SavvySpin.Com

The future of newspapers is......

Dennis Bailey — 2012-05-09T17:12:16Z

Well, who knows? Certainly not the reporters and editors who took part in a recent talk-fest in Portland to discuss this topic.

That's not meant as a criticism. It's just happens to be true. No one really knows, and it was clear from the panelists that they are still just feeling their way in this new world of instant access, social media, blogs, iPads and everything else. Even one of the participants, Portland Press Herald reporter Tom Bell, admitted that there are no experts when it comes to figuring out what direction newspapers should take in response to declining revenues, readership and, I would add, relevance.

Nevertheless, this panel's lack of insight and urgency on the future of newspapers was a bit jarring. Maybe it was just too early on a Monday, or they didn't' want to share what they were really thinking with their competitors. But the discussion just seemed a little ho-hum to me.

Bruce Poliquin eats a cookie

Dennis Bailey — 2012-05-06T17:24:18Z

Among the videos I use in my media training at Savvy, Inc. is one concerning Alberta Health Services President and CEO Stephen Duckett. He was at a meeting concerning problems with the Canadian health care system, and as he tried to sneak out, he was besieged by Edmonton press to answer a few entirely reasonable questions.

Needless to say, I use this video as an example of how NOT to deal with the news media. Take a look:

What Gov. LePage should have said: "Bring back the spoils system."

Dennis Bailey — 2012-04-28T17:18:00Z

OK, maybe Gov. Paul LePage was a tad over the line when he called some Maine state workers “corrupt.” Wrong choice of words. “Corrupt,” in its most common usage, means being on the take, getting cash in the bag, or generally flouting the law, and I really don’t think that’s what LePage meant.

But he’ll never be known for being artful or articulate. Gruff, coarse, bombastic, given to exaggeration – these more closely describe our governor. He talks like someone you’d more likely meet in a blue-collar pub after downing a few than in the august halls of the Statehouse. A great orator he is not.

But once you get past all that, LePage actually has a point about the workings of state government – or more accurately how it doesn’t work. Criticize him, attack him, condemn him all you want. But you’ll be missing an important point about how government should be reformed to become more democratic and truly responsive to the voting public.

I’m talking about reforming civil service and returning to the spoils system.

How Speechwriters - And Sound Bites - Make Policy (And News)

Dennis Bailey — 2012-04-12T14:47:10Z

It was around 6 p.m. on a Friday and I was just about to leave the office to head out to Happy Hour when someone came up to me and said, “There’s a call for you from the White House.” How often does that happen?

But it was true. At the time, I was the press secretary for Congressman Tom Andrews. President Clinton was on his way to Portland to speak in Deering Oaks the next day. The White House communications office was looking for some last minute information about Bath Iron Works to include in Clinton’s speech.

Not wishing to let something like a Presidential speech disrupt my Friday night plans, I hurriedly pounded out three paragraphs on BIW, put it on the fax machine to the White House and headed off to my favorite watering hole.

The truth, finally, about horse racing in the US

Dennis Bailey — 2012-03-25T22:42:53Z

During last year’s casino/racino debate, Robert Fisk, the president of Maine Friends of Animals, submitted an op-ed to the Portland Press Herald that contained some eye-opening claims. Based on the research by his group, Fisk said horse racing in Maine and around the country had become a dangerous and deadly sport for the animals involved. He said that drugging of horses is rampant in the industry, regulation is lax, and that slot machines at a Biddeford racetrack would only subsidize and encourage these abusive practices.

“It is time we pull back the curtain and expose the harness racing industry for what it is,” Fisk wrote, “a miserable life for horses, a business left to regulate itself and a significant cause of unwanted horses and horse slaughter."

The editors at the Press Herald, who wholeheartedly supported the Biddeford racino, refused to run his column.

Reporting a Rumor: The Maine Wire Substitutes Hysterical Rants for Real Reporting

Dennis Bailey — 2012-03-15T19:50:35Z

Imagine for a moment that you’re a news reporter who’s given a tip, a rumor really, about some misdeeds or wrongdoing by a high-level government official. You

A. Pursue the tip by asking questions and filing Freedom of Information requests.

B. Ignore the tip.

C. Print the rumor with no attribution or confirmation.

D. Condemn any news reporter who has the temerity to even question that one of our top government officials would ever do anything wrong.

If you’re working for The Maine Wire, the new right-wing leaning “investigative” website of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, you’re likely to do all of the above, depending of course on whether the high-level government official is a Democrat or a Republican.

High gas prices and Maine potatoes: What's the connection?

Dennis Bailey — 2012-02-27T13:11:27Z

Gas prices are creeping back up, and if politicians really want to do something about it, they need to take a good hard look at Maine potatoes.

Not the little brown spuds themselves, but the way in which Maine potatoes used to be marketed and sold. There’s an important lesson our policy makers can learn by unearthing this sordid history.

Why the gay marriage vote will be harder this time

Dennis Bailey — 2012-02-03T19:46:04Z

Forget the polls that show Mainers now favor gay marriage. It’s within the margin or error and those numbers will change anyway.

Forget the notion being peddled by supporters that Mainers have changed their minds since the vote in 2009 to repeal the gay marriage law (if they have, they can just as easily change them back once the campaign commercials start). And don’t bet on a strong youth vote in a presidential year (you’ll be disappointed, again).

Supporters of the gay marriage effort expressed a lot of confidence last week when they turned in the petitions for another gay marriage referendum in November. This time will be different, they said. If that overconfidence morphs into complacency than they’re in for an even worse drubbing than the defeat three years ago.

A better strategy would have been to warn the supporters and volunteers that this campaign will take even more work than the last one. It would have been more accurate too. For a variety of reasons, passing a law to give same sex couples the right to marry will be even harder than last time. Here’s why:

Why the Casinos Lost

Dennis Bailey — 2011-11-09T17:58:57Z

It was theirs to lose, and they figured out a way to lose it.

The casino promoters hired virtually every political consultant in Maine to get Question 2 passed, and several top consultants in Washington. Millions of dollars, a 6-1 spending advantage over their opponents, weeks of incessant TV ads, kids going door-to-door armed with the latest iPad technology, online ads that would pop up on top sites like MSNBC, direct mail up the wazoo, newspaper ads, a website and Facebook page, robo calls to targeted likely voter households. They used every tool available to them.

And they lost. Big time.

A OneMaine Candidate Addresses the Voters

Dennis Bailey — 2011-10-04T14:55:18Z

Dear Friends,

As the election draws near, I am proud to have the endorsement and financial support of OneMaine, a new political action committee dedicated to finding areas of compromise and common-sense solutions to the most vital issues facing us today.

As members of OneMaine, we reject the tired notion that our elected officials must commit to clearly defined positions and ideals, strive to educate and influence voters, and build coalitions to ultimately pressure our government into action.

No, that’s not leadership. Besides, it's hard work.

Norm Olsen’s – and the Democrats’ – Overreaction

Dennis Bailey — 2011-07-22T14:16:17Z

The sudden and unceremonious resignation this week of the Commissioner of Department of Marine Resources gave the Democrats and the news media a golden opportunity to pig pile on Gov. LePage. He was quickly accused of everything from bad management to sucking up to “special interests.”

But it was a golden opportunity for everyone else to realize that most of these critics have no idea what they’re talking about. All they know, apparently, is how to kick a guy when he’s down to score cheap partisan points.

This is Why Rupert Murdoch Runs an Evil Empire

Dennis Bailey — 2011-07-19T19:01:44Z

I tweeted about this yesterday, but I’m still amazed by this whole episode. If anyone needs proof that Rupert Murdoch runs an evil empire, here it is.

As we all know, Murchoch’s now-defunct News of the World has been accused of gaining access to confidential information, including medical and financial records, from thousands of individuals by hiring private investigators for hacking and “blagging” into mobile phones. The company is also accused of paying bribes to police officers, perhaps to block or delay criminal investigations into the company’s activities, and paying hush money to victims of their activities in the form of out-of-court settlements.

This is a huge story, Britain’s Watergate. But that’s not the proof I’m talking about.

PR Is Dead

Dennis Bailey — 2011-07-13T15:55:55Z

Before I started Savvy, Inc. more than 10 years ago, I spent a lot of time researching the competition and figuring out where a new PR firm would fit into the current market. I was a little surprised to discover that in Maine, there really was no competition. No one was doing the kind of PR that I envisioned.

The reason was that none of the so-called PR professionals in those days had ever been in the news business or worked as a reporter. They had almost no understanding of what makes a real news story, or the needs of the news media.

Shut Up, Al

Dennis Bailey — 2011-05-05T13:07:00Z

Whenever a client complains to me about getting the Al Diamon treatment (and sooner or later everyone gets the Al Diamon treatment – the man respects nothing and no one), I always counsel the same thing: who cares? The man is a joke, a cartoon, an aging, overweight, beer-swilling cynical curmudgeon who hasn’t had a decent political insight in 30 years. He’s good for a few laughs, but does anyone really take him seriously? I mean, just look at him. His wife once confessed to me that even she doesn’t know what he looks like without that ratty Rip Van Winkle beard. I think she also told me the last time he combed it, 25 Rheingold beer caps fell to the floor. (I wonder if she also knows that he’s bald under that baseball hat?)

Here’s why Al’s smart-alecky barbs are so easy to dismiss: he’s an equal opportunity antagonist. If you disagree with the latest acid assessment from his hovel in Carrabassett Valley, don’t worry. There will be another one coming along any minute that you probably will agree with. To Al, everybody and everything is just a punch line.

A Scorcher at the Cape

Dennis Bailey — 2011-04-29T10:46:00Z

It's hot. Really hot. But the enthusiasm of the tweeps awaiting tomorrow's launch is even hotter. Off the scale. This is one fired up group, charged to be here. I'd say that most people here are enjoying their second childhood, but I suspect it's really their third. Or fourth. Or they never really grew up.

It's an eclectic bunch too. Besides the stars like Seth Green and LeVar Burton, there is the guy who does the music for American Idol; a Jeopardy champ; the author of the book "E-Bay for Dummies;" a few astrophysicists; and a healthy contingent from Twitter itself, the company.

Day One in Florida

Dennis Bailey — 2011-04-28T03:13:50Z

I'm down at Cape Canaveral for the big NASA Tweetup. Today was just a travel day, and after arriving in Orlando, I drove to the Cape to pick up my credentials. The gals behind the desk were very excited that my badge number was 007. Yeah, shaken not stirred. It'll be that kind of weekend.

There's a reason why they call this the Space Coast. Everything is themed to the space program. Even a McDonald's I drove by had a big Space Shuttle playground out front, and several of the gas stations and convenience stores displayed signs saying, "Godspeed Endeavour," and "Welcome Gabby Giffords and Friends." It makes you wonder what the place will be like when the Shuttle program comes to and end.

I've never really liked Florida. Flat.

On My Way to the Shuttle Launch...

Dennis Bailey — 2011-04-26T12:57:00Z

This week I'll be traveling to Cape Canaveral to witness the final launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. In fact, it may be the final launch for the entire Space Shuttle program if Congress cuts off funding for the next flight tentatively scheduled for June. Either way, I was lucky enough to be selected as one of 150 people to attend NASA's ultimate Tweetup.

The Ultimate Tweetup

Dennis Bailey — 2011-03-25T15:40:00Z

This week I received an official invitation from NASA to attend a Tweetup on April 18-19 to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The event brings together 150 users of the popular social networking site for a two-day tour of Cape Canaveral in Florida, meetings with NASA astronauts and engineers, and a close-up view of the launch from the press section just a few miles from the pad, the closest you can get without being on the rocket itself.

The final flight of Endeavour (and the penultimate voyage in the Shuttle program) is scheduled to blast off at 7:48 p.m. on Monday, April 19 and will be commanded by Mark Kelly, wife of Arizona Congrsswomen Gabrielle Giffords, who may attend the launch.

Are Wind Power Opponents Winning the PR Battle?

Dennis Bailey — 2011-02-25T15:18:00Z

Everybody wants to love wind power. The idea that a few slowly spinning windmills on the horizon can generate clean, cheap electrical power and free us all from the chaos in the oil-soaked Middle East is an appealing prospect. What’s not to love?

But so far, wind power hasn’t lived up to its many promises. And the growing legion of wind power opponents has not only been successful in pointing out wind power’s significant downside, they now control the debate. I’m willing to bet that more people are familiar with wind power’s negatives – the noise, the shadow flicker, the alleged mountaintop destruction – than its positives. Support is clearly declining. If there’s a strong case to be made for wind power, the proponents haven’t made it yet.

Why Aren't These People in Jail?

Dennis Bailey — 2011-02-11T17:17:00Z

In 2008 when the housing bubble broke and the nation’s economy took a nosedive, many Republicans and conservatives were quick to blame Congress for the problems. They pointed to a 1977 law called the Community Reinvestment Act that encouraged banks to offer mortgages in minority neighborhoods. The CRA – and the Capital Hill Democrats who championed it - became the boogeyman for forcing banks to loan money to unqualified homebuyers. These mostly subprime loans eventually defaulted, resulting in the cataclysmic implosion of the US financial industry, or so their well-publicized claims went.

But last week, in a mostly overlooked report from a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission that examined the causes of the great financial collapse, that myth was finally put to bed.