It’s interesting to watch it in full swing on the morning shows as they cover the DNC this week.  The feeding frenzy has begun…how many pundits can we put on the air with differing opinions? How many ways can we slice and dice a relatively straight forward speech or presentation?

I actually chuckled a bit this morning as Harry Smith attempted to get a sampling of delegates (originally Hillary supporters) to discuss their “angst” at moving away from Hillary and supporting Obama.  Much as he tried, they all looked at him like he had two heads and basically told him, it’s really not such a big deal…in the end, we’ll support the party…time to move on.  One of the delegates commented that reported rifts between Hillary and Obama supporters were “much ado about nothing.”

Another segment made much of a former FBI agent and his critique of Hillary’s body language…did what she say match what she meant? This guy’s take was that she wasn’t “emotional” enough…didn’t move her arms and hands enough, which according to him, meant she wasn’t sincere.  The anchor, Maggie Rodriguez, was playing right along.

Oh, come on Maggie!  As an anchor she ought to have known better and commented on it.  Anyone who’s done media training has told their client not to flail their arms about and gesture too much, it distracts from what their saying…especially when delivering a major speech on TV! Also, any trainer worth their salt is going to tell a WOMAN not to come off as too emotional…especially a woman who’s competing with men for political power and prestige.  Hillary has worked very hard to cultivate a professional leadership style that will put her in the same league as her male counterparts. 

I think that these reporters and anchors have a responsibility to poke some holes in the theories of their pundits, rather than playing along with each and every schill that gets booked on the show.  How about telling it like it is, rather than playing it up as you’d like it to be so it makes a more interesting segment? 

Leading me to believe (I still have my blond moments), that they were working on some serious news stories. Ha! Right up there today with convention coverage, was a male model from the 1970’s touting his tell all book. Yeah, too busy for soft news this week? I don’t think so.

Then, I almost lost my mind when they spent a good 10 minutes on what Michelle Obama will be wearing. Geeze, no wonder we can’t get a woman in the White House! Here is a woman with an amazing education and career behind her, who is about to give a major address to the nation…but let’s not worry about content folks, let’s spend part of your morning with a fashion expert to discuss whether or not she should wear a dress, a suit, pants, etc.

So THIS is what you’ve been working on for two weeks? This is why you have no time to speak to anyone?

You know, I’ve been seeing an inverse trend lately. Once the pariahs of the news biz, public relations people are working very hard to become more professional and to raise the bar for clients and their messages. We spend more time training our staff people, worrying about what’s credible and newsworthy, etc., and on the other side of the fence, we’re dealing with a media landscape that’s moved from information to infotainment, where research has become a dirty word, and content is no longer king.

As a woman in business, it’s also distressing to see how women continue to be portrayed in the media vs. their male counterparts. With more female producers, etc., I would think we’d have come a bit further. Apparently, I would be wrong.

My daughter is now reading the newspaper in the morning, and she started reading Dear Abby. I hadn’t read it in years. Have you read it lately? I’m starting to think the newsroom cutbacks have affected my favorite column. Dear Abby is now written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, having been founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips.

I often wonder though, if an intern isn’t writing the columns these days. The answers are sloppy at best, with little in the way of research or credentialed experts behind them (as they used to be). The advice is lame to say the least. Take today’s column for instance…a woman complained that her husband’s dog continually bit her when they were intimate. When they locked the dog out of the room, it barked frantically. The woman asked her husband to get rid of the dog and Abby suggests a dog trainer.

Hulllloooo! A dog trainer? How about marriage counseling or a husband trainer? Any guy that says “If the dog goes, I go,” needs more than a better-behaved pooch. At the very least, give a link to a dog training website…

I think today’s column got under my skin for several reasons. As someone who’s worked in the media for over 25 years, I’ve seen a significant decline in the quality of reporting over the past ten years…with a very steep decline taking place over the past five years. Reporters (and apparently Abby) have little time to do proper research. Information has been replaced by lackluster infotainment, and few stories have any real meat on the bone.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Abby is a “reporter,” but in years past, even columnists did a fair amount of research and gave credible advice.

Some days I find it’s tough to be an optimist in this business. I wonder if Abby has any advice on that…

As a 14 year old, “Dennis” is oblivious to the concept of consequences…and we constantly have to drill it into his thick little head.

So, this summer, we enrolled him in our local Junior Police Academy. It was an amazing three weeks for him. Similar in structure to a boot camp program, he spent part of his days with a drill sargeant doing physical training. In the afternoons, he learned about forensics, K-9 units, narcotics and the like. Most of all, he learned about respect for authority, discipline and the role police officers play in our lives.

He grumbled through most of it, but never quit. I was so incredibly proud of him as he marched up and down a field prior to his graduation ceremony, and prouder yet when he received his certificate and shook hands with the Chief of Police with his head held high.

Don’t get me wrong, my work with this child is still not done…but the foundation is being laid for an ethical man.

I received a cover letter and resume from a young man looking for a job here at Utopia. Unfortunately, his cover letter and resume were filled with grammatical errors. Now, I could have told him the position was filled and sent him on his way. He may have wondered why, yet again, he didn’t get an interview or bought the story.

I could have taken the easy way out. No muss, no fuss.

However, me being me, I just couldn’t do it. I remember job hunting myself. I hated the frustrated of interviewing for a position and never being told why I didn’t get it. How could I have improved? What could I have done better? Frankly, I would have welcomed some feedback. Unfortunately, not many people have the courage to tell the truth because they fear an emotional or verbal reprisal.

In this case, I wrote the young man a note and explained why he wasn’t getting an interview and suggested ways in which he could improve his presentation. Hopefully, he’ll take it to heart and his next pitch will land him a job.

Earlier this year, we responded to an applicant in a similar manner and he went a bit nutty on us, writing threatening emails, calling, etc. His grammar was the least of his problems. Guys like that may be the reason most people feel they can’t be honest with applicants.

However, we do ourselves and those seeking jobs a disservice when we worry about being politically correct rather than being honest.