I thought this story was interesting. A NASA public relations official, George Deutch, resigned after reportedly trying to limit the media’s access to one of the agency’s scientists. From the article:
The New York Times reported that Deutsch tried to limit reporters’
access to Jim Hansen, a noted NASA climate scientist, and insisted that
a Web designer insert the word "theory" before any mention of the Big
Bang.
"George attracted attention because some of the things
he demanded were so outrageous," Hansen wrote in an e-mail to The
Associated Press on Wednesday.
It sounds like Deutch wasn’t clear on his role at the agency, which, according to NASA administrator Michael Griffin, "…is to convey the work done at NASA to our stakeholders in an intelligible way." It’s worth noting that Deutch was young at 24 years old, so perhaps a lack of experience led to him "overstepping his boundaries" in attempting to filter the messages of noted scientists.
If nothing else, Deutch’s mistake provides a learning opportunity for others in the PR biz. I’m going to make sure I’m familiar and comfortable with my organization’s PR goals, and make sure my higher-ups are comfortable with the way our department plans on achieving those goals. In the case of Mr. Deutch, it sounds like there may have been a miscommunication between he and NASA officials, and for that he was forced to resign.
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