While public relations pros can influence what journalists report, and certainly serve as an information resource, they don’t dictate what reporters can and cannot write about. It’s usually inevitable that someone, somewhere, is going to write a story that’s perceived as “less than flattering” or even damaging to your organization or client, especially if that organization is as large as Sony.
Yet when gaming blog Kotaku posted about a rumored new feature for the Sony PS3, Dave Karraker, the senior director of corporate communications for Sony Computer Entertainment of America, canceled scheduled interviews with the bloggers and dis-invited them from an upcoming press event. I think Kotaku editor Brian Crecente was spot-on in his response:
I think this only highlights the differences that PR people and journalists have. My interest is not in making sure that Sony has positive news or that the timing of their news is correct, my job only is to inform the readers of news as quickly and accurately as I can.
Frankly, Mr. Karraker should understand Kotaku was only acting in the role of a journalist (and/or a blogger) and nowhere, as far as I can tell, behaved in a less-than-ethical manner. (Ultimately in the end cooler heads prevailed, and the two parties are on friendly terms again.)
I can understand not working with a reporter who takes quotes out of context and writes biased, one-sided stories in an effort to make an organization look bad. But for reporting a leaked story? That’s weak. The media does not serve PR, nor should they.
UPDATE: Joystiq, the other most-widely-read video game blog on the net, comments.
0 Responses to “Sony PR “blackballs” video game blog over leaked story”