Being spokespersons in business, those of us in the PR industry were constantly thinking about words. Tossing them around, before saying them in the media.
Knowing they would be in the public arena, gave us pause.
Last Friday, in a Salon article about Senator Ted Cruz hiring “several of his direct relatives” for staff positions, giving “the appearance of nepotism,” a spokesperson for the Texas senator called “any suggestion that Sen. Cruz had acted unethically ‘a political slime job…’”
Those words also were broadcast on KYTV, the NBC-TV station in Springfield, Missouri, and they were in MSN (Microsoft News), Business Insider and Philadelphia’s phillynews.com.
In just those media, alone, the spokesperson’s words were reaching a substantial number of people.
Words, sometimes, are shaped more than necessary. The words ‘food insecurity,’ for example — meaning the tragic circumstances of people not having food to eat — have meaning, but not the full meaning. They can, sadly, gloss over things, in a way.
But there were some words in the media, recently, that seemed just about right, considering the current state of politics… and politicians. The words ‘selective criticism.’ I heard a politician saying them.
Selective criticism is happening a lot among politicians, in particular, in their day-to-day routine of going at each other, and shifting blame from one political party to the other. Or, for that matter, from one politician to another.
Which brings us to a few more words about ‘getting along’… Can’t we all just do that?
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.