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Houston PR vs. the media

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by MeanGreenATO, Oct 12, 2019.

  1. MeanGreenATO

    MeanGreenATO Well-Known Member

    We recently hit the trifecta of Houston PR folks overstepping their bounds for no apparent reason.

    First, the recent Rockets-China debacle:

    Then there was the whole Verlander-Freep situation:

    Oh, and let’s not leave the Texans out of the mix. I know there was some hubbub when this happened because I believe the memo was provided to the AP and then team PR folks got upset: Texans players warned not to eat room service or leave hotel in Mexico before game vs. Raiders

    If you see writers from Houston on the road, get them a drink.
     
  2. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    That one you posted with the Rockets is ridiculous. I don't even think she was trying to get them to talk about the China situation in a roundabout way. It was more a general question about being careful around social media. I understand if the players might be hesitant to wade into it given the way this week has gone, but it's a legitimate question that they can answer -- thoughtfully, even -- without going anywhere near the topic that spawned it. It certainly didn't require the Gestapo tactics the PR person employed.
     
  3. MeanGreenATO

    MeanGreenATO Well-Known Member

    So, feels like a good time for an update. Start with this:



    Then read this:

     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2019
  4. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    And in the center of the room, assistant general manager Brandon Taubman turned to a group of three female reporters, including one wearing a purple domestic-violence awareness bracelet, and yelled, half a dozen times, “Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f------ glad we got Osuna!”

    The outburst was offensive and frightening enough that another Houston staffer apologized. The Astros declined to comment. They also declined to make Taubman available for an interview.

    Taubman's timing was odd.

    Closer Roberto Osuna had allowed a two-run home run to tie the game in the top of the ninth. He had been, by Baseball Reference’s calculations and any intelligent observer’s assessment, the least valuable Astro that night. So why would Taubman choose that moment, to taunt that demographic? It’s not hard to figure out.

    ***


    I gotta think there's video of that.
     
  5. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    No video yet, but at least four witnesses have corroborated, including a beat writer from the Houston Chronicle.
     
  6. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

  7. typefitter

    typefitter Well-Known Member

    We've entered an age when the response to any scandal will be to lie about it, wait for it to blow over, and carry on. That's just how things are going to work.
     
    Webster likes this.
  8. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

  9. Della9250

    Della9250 Well-Known Member

    Wonder how that happened
     
  10. typefitter

    typefitter Well-Known Member

    Will ever be a mystery.
     
  11. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Astros executive Brandon Taubman under fire for Osuna comments

    Not only does he very much look like a guy named Brandon Taubman, he looks like a guy who say such a thing. Not that it makes it any more or less likely that the SI article was correct. I just get a serious "Ellis" vibe from him - and he looks like nobody's white knight.
     
  12. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    The SI story infers significantly malicious intent. Even if I suspect the story is right, hope there's video to reveal tone.
     
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