Controversial list of PR professionals removed from journalist blog

Gemma O'Reilly, prweek.com, 05 January 2010, 08:01am

Freelance journalist Kevin Braddock has decided to remove a controversial list of PR professionals he posted on his blog, after he claimed they inundated him with emails.

Journalist blog: list of PROs

Braddock named and shamed an extensive list of PROs who he said had sent him irrelevant press releases, after he requested that he be removed from their distribution lists.

The blog drew attention from journalists and PROs alike and was quickly flagged up on social networking site Twitter.

Braddock decided to remove the blog yesterday afternoon after hundreds of comments were posted underneath.

Speaking to PRWeek, Braddock said: ‘It wasn't something I felt I could adjudicate on. I posted the blog because it's a problem that many journalists have. I've since been contacted by people on the list who have apologised.'

He added: ‘The comments that were posted underneath included journalists and PR professionals agreeing with me. But some were nasty comments, including people accusing me of persecuting PROs. The issue is about the relationship between journalists and PROs, rather than me and these specific PR professionals.'

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All Comments

Gemma O'Reilly - 06 January 2010

So what's the general consensus? Was Kevin Braddock right to publish the list?

Phil Stubbs - 06 January 2010

Yes. I don't know Kevin, and I am conscious that many journalists tend to look down their noses at PROs \(unless they need them, of course). I did it myself when I was a journalist. But the fact of the matter is that not all journalists are bad and not all PROs are idiots. It's about time we got on better, so the debate sparked by Kevin was much-needed.

Stubbs PR Ltd

IAIN FLEMING - 06 January 2010

The issue of the huge waste of effort, time and talent by the PR industry in the way it handles the delivery of content was addressed by me in a university research project published last October. Anyone wishing to read the report can get it from me by emailing iain.fleming@wirefast.com

Marc Thorburn - 06 January 2010

Surely dealing with PRO's is part and parcel of the job for journalists and if they dont want to receive the press releases from a certain PRO then all they have to do is request to be taken off the list, or maybe use their email to block a particular address. I am neither so maybe im looking at it too simplistically.

Paul Wooding - 06 January 2010

Love how Kevin says "I've since been contacted by people on the list who have apologised." How modest of him!

Regardless of the merits of his argument \(the basic tenet of which I agree with) I think he should apologise - or at least show a little bit of humility - for naming individuals along with their email addresses.

If you can still access Kevin's initial post you'll see that his criteria for inclusion on the list was very ambiguous. He writes for WIRED UK yet listed "consumer technology" as an off-topic sector.

Sorry, but I don't think it's bad form for a PR to send him products news and other info on that subject if he's got WIRED UK in his portfolio.

However, what his post does is – yet again - highlight how PR still adheres to some old antiquated practices. It's time all parties – agencies, clients and journalists – had a sit down and learned some home truths about what is/isn't of interest to the media, how information should/shouldn't be presented, the language and tone that should be used etc.

Let's face it, we might be entering a new decade, filled with the excitement of social and digital technologies and the potential they bring to the PR sector...but how many of us will be writing a press release about "the world's leading X" this month or sending out en masse a pitch with no hope of pick up etc.

Kevin needs to grow up a little but then again, so does the PR industry.

Ben Cotton - 06 January 2010

In the interests of fairness I would be interested to hear what some of those named on the list have to say.

Gemma Went - 06 January 2010

So there are two sides to every story. Yes it's part of the journalists job to receive press releases from us. However I run a blog and know just how frustrating it is to be continually pitched with irrelevant press releases. So I agree that Kevin raises an important issue \(that's been raised many times before).

That said, naming and shaming just makes the namer look a little spiteful. There are ways of doing things, outing people so publicly isn't one of them.

Blanket emailing press releases is a huge problem in our industry and really does need to stop. Surely we've learned by now that picking up the phone and speaking to the journalist or blogger directly gets far better results? Or at least doing the research and making sure any press release you do email them is relevant and directed at them, rather than an ambiguous list \(because let's face it, some journalists don't take our calls so email is our only choice).

Rather than going over this problem again and again, can't we figure some way of working it out so everyone's happy? Surely in this digital age we can work out how to develop best practice on both sides. Or am I just being naive?

Julien Speed - 13 January 2010

Email sent to Kevin Braddock

Dear Mr Braddock

I was informed this morning that my details were included on your infamous 'name and shame' list. I have worked in this industry for 30 years and this is the first time my name has been associated with any accusation of unprofessionalism. I certainly did not appreciate being told by a client that I was on your list.

Your interests have been recorded on media databases as including consumer technology. Indeed I checked your website this evening and, even now, one of your blogs cites technology as an area of interest.

I therefore do not see how it can be called unprofessional to send you information about new consumer technology launches.

However, if you received any press releases from me last year in which you were not interested, all you needed to do was hit the reply button to say so. You would then have been removed immediately. This is what other journalists do. I have a very good memory and I have never received any such request from you.

I will ensure that you are deleted from all our lists permanently.

Yours sincerely

Julien Speed, Joint Managing Partner, Starfish Communications LLP