Online "Media" Publicly Bitch-Slapping PR People

http://deadspin.com/5796705/a-case-study-in-incompetence-dan-snyders-pr-guy-tony-wyllie

Curious to hear what you fine folk think about this:

I've notice lately an upward spike of calling out PR people in articles like the above, especially by online sites.

Yes, I'm on the dark side now in a SID office so I don't like it when any colleague gets called out. Many times
though, I may agree.

I was taught that "no one cares about the labor 'cause all they really care about is seeing the baby." Has that changed?

Thank you for your time.

 

It's amazing to see how different SIDs are today compared to 15-20 years ago. When I first started, it seemed like 90 percent of my interaction with SIDs and PR folk was extremely pleasant. They were the middle men, the facillitators (sp?). But as the old school guys got pushed out, it got really bad really fast.

It's the same way in the NFL lately. I've seen so many really good PR guys fired for just ridiculous shit. I know one guy who was fired from one place and forced to resign at another place about 18 months apart, both due to unfavorable stories that SI ran.

People are in job preservation mode.

 

This story is from 2011 and Wyllie deserves all the shit he gets.

 

Was he at the Raiders then Browns?

 

To play devil's advocate, I think we sometimes forget that a media relations person does not work for us. It doesn't matter whether we consider an MR guy to be "great." The truth is, the friendlier and more helpful they are with us, the less trust they have inside the organization. Don't get me wrong, pro sports teams drastically underestimate the value of professional, fair, deliberate media relations. Media relations is a strategic department, where most teams expect them to be glorified bodyguards (see Redskins). At the same time, the opposite end of the spectrum isn't ideal for the team either. A guy who is buddies with reporters and willing to dole out cell phone numbers and set up lunch dates without any due diligence can easily get the organization burnt.