How PR Rules the World: Vladimir Putin’s Op-Ed

by David D. Menzies

Whether it’s a local daily newspaper like the Greensboro News & Record, a national media outlet like The Washington Post, or an industry magazine like Pharmaceutical Commerce, a large number of influential articles in each publication share the same genesis: they developed out of pitches from public relations professionals. Learning about the simplicity of the process can be somewhat shocking to readers who trust that the news they are absorbing is the result of exhausting efforts from hungry reporters and editors seeking to uncover important happenings and knowledge. Truth is, these reporters and editors are inundated with hundreds (even thousands) of emails, faxes, letters, and phone calls from PR practitioners with “exclusive” leads, “breaking” news, and client stories that are in many cases pre-written and require nothing more than fact-checking before being published and presented to readers as news. This begs the question: is the news actually newsworthy, or is it simply promotional material in disguise?


Take for example the recent New York Times op-ed by Russian President Vladimir Putin that is causing a stir so big that members of the U.S. Congress, the State Department, and pretty much all the media outlets in the entire world are weighing in on it. Some might even argue that it is contributing to the formulation of actual U.S. foreign policy.

How did this opinion piece come to be? At first blush, you would think the Times reached out to President Putin in some form to gauge his level of interest in some sort of interview or news story regarding his outspoken views on the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Perhaps he or his staff approached the Times, which carries major domestic and international weight, to see if they would be interested in carrying an opinion piece that he would sit down and thoughtfully craft.

Nah.

According to news reports, Margaret Sullivan, the Times‘ public editor, said her publication’s editorial department was approached Wednesday by Putin’s U.S. public relations firm — that’s right, the President of Russia has his own public relations firm in the United States — offering the piece.  On the same day, Putin’s spokesman mentioned to the Times‘ Moscow bureau chief that an op-ed was in the works. Quickly, the Times‘ Editorial Page Editor, Andrew Rosenthal, agreed to review the piece, and soonafter receiving a final copy decided to publish it.

The resulting op-ed was posted on the Times website Wednesday evening.

Looking at the timeline, it’s quite clear that the U.S.-based PR machine behind the President of Russia whipped-up an opinion piece (perhaps Mr. Putin wrote it himself, but likely not, as he’s a busy man) to gain leverage and influence over international affairs and got it published in one of the leading media outlets in the world in less than 24 hours.

Impressive and frightening at the same time, this type of “influence peddling” is quite common in numerous market sectors and is by no means limited to politics. That new piece of technology you read about that you’re considering buying? Very likely a PR pitch. An important issue got you all worked-up and ready to take to the streets? Started with a press release. Thinking of sending your kid to a college you saw featured on some national list? The university’s PR team had a hand in that.

In the end, where a news story came from is less important than the truth contained in the resulting article or TV/radio package. Knowing the truth of its origination, however, helps an audience approach the story within a framework of understanding that is too often lacking in today’s news media.

And that’s coming from a PR guy.

David D. Menzies is president of Global Media Strategies, an innovative media relations and online publishing firm. He is a 22+ year public relations professional with expertise in strategic messaging, publicity and branding. For more information visit www.gmsinnovate.com.