Role Model, Or Not?

If you haven't heard about the latest Michael Phelps scandal, you're probably living under a rock. It was the topic of discussion in all of my classes yesterday, except for one. This article explains everything about Phelps' marijuana-smoking picture that was released this weekend.

Some of the conversations we had included:

• He's in the public eye, so he should be more aware of his actions, especially after his DUI bust following the Athens Olympic Games.
• Who cares what he does? He's allowed to do what he wants.
• He apologized, so just let it go.
• He's an Olympic athlete. He should not be using ANY kind of substances.
  
• It's illegal. There are "normal" people getting busted when he's just getting slapped on the hand. There should be a bigger punishment.
• What was he thinking?! He's a role model to so many kids!

We also talked about who this is good / bad for...

• Good for his competition. He may have used other substances that enhanced his performance for both of his Olympic appearances.
• Bad for Phelps. He's not getting very much good criticism out of this, at all. He could lose all of his endorsements.
  
• Good for the "drug war." Advocates for legalizing marijuana have his "support."

The good thing is, Phelps came out right away and apologized for his actions. The best way to fix a crisis in PR is to come out with the truth immediately. Don't try to hide anything, and always be honest.

What do our readers think? Leave us some comments!

Now that the Olympics are Over...

What were your favorite moments from the 2008 Summer Olympics?

Metro compiles a list of the top 10 best and worst moments here.

Do you agree, disagree?

I personally agree with their #1 best moment:

"Michael Phelps. He's kind of good. Eight for eight, and newfound world fame."

Is something missing from this list? Let us know what you think by commenting below.

Eco-Friendly Olympics?

It's been all over the news: the air quality of China. According to a study done by Steven Packham, from the Utah Division of Air Quality, three days in China is the equivalent of spending an entire month in Utah. (Utah's air quality around the Wasatch Mountains is very poor and loaded with particulate matter.) What's to blame in China? With over 1.3 billion people, 3.3 million cars on the road every day, factories trying to keep up with China's growth and the construction of state-of-the-art buildings, what's not to blame?

A normal day in China may look like a foggy morning on the beach in the United States, but it's a haze that doesn't burn off with the sun. It's actually smog, and it sticks around day and night. When athletes from all over the world are put in this atmosphere, it can take a toll on their performance, and health.

In the past few months, China's government has ordered chemical plants, mines, factories and construction sites to shut down in and around Beijing. Chinese residents can only drive every other day and traffic will not be allowed in the city. It has been estimated that 50 percent of China's vehicles will be off the road during the Olympics. The visiting athletes have also been provided with masks to help keep larger debris out and have been instructed to stay inside as often as possible and breathe slowly, through the nose. But that could be difficult with all of those athletes going for the gold!

*Information courtesy of www.NBCOlympics.com

China's "Smiling Angel"

No one can deny the excitement, precision and beauty of the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic games. China spent large amounts of time and money preparing to open the games in a way that would be remembered forever. Everything had to be perfect, including the little girl who sang at the ceremony. So what was China to do when they found a girl with a beautiful voice (Yang Peiyi) that didn't match the image they wanted, and a girl that fit the image, but couldn't sing (Ling Miaoke)?

China ended up putting Miaoke on stage at the ceremony, but she was lip-syncing. They had previously recorded Peiyi singing "Ode to the Motherland," and played it Miaoke mouthed the words.

"The show's musical director said Lin was used because it was in the best interests of the country," it says in an article on BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7556058.stm.)

Many times we hear about a man or woman getting a job/promotion/something because of their appearance, but how many times is it confirmed? Even though some people put a great deal of emphasis on a person's appearance, it's rare for them to admit it. So when China blatantly said that they put the prettier girl out there because it was in the best interest of the country, how did you feel?

Olympics Fashion

I have been extremely excited for the 2008 Olympic Games.

All I have been talking about for the last week has been swimming, gymnastics, China, Opening Ceremonies, President Bush, human rights, etc. etc. etc. Lets just say the Olympics has been on my mind.

So, on Wednesday I was thrilled when Project Runway dedicated an episode to creating costumes for the United States Olympians to wear for the Opening Ceremony. Now, as most of us already know, this was not a real contest, as Ralph Lauren designed the United States outfits, but it was extremely interesting to watch, not to mention drummed up excitement for the incredible Opening Ceremony that took place last night.

Ralph Lauren's design was impeccable, stylish, and chic. The overall look for many key countries: USA, Japan, and France was extremely preppy and put together. However, this look worked fabulously for the United States.

Some other highlights from the Opening Ceremony last night:
-The 2008 drummers perfectly in unison.
-The part of the ceremony where acrobats trapezed around a humongous globe.
-President Bush clapping awkwardly for Iraq.
-President Bush and Laura Bush glancing at their watches at the same time.
-The 2 hour long Parade of Nations (was a commercial every 10 minutes necessary?)

What do you think of Ralph Lauren's design?

Do you think that the 2008 Opening Ceremony lived up to its hype?

Bush at the Olympics

The Beijing Olympics has been a public relations disaster from the very beginning.

I am going to avoid discussing the terrible human rights infractions that China inflicts upon its people, and focus instead on another issue that has recently been in the news.

Why is President Bush attending the Olympic Games?

Bush insists that sports and politics don't mix but what kind of message does he send by attending the games?

I understand that he is going "simply as a fan" and "cheering on his country" but doesn't him being there at all send a political message?

Bush is in a difficult situation.

On the one hand, he has human rights groups urging him to boycott the Opening Ceremony and to take further action against political leaders for their behavior, but on the other hand, he is trying to "appease" China because they are quickly becoming quite powerful.

After reading the linked Washington Post article and seeing the things that Bush has planned to do during his 4-day stay in China (meeting with leaders, worshipping at a church to urge religius tolerance), I am even more convinced that Bush should stay home and watch the Olympic Games from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

What do you think Bush should do?

An Update on China’s Public Relations Campaign

You never know when you may stumble across an article dealing with public relations. It may even be when you’re keeping up with your daily news. While perusing CNN.com, I found an article entitled “Monks protest upstages China’s PR tour.” Interested in the next phase of this continuing story, I read on.

As you all know, Beijing, China is host to the 2008 Summer Olympics. As mentioned earlier in the week, there has been a kink in China’s plan of making theirs the greatest Olympics ever. Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, has recently been experiencing pro-independence protests, starting out peacefully, but now moving to violent measures.

“The protests -- which began on the 49th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising -- have threatened to overshadow Beijing's hosting of the Summer Olympic Games in August,” CNN.com states.

China’s PR professionals were hard at work trying to restore China’s image for the summer games.

“Beijing invited about two dozen international journalists to tour Tibet's capital, Lhasa, to show them the city is calm after recent anti-China protests.”

These same PR professionals had to use their crisis-management skills when they experienced a “public-relations roadblock” yesterday, March 27, during the tour. Thirty monks "’stormed into a briefing by a temple administrator to cause chaos.’" This protest is making news around the world; leaving some to wonder, is China as calm as they say?

Whether China’s public relations efforts will be effective is yet to be determined. The evaluation will occur this summer when Beijing opens their doors to visitors and competitors from all over the world


"Monks Protest Upstages China's PR Tour." CNN. 27 Mar. 2008. .
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/27/tibet/index.html

PR Crisis for 2008 Olympic Games

PR extends far beyond what many people seem to believe. A lot of students think that PR is working for a company, working at a firm, or representing a celebrity, but there is a whole world of PR out there that many do not know about. International PR is one of these types of PR that does not get talked about quite as much as the others. International public relations will become increasingly important in the coming months as Beijing prepares for the 2008 Olympics. The Tibetan crisis is continuously getting more coverage in the U.S. media as the world questions whether China can host the Olympic games. Check out this article that describes the crisis and the problem it poses for the Olympics and the international community:

CLICK HERE

"China's communist leadership has faced a public relations disaster since protests of its rule turned violent March 14 in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, sparking waves of unrest in surrounding provinces. China reported a death toll of 22 from the violence, but Tibet's exiled government says 80 Tibetans were killed. Nineteen died in subsequent violence in Gansu province, it said.
A rising chorus of international criticism and floated calls for a boycott have unnerved the Chinese leadership, which has turned up efforts to put its own version of the unrest before the international public."-from an AP report on espn.com

The Olympics has PR people who need to decide what to do about China's actions. What do you think the PR people for the Olympics think? However, China's PR people have a severely different idea of what to do.

Let us know what you think by clicking on the comment button!