NEW YORK: The New York Magazine article about pretty publicity girls is about to become a movie - but PR pros are condemning the flack-flick before the writer of the article has even been paid the advance on her $500,000 fee.
PR pros are appalled at the way the publicists' words and actions reflected on the profession and one magazine editor is refusing to feature artists represented by one of the PRs.
Most troubling to PR pros were comments attributed to Jennifer Posner, who represents several rap music artists and record labels. 'They (rap artists) used to have a black publicist doing this,' Posner said. 'But they needed two bigmouthed Jewish girls to tell it to these guys straight - 'shut up, and do what I say!' '
'If that isn't a classic master-slave mentality, I don't know what is,' said Kim Hunter, president of the Lagrant Foundation. Deitra Huff Smith, account executive at The Brownstein Group Public Relations, said, 'The comment is a slap in the face to all black professionals.'
Posner's words could lose her a client too. Vibe editor Sheena Lester has threatened Loud Records mogul Steve Rifkand with a ban on his artists if he doesn't sever his association with Posner.
Others were appalled by the way the PR profession wound up 'looking like an activity for giggly 24 year olds,' according to A. Lavin Communications president Andy Lavin. 'The person doing my parties probably isn't the same person I want doing my crisis communications program - 'Golly, is that an oil spill?"
And PRSA director of PR Richard George criticized the article's intimation that PR professionals serve no greater function than publicity or press agents.
