Dear Ruth Sterling, Its time to calm down. Chillaxe, and step back. Im sure you will never read this and if you do, Im sure it will just be perceived as empty words from a former has been in the media world. That is why I think I should say a few things. When I say that I love all forms of media, I really mean it. I also love public relations and have been accused more than once of being a self promoter myself. I know that you want to school everyone in what is good public relations. You have stated that you were single handedly responsible for keeping 80,000 people safe. The best that I can assume is that your attempt to sensor Jared Goodell was at its core an honest attempt, executed poorly. Very poorly. I think you were trying to convey the old ignore it and it will go away approach. In other words, you felt that Mr. Goodell reporting on the rioting and shenanigans going on around the Keene State Campus would place people in a panic mode ala the old Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Panic in the streets, people jumping from high rises, and shouts of Oh the humanity! No offence to Jarred, but he is not HG Welles, nor are you someone with the power to cause widespread panic. Jarred, reported an event that was happening in the City of Keene. People in any forms of media operate by an unwritten code. If youre a DJ, reporter, board operator, or broadcast sales guy. The FCC actually writes that a station serving the public is obligated to do just that...serve the public during a crisis. According to all reports....this was a crisis in Keene. Jarred was obligated to report it....just as a Dr. is obligated to help an injured person they stumble across. Its in the DNA of anyone who has ever held a microphone. Jared, or whoever happened to be on the mic at the time may very well have PREVENTED inury by informing the public what was happening and that maybe avoiding the area was the right thing to do. It is understandable that during your appearance with Jared, that you were running in a panic mode of sorts. Who wouldnt. You clearly had a lot of emotion going on. Sometimes a mix of panic and emotion causes knee jerking responses...which is what I think everyone has seen. Do you want to save your business and your reputation? First: avoid name calling. Calling anyone a self promoting, punk is just poor professionalism. Also, denouncing someones beliefs is just wrong. The Free Keene angle you tried to spin oozes of desperation. Free Keene and Free Staters are a lot of things....but you cant blame this on them. They cant always be a scapegoat. Second: you need to publically apologize to Jared and the entire City for overreacting...and mean it. If you truly mean it, you may gain back some respect. Third: you need to find a way to spin the negative press you have gained for yourself and Let It Shine by taking a more responsible stand and joining hands with everyone else instead of playing the blame game. Im sorry, Pumpkinfest did not directly cause the violence but it was a major catalyst for the party atmosphere. Good thing emergency personal kept it away from the footprint. Um...yeah….they did….not YOU. Fourth: Be humble. You are under a great deal of stress. It is understandable. Keep in mind, it is ok to admit faults. It is ok to take it on the chin. Show everyone you are doing your best to repair the shambles. Your attitude during this has shown the world a totally different side of our quaint little community festival. You as the organizer needed to handle this with class, respect, and to show the world what Pumpkinfest Strong could have been. I know that you know all these things, because you are a public relations expert. Id love to pull myself out of retirement and interview you one on one and really give you an opportunity to give you a forum to discuss your side, say over a Pumpkin Spice Latte? In the PR world you need to start doing some serious damage control and now. There is still time to save your reputation and the reputation of the Let it Shine organization which both are suffering from permanent black eyes.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 16:14:37 +0000
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