe the added charges to customers are triggered by full-year 2015 operating revenues decreasing to $17.9 billion from $18 billion the prior year.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Other than in ads during the past week, George Washington’s birthday (Feb. 22), once widely recognized, escaped mention by most news outlets this year. The “father of our country” used to have his own birthdate widely celebrated but that was folded into President’s Day…Without too much eyebrow-raising by media, one of the strangest recent name-droppings is last week’s Obama Administration vetting of Nevada Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval to fill a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. While the development received much media attention, a Sandoval spokeswoman says neither the governor nor his staff was contacted by the White House. So --- surprise --- news reports the next day mention Sandoval removed himself from consideration for the Supreme Court seat…With the lengthening crude oil downturn, Halliburton says it will cut another 5,000 jobs, or 8 percent of the company's global workforce…Also affected by declining oil and gas activity, Schlumberger in the past year cut 25,000 jobs, or one fifth of its work force…In other layoff activity, HP, Inc. executives told analysts that nearly 3,000 workers would leave the company by the end of the year, an acceleration from an original plan that would have spread the job cuts across a three-year period…Will Burger King alter its name now that it serves hot dogs? The new fare marks the burger chain’s biggest menu addition since it started selling chicken in the 1970s…In the ho-hum department: A Reuters story Friday notes “Senior U.S. defense officials voiced concern about North Korea's nuclear ambitions”…

One of the most irritating things on TV:

Commercials with doorbells on the sound track that sound exactly like your own.

'The Interview’ controversy boosts Sony’s PR efforts

 

Champagne bottle corks must be popping today at Sony Pictures Entertainment’s publicity department after whopping print and broadcast coverage/mentions of its comedy film, “The Interview,” before and after it played to full houses at about 300 small independent theaters over the past few days while online video orders kept Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Sony busy, observes Grumpy Editor.

In addition, the film, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, saw thousands of illegal downloads.  The action followed a widely covered cyber attack, including mention by President Barack Obama at last week’s White House press conference, aimed at the Sony Corp. film unit. 

Not bad for a movie depicting events leading to the fictional assassination of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un that garnered a C rating from Washington Post reviewer Ann Hornaday. 

Hornaday’s review of The Interview took up half a newspaper page.

Beating that, with more than half-page of text and photos was The Wall Street Journal on Friday.  The story, written by three staffers, started on the Marketplace section’s opening page then jumped to an inside page.  The front page included a photo of Cinema Village, New York, which screened the film while the inside page art spotlighted actor Rogen greeting attendees at a Los Angeles screening. 

Variety reported more than 900,000 illegal downloads of The Interview in less than 24 hours. 

Editorial cartoonists also got into the act, focusing on the event.

 

FYI, IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE EDITORS MISSED THESE… 

Blue for blue PR.  JetBlue Airways provided free flights to New York for two police officers from each city along its routes for funerals of Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, New York City police officers killed in an ambush attack…Off track.  In Hawaii, White House reporters in President Barack Obama’s motorcade were sidelined for about 45 minutes when their press van’s wobbly tire nearly separated from the vehicle.  Vacationing Obama continued on, leaving the stranded journalists waiting for a replacement…The Los Angeles Times, in another shake-‘em-up lengthy feature aimed at already-shaky readers (from previous periodic earthquake stories) noted a major shaker could imperil Los Angeles’s water supply by destroying key sections of three major aqueducts, “cutting off the water supply for more than 22 million people in Southern California”…CNN’s Don Lemon made Columbia Journalism Review’s worst journalism of 2014 list.  He grabbed that negative honor in connection with missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 when he asked guests if the aircraft could have been swallowed by a black hole, among other fumbles…Last issue of the Long Beach Register, offspring of Freedom Communications’ Orange County Register, was published Sunday, 16 months after its debut to compete with the Long Beach Press-Telegram…The New York Times plans to open a 100-person office in London that will become the newspaper’s digital hub in Europe and international center.

 

Ad agencies and their clients don’t notice this?

Major trend with TV commercials is to use tiny, hard-to-read type, usually white against a bright yellow or orange background.  Among those making viewers squint or reach for their glasses (or binoculars):  ExxonMobil Corp. and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

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Shhh! China overtakes U.S. as world's No. 1 economy

SEC set to push scrutinizing pay of CEOs vs. workers

Bank grinch makes mark in HSBC season’s greetings

 

A public relations grinch showed up with a season’s greeting --- and more --- posted in the window of a HSBC bank office that shocked some folks, notes Grumpy Editor. 

HSBC is no small-town financial institution.  It's the world’s fourth largest bank 

In the spirit of the season, the message conveyed thanks to London customers “who trusted us in your mortgages this year” then in smaller type warned:  “Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.” 

At the bottom of the message was “Season’s greetings” and HSBC in larger type with its logo.

An editor at London’s The Guardian newspaper spotted the unusual greetings message and tweeted a photo. 

Founded in 1865 to finance trade between Asia and the West, HSBC serves about 52 million customers via around 6,600 offices in 80 countries and territories in North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

 

FYI, IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE EDITORS MISSED THESE... 

In another bank PR blunder, a Florida judge orders Bank of America to pay $1,051,000 to a Tampa couple that received 700 loan collection calls --- sometimes up to five a day --- in four years. The couple’s attorneys sued B of A under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act and the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act…Strangely, the CIA was not contacted for input in connection with the Senate Intelligence Committee’s release last week of its whopping 6,000-page report on the agency’s interrogation program (branded “torture report” by media)…No sooner did national media spotlight news that California’s three-year drought produced the worst conditions in 1,200 years (that’s going back to medieval days, or 678 years before Columbus discovered America) when the Golden State is slammed with the biggest storm in years, dumping up to 12 inches of rain --- with another storm on the way today…Latest Pew Research Center survey finds 75 percent of adults say they are “better informed” about national news stemming from daily visits to Web news sites...Forbes, now with Asian ownership and after 97 years based in New York City, this week starts editorial operations from New Jersey…For its “person of the year,” Time magazine didn’t settle on one individual for 2014.  The recognition went to “the ebola fighters”…Shaking up apartment house owners, Los Angeles unveils an earthquake plan that requires vulnerable pre-1980 apartments to retrofit within five years…Seen Family Circle magazine’s staff page lately?  A magnifying glass (or a visit to an ophthalmologist) is required to read names, titles and contacts.

 

UPS AND DOWNS. While last week’s stock market drop is attributed to a slide in oil prices, it wasn’t too far back when higher oil prices was the culprit behind a stock market drop.

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Memo to AP: Tinkering with photos once was no big deal

Associated Press severed its relationship with photographer Narciso Contreras after the news agency learned the Pulitzer prize-winning lensman manipulated a digital image of a Syrian rebel fighter by using software to remove a colleague’s (difficult to notice) video camera in the lower left corner of the frame, notes Grumpy Editor.

The action was taken after Santiago Lyon, AP’s vice-president and director of photography, said that while the alteration involved a portion of the image with little news importance, it breached AP’s requirements for truth and accuracy. 

Grumpy Editor reminds that touching up photos once was a common practice with daily newspapers. The procedure was for photo editors to send black-and-white glossies to editorial artists where they would paint out “busy” backgrounds/foregrounds and eliminate wrinkles from faces of entertainers and other people in the news, among other tasks. 

That routine included AP photos. 

Nobody complained. 

Also, photos were cropped to eliminate extraneous areas.

That, too, would be “shocking” today.

In the controversial image snapped last September by Contreras, a Mexican citizen, Lyon said AP’s “reputation is paramount and we react decisively and vigorously when it is tarnished by actions in violation of our ethics code.  Deliberately removing elements from our photographs is completely unacceptable.” 

See before and after images here:

 

In case you missed these…

PUBLIC RELATIONS SPECIALIST TOPS BEST CREATIVE JOBS CATEGORY.  U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Jobs of 2014” tally places public relations specialist atop the “Best Creative Jobs” category.  That position is followed by art director and architect.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects public relations specialists employment growth of 12 percent through 2022.  That amounts to 27,400 jobs to be filled.  PR profession claims No. 85 spot on the 2014 Best Jobs list.

BARTIROMO'S DEBUT ON FOX BUSINESS NETWORK SLATED.  Former long-time CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo officially joins Fox Business Network as its global markets editor on Saturday. She will anchor a daily program for FBN plus a weekly business-oriented show for Fox News Channel. 

MEDIA QUIET ON REPORT UFO ZOOMS BY JET.  Remember when anything relating to UFOs grabbed front-page headlines worldwide?  All was quiet in media last week after a report surfaces that a British airliner flying to Manchester from Spain encountered a near miss with a bright silver, metallic “rugby ball-shaped” unidentified flying object.  Pilot of the Thomas Cook A320 says he ducked as the object flew toward his aircraft, passing “within a few feet” above the jet which was flying 516 m.p.h. in daylight at 34,000 feet. 

WHY AD READERS SAY FORGETABOUTIT.  With ample space in a Friday full-page ad, JCPenney lists 22 “end of season savings” in small, difficult-to-read white words on red background.  At the bottom, four lines of almost unreadable tinier print relates to “while supplies last” and “selection may vary by store.” 

CNN CUTS VETERAN STAFFERS --- BUT PLANS TO HIRE.   CNN lays off more than 40 senior journalists, including an executive producer who spent 32 years at the network, reveals a delayed story out late last week.  Cuts are mainly in Atlanta, Washington and Los Angeles.  Despite that action, a CNN spokesperson says the cable network will add about 100 people this year, as it is “investing in journalism.” 

PORTLAND DAILY READIES SWITCH TO TABLOID.  The Oregonian is downsizing in format, going to tabloid from broadsheet. Along with the new 15 by 11 inches size, local, national and international news will be combined in the main news section. Sports will continue in a stand-alone section.  Some sections switch to the new size next month with the full change by April 2. 

NISSAN MOTOR CO. CITED FOR MISLEADING AD.   The Federal Trade Commission claims a Nissan TV commercial --- in late 2011 --- was deceptive because it showed a Frontier pickup pushing a stalled dune buggy up a steep sand dune when, in fact, the buggy and the Frontier were pulled up by cables. 

FEED BACKYARD BIRDS, GET A HEFTY FINE.  Not getting wide national media attention is a Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., report that a retired Bethlehem couple is facing an excessive $1,000-a-day fine for feeding their fine-feathered-friends.  Seems the bird feeder on their property is deemed out of compliance with a town ordinance designed to curb squirrels and other wildlife. The ordinance, in part, calls for a squirrel-proof top and catch basin affixed at the bottom of feeders.  

L.A. Times makes way on front page for giant Disney ad

At a time when most newspaper readers seek more front-page news, the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday turned over a chunk of its opening page to The Walt Disney Co. for a sprawling movie ad that included space where normally a top headline is placed, notes Grumpy Editor. 

In the process, only three news stories appeared on the front page.  Usually four to six reports run on its opening page.  (This compared with 15 to 18 opening-page stories when The Times, with greater competition from five other dailies in the city, produced “newsy” front --- and larger --- pages with eight columns.) 

The Disney ad, in white letters against a blue background, stretched across the top of the page, down the left side at almost a column width and full-width across the bottom in continuing the message. 

“In the past, The Times has sold movie tie-in wraps around the front page, done fake front pages that cause controversy or sold a chunk of the page for advertising,” Kevin Roderick wrote on his LA Observed website. “This is the first time I remember The Times (or any other top U.S. newspaper) dropping half of the content on its actual front page for an ad --- in this case for an advertiser the paper regularly covers and a movie it will also cover.” 

Roderick, who labeled it a “garishly unattractive Disney movie ad,” added that in The Times newsroom “there is a growing sense that the editors and publisher no longer care much about the printed paper, feeling that the future is digital.”

 

In case you missed these…

USA TODAY AND MCCLATCHY JOIN IN NIXING WHITE HOUSE PHOTO HANDOUTS.  Joining three dozen other news outlets that are nixing White House-provided photography, including images of President Barack Obama, are USA Today, the leading Gannett Co. newspaper, and McClatchy Co. which operates 30 daily newspapers.  USA Today said it will not use handouts originating from the White House Press Office, except in “very extraordinary circumstances.”  McClatchy editors simply said they will not publish photography issued by the White House.

 

Quiz time:  What was the most overused word (especially in advertisements and broadcast coverage) since last Wednesday?  See answer below.

 

IN THE “BAD PR” DEPARTMENT, ESPECIALLY FOR A CITY:  Huntington Beach, Calif., was threatening Johnny’s Saloon, a fixture in the Orange County beach city for three decades, with a $960 fine unless it removes a large rooftop POW-MIA sign that reads: THANK A VETERAN FOR YOUR FREEDOM!   Popular with veterans, the sign has been up for six years.  Said a city spokesperson:“We have been unable to locate a building and electrical permit for the roof sign so we need the owner to demonstrate that it has been permitted.” 

 

NEW MEANING FOR THE MILE-HIGH CITY.  The Denver Post appointed Ricardo Baca as the editor overseeing coverage of the recreational marijuana law that takes effect next month.  Baca, with the Post for nearly 12 years, was entertainment editor and music critic at the paper. 

 

ON TOP OF THE NEWS.  Some Bloomberg Businessweek subscribers still have not received the much-heralded 212-page Nov. 18 issue, its largest since 1999.  Missing that issue, callers to its subscription service were told to hold off until Nov. 25, then, if the issue was still missing, to request a copy.  Those who did call again were informed to expect the slow-to-receive issue in two to four more weeks --- in time for Christmas.

 

Quiz time answer:  Doorbusters. 

 

One of the funniest lines of the week from Jan Leno’s monologue on NBC’s The Tonight Show: 

Obama told Iran “if you like your uranium, you can keep your uranium.”

PR firm Ketchum places Putin op-ed in New York Times

Russian President Vladimir Putin got a solid assist from U.S. public relations giant Ketchum Inc. in placing his commentary in The New York Times’ op-ed page Thursday just as a meeting of Russian and U.S. representatives in Geneva, focusing on Syria and chemical weapons, got under way, notes Grumpy Editor. 

In the op-ed --- titled A Plea for Caution From Russia --- which grabbed heavy print and broadcast headlines in the U.S., Putin portrayed himself as a peacemaker, criticized the U.S. and lectured the U.S. for its tendency to use "brute force" in world disputes. 

Reuters pointed out Ketchum has earned more than $25 million working for Russia, according to documents filed with the U.S. Justice Department. 

The PR firm, with 74 offices and 56 affiliates in 70 countries, is a unit of New York Stock Exchange-listed Omnicom Group Inc. 

Several sources said Putin himself wrote the op-ed.

On the day the op-ed appeared, a Senate panel narrowed the definition of a “covered journalist” as an independent contractor, employee or agent of an entity that disseminates news or information.

So, as the writer of an op-ed piece, does that put Putin (as a “freelance writer”) in the same category as other contributors to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and other publications?

Meanwhile, in a “fair and balanced” response to Putin’s N.Y. Times material, Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) will write an op-ed for Russia’s Pravda, with a paltry paid circulation of 49,000, dwarfing that of the N.Y. Times'  total circulation of 1.9 million.

 

More snooping looms:  credit card transactions 

Overlooked Friday and over the weekend by most media --- but not the Washington Examiner --- was information on more government snooping, finds Grumpy Editor. 

The newspaper declared, “Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officials are seeking to monitor four out of every five U.S. consumer credit card transactions this year, up to 42 billion transactions, through a controversial data-mining program, according to documents obtained by the Washington Examiner.” 

The Washington Examiner went on to explain that “a CFPB strategic planning document for fiscal years 2013-17 describes the ‘markets monitoring’ program through which officials aim to monitor 80 percent of all credit card transactions” this year.

“The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 1.16 billion consumer credit cards were in use in 2012 for an estimated 52.6 billion transactions. If CFPB officials reach their stated ‘performance goal,’ they would collect data on 42 billion transactions made with 933 million credit cards used by American consumers."

What's more, the newspaper added, “CFPB officials hope to monitor up to 95 percent of all mortgage transactions, according to the planning document.”

 

In case you missed these…

Another journalist joins Obama team.  Richard Stengel is leaving his Time magazine editor post to become undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.  It marks the 21^st journalist to become a member of the Obama administration…While Washington and most media have been focusing on Syria and chemical weapons, North Korea has been acting up --- again.  The Associated Press reported a recent satellite image appears to show the communist country is restarting a plutonium reactor in a move that could raise renewed international alarm over its nuclear weapons program, according to the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. 

Ice story ignored by most U.S. media:  A chilly Arctic summer has left nearly a million more square miles of ocean covered with ice than at the same time last year, reports Britain’s Daily Mail.  That’s a 60 percent increase.  The newspaper noted the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific has remained blocked by pack-ice all year, adding global warming has "paused" since early 1997, “an event that the computer models used by climate experts failed to predict.” 

In media developments:  A copy of USA Today, starting Sept. 30, will cost $2 at newsstands, double the current $1, unchanged since 2008…Sean Hannity agreed to a multi-year extension of his radio show via Premiere Networks, which said Hannity’s program will expand to additional major market Clear Channel talk stations as well as non-Clear Channel stations next year…The Washington Post now offers free digital access for federal employees, military personnel and students in higher education…From Glenn Beck commenting on the Syria situation on his Tuesday morning radio program: “Write it down in your calendars, because this is the week that America lost its superpower status”…Closer Weekly, a new magazine from Bauer Publishing Co., debuts in November.  Aimed at Generation X females, it will cover celebrities, beauty, health, fashion and recipes.

Newspaper reporter sinks to bottom of least-favored jobs; a reminder: HHS adds PR firm to tout ObamaCare

For those thinking about a career as newspaper reporter, some glum news:  that occupation ranks as the worst these days, tallies a 2013 CareerCast.com Jobs Rated Report, observes Grumpy Editor.

Newspaper reporter drops to the bottom of the list (No. 200) in a tally by the Carlsbad, Calif., firm.  That’s one notch below lumberjack and compares with a 126 ranking in 1988.

“Newspaper reporters have fared poorly in the report for years due to the job's high stress and tight deadlines, low pay and requirement to work in all conditions to get the story,” points out CareerCast.com.  “Ever-shrinking newsrooms, dwindling budgets and Internet competition have created a very difficult environment, driving the position to dead last on this year's Jobs Rated Report.”

Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com mentions, "People who love to write can consider working for online publications or transition to advertising or public relations.  Many jobs in communications offer better hours, greater stability, a work/life balance and a healthier hiring outlook than being a newspaper reporter."

So what are the top five 2013 jobs?

Topping the list is actuary, followed by biomedical engineer, software engineer, audiologist and financial planner.

 

Another reminder of outside PR use by HHS

Making the rounds again on the Web after a Newsmax mention last week is the Obama administration awarding PR firm Weber Shandwick a $3.1 million contract “to help sell ObamaCare to the uninsured and persuade them to enroll in a healthcare plan.”

The repeat of an announcement almost seven months earlier does remind, however, how Washington --- with wall-to-wall chatter these days on budget cuts via sequester --- spends taxpayer money on an outside PR campaign when Department of Health and Human Services already has a mighty taxpayer-paid press office.

See the HHS lengthy press office list here.

Perhaps the Obama administration and HHS are swayed by inspirational words on the Weber Shandwick Web site.  The global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries, boasts:

“We are a creative studio of writers, designers, builders, strategists, conversation-starters, storytellers. We are passionate about our clients and, through our specialty firms and dedicated practice groups, we are deeply knowledgeable about their businesses. And while we are a big, global organization, we believe that collaboration is the best way to succeed.”

The PR firm also cites:  “We inspire. We incite. We shape ideas to move companies and organizations forward. We get people thinking and acting in new ways so they connect with and advocate for your brand. And we do it with a level of commitment and expertise that is simply unmatched by anyone, anywhere.” 

Undoubtedly, HHS couldn’t resist those stimulating words.

 

In case you missed these…

Not so fast:  “Air traffic controllers back at full strength,” proclaims a Saturday newspaper across-the-page headline over an Associated Press story.  Not quite.  The sixth paragraph of the AP piece reads: “There  was no immediate word on when the controllers’ furloughs would end.”  Sunday papers have the FAA controllers going back to work "within 24 hours." Actually, President Barack Obama was prepared to sign the bill on Saturday morning, but now must wait until tomorrow because a spelling error in the measure needs to be corrected. 

In an unusual promotional partnership hailed as a Hollywood first, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. customers will be able to buy tickets to June 13 screenings of Man of Steel, the latest Warner Bros Superman movie…The Express-Times, Easton, Pa., is eliminating its production department and will move its printing operations to the Staten Island (N.Y.) Advance starting June 3.  The move erases 12 full-time and 26 part-time Easton jobs

Cheers for radio coverage.  While most newspapers snub radio coverage with its many offerings, the Orange County (Calif.) Register says long-time radio writer Don Barrett is the newspaper’s new radio columnist…Traffic-clogged drivers already are squirming in Los Angeles with word that President Obama will fly to the city again on June 7 for a series of Democrat fundraisers.  LA Observed, which follows these trips, reminds readers to “mark your Obamajam calendars.”

An amusing, attention-getting ad from iGATE in Forbes magazine declares in large type:  “If this ad does not deliver results, we’re not paying Forbes.”  iGATE, with principal executive offices in Fremont, Calif., provides consulting, technology and business process outsourcing, and product and engineering solutions.