Every so often, we turn our attention to news stories to see what these developments can tell us about how the world of media and PR has changed. Two recent stories come to mind – both focused on our local football team. The first centered around a Boston Herald reporter who was criticized for tweeting at the funeral for the wife of NE Patriots owner Bob Kraft. While no one wants to see someone texting or tweeting at a funeral service, the pace of news reporting and the technology available to us all – professional and citizen journalists alike – create a dilemma. The reporter – Ian Rapoport – defended his actions, noting that the tweeting happened before and after the services, but can we really question him for some discrete tweeting/texting as part of his responsibility to report news to his readers? Without today’s mobile and social networking technology, this would never have been an issue. A few days later, tweeting and the Patriots were back in the news when the team announced the acquisition of publicity-hungry wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Ochocinco (whose name-change alone is evidence of his thirst for media attention) is known for on-field taunting, reality TV shows, and wild public challenges to competitors — but the interesting development to watch is his tweeting. While it still remains to be seen if Ochocinco will curtail his other publicity efforts, we’ve already seen a change in his tweeting. You’ll find no bombastic tweets in the past 24 hours since he joined the Pats – instead we see messages thanking God and the Patriots, and spotlighting a favorite song. Tweeting and texting has gotten a lot of sports figures in hot water in recent years (also creating new challenges for PR people). These are just two more examples of how technology is changing the rules of communication…the rules for those making news, reporting the news and consuming the news.

Share on Facebook

Share/Save