The clan did come back at Walters and defended working in reality TV (which apparently isn’t easy but probably not as tough as working in a coal mine).

So why are celebrities “making” news as opposed to simply being occasional news and blips in our news feed? There’s money to be made, endorsements to be had, sponsors to woo, and an adoring public to keep enthralled by the trials and tribulations of simply being famous/infamous.

Celeb news sells—even in your local newspaper with local famous/infamous people. Here in Indy, Colts owner Jim Irsay’s tweets are reported as news. “Check out what Irsay tweeted today!” Tweets are actually replacing any legitimate newsgathering activities, including actual in-person interviews because it’s easy. And it’s easy to make news by tweeting.

I remember in my former newsroom life when editors decided that the final episode of Survivor earned a spot on the front page. That was an “a-ha” for me – when editors split in the vote in a budget meeting and moved real news aside for reality TV.

The Kardashian family is ultimately branded down to their pinkies – including their favorite “kolors” of OPI nail polish being personally branded by Kim, Kris, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie.

I give the K girls their props. They do know how to make a living out of simply being famous.

But is it ultimately good for women?

Turns out someone else has thought of that and is using the Kardashians to illustrate a point with a campaign underway on Twitter using #WhyKardashians.

According to Mashable:

“Using the hashtag #WhyKardashians, MissRepresentation.org is holding a Twitter debate and conversation about the objectification of women in American media and culture. It’s part of the group’s “call-to-action campaign,” to empower women and girls to challenge limiting media labels to realize their potential.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, CEO and founder of MissRepresentation.org and director of the movie behind the campaign, told Mashable that the White House Correspondents’ dinner was just one catalyst for the idea, along with the prominence of celebrity culture in general.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is an annual event traditionally attended by senior government officials and press corps. In recent years, many celebrities have also attended. Both Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan were invited as guests by Greta Van Susteren of Fox News.”

Objectification (and ridicule) of women is something the Kardashians should be worried about – along with other reality stars whose excessive behaviors make us (women and men) all ashamed, embarrassed and weary. Like passing a terrible accident on the roadway where you have a natural reaction to turn your head and look … even if just for a split second.

So take a counter stand next time your lunch or after work talk turns to celeb chatter and move on. You can find something of substance with MissRepresentation.org. Check out the video as well. It’s worth having a discussion on this subject and maybe sharing with your daughter.

Scandal control is definitely expensive.

According to The Associated Press, the running tab for PR support of the last several months has also been a whopper: “Penn State incurred about $7.5 million in expenses through the end of February as it deals with the scandal’s aftermath. Most of that tab, about $5.3 million, was spent on crisis communications and on an internal probe by FBI ex-director Louis Freeh.”

Jerry Sandusky, Penn State’s former assistant football coach, has pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years. Sandusky’s November arrest and case proceedings continue to dominate the news.

As the chosen firms, Edelman and La Torre Communications, begin to sort out the prospects of communicating all that is going on to staff, faculty, students, alumni (aka donors) and media, the issue of these kinds of extraordinary payments for damage control will remain part of the news.

For a public university that relies on public funds, the next phase of damage control will no doubt be (privately or publicly) with politicians.

Maribeth Roman Schmidt, founding partner and president of Vault Communications in Philadelphia, told a local newspaper that she believes the university needs more than a new public relations campaign to regain trust.

“You can tap dance all you want to one side, but it’s all disingenuous until you address the matter that has not been resolved,” she said.

When a crisis hits, there are three very quick things to do: Gather information, assess the situation, and get a response as soon as possible to priority stakeholders (including the media).

Crisis communications isn’t rocket science. Cutting to the chase doesn’t require mega spin or require a mastermind of stealth to execute. A crisis does, however, require a few moves that many people don’t make – and thusly muck up much of their own story.

Here are the three most common mistakes made when navigating a crisis:

1. Being unable to distance fact from emotion (impartiality and tough questions are necessary in a crisis);
2. Letting others fill in the information holes (creating a great landscape for opportunistic critics);
3. Being ill prepared as the calls come in (and there is no excuse for this one in our online world).

Crises come and go. Media attention spans are short. But if you conquer one, you can conquer any. Never should there be a moment of doubt and indecision, because if there is, you will be lost.

Get a plan in place, keep your plan updated and make sure you know all the facts before you respond. Those small prep steps will keep you out of the middle of a crisis smackdown.

If you’re not sure what to do, make a call to an expert. Consultations are usually free and you can get your house in order with a dispassionate outside expert.

Good, bad or indifferent – many companies find themselves pondering whether to insert themselves into a news timeline.

Some do it to raise money, such as a recent email from Indiana Sen. Vi Simpson asking people to donate to her party after national media derided a fellow GOP legislator for berating the Girl Scouts. That may have promoted GOP House Leader to munch on thin mints and wear his Scouts badge apparel one day to mug for the cameras. Simpson smartly used media to make her email smackdown. And she’s getting some headlines of her own this session as a result.

Then there’s the drive for pure and simple notoriety, like the woman who claimed she was a sorority girl asking out “Jerry Linn,” who she says just won the Super Bowl for the New York Giants. Though wrong on multiple counts (she isn’t a sorority woman and she clearly doesn’t know her facts between basketball and football), her YouTube video (as of this airing) has been viewed more than 550,000 times. Sports media (unsmartly) blasted this one out and didn’t even bother to check whether it was real. Punked is as punked does.

Jeremy Lin, by Fast Company’s most recent update, is “all things to all people.” Perhaps that’s why others want to ride on his “universal reliability” as he shines in the NBA.

Getting noticed is part of the opportunity created by opportunists.

My Indy Star friend Bill McCleery sparked my interest in the subject when he posted a hand-drawn sign on his Facebook page with credit to the Purple Lotus Kava Bar in West Palm Beach, Florida.

It reads:

The crowd was wowed when candidate Newt Gingrich chided CNN specifically and bashed the press on a live broadcast. And by Sunday, he was absolutely ecstatic about that decision as he critiqued his performance on morning new shows – beaming that he has pushed ahead of other candidates and connected to “the public” by hitting the press.

When Kyle Communications conducts media training sessions across the country, we also see the vitriol about media increasing on the meter like a gadget measuring radioactive fallout. It is never surprising (having walked both sides of the communications aisle in newsrooms and in PR). But it is disturbing. There is a general loathing, mistrust and distrust of the media permeating this country that is neither good for media nor promising for politicians.

Traditional media are generally trained in ethics, reporting guidelines to verify accuracy and motives and laws such as libel – or so we hope if they have college degrees in journalism, telecommunications or broadcasting.

Social media posters are not trained in the same way. They are often just simply prolific, good at attracting a crowd with similar intent, purpose or interest. But many are also very good at knowing their topics much better than mainstream press – because they are steeped in it and become extremely knowledgeable.

Reporting lines continue to blur – pundits with strong opinions are now “reporting” news. Reporters are now expressing opinions in columns and also writing news articles at the same time simply confusing their audiences (not to mention what they tweet). Everyone in traditional media is now quoting, incorporating or using unverified twitter news and Facebook posts in mainstream news coverage (actor Rob Lowe tweeting about Peyton Manning, for example).

The lines have blurred so much as to be indistinguishable.

I’m as guilty as the next – linking to articles I deem newsworthy or helpful based on my own 33 years in communications arenas.

But keep in mind everyone has a purpose – to get people talking, thinking and paying attention. To that end goal, you should always consider the messenger and the motives. I continually tell my 84-year-old father, who cannot get by without reading his daily newspaper, to always “read between the lines.”

About 20 years ago or so, I remember visiting reporters at the Austin American-Statesmen who were horrified that they would have to begin posting articles online. (Remember to cue back to the year I am speaking of here for time capsule reference.) This was at the dawn of newspapers going online. Why were they worried? They would have to post quickly, without checking or verifying information with additional sources, and maybe miss a key or important fact. Their stories could then be “incomplete.”

As my Indiana University instructor Ralph Holsinger taught me back in the 1970s when I was a freshman J student, never run a story without checking with at least three independent sources. Or, add the journalism joke for a twist – “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” I don’t think Ralph would be tweeting if he were alive today.

Hello and welcome to 2012.

But many professions “donate” time to others, including PR professionals.

Unfortunately hours of donated service aren’t tax deductible like cash – something my accountant reminds me of regularly, but doesn’t make much sense. If your hours have value, this should equate to time as a donation. And your hours and strategic advice are often more important than any check or cash you could provide.

Let’s face it – nonprofits and associations don’t have it easy and are often in need of pro bono services; legal, accounting, PR, video production, social media networking.

They can often barely afford their rent, much less staff. And when they do ramp up with staff to meet a need or grow, they often rely on specific specialists who can handle only one task – such as grant writing.

According to The Indiana Lawyer: “The aspirational pro bono goal for attorneys, set by the American Bar Association and endorsed – but not forced – by many states, is around 50 hours.”

It can be done and to tremendous success. If you don’t believe it, read our case study for the work we donated to the Indiana Debate Commission. It’s a group we started back in 2007 and is still going strong today – based mostly on the sweat equity of volunteers and committed individuals and groups ranging from the AARP to the League of Women Voters.

What’s your pro bono goal for 2012?

We tend to like whatever works depending on your goals.

Because we do like to share content and good ideas, we don’t mind sharing items that have been posted elsewhere … so here’s a good overview from ThoseinMedia shared via Anne Willen.

Take a break, take a look and take a read.

Thanks for sharing Anne! We’ve added a few of our own as well.

(BTW, if you haven’t explored LinkedIn groups – you should do it. There’s plenty to learn and confirm via those channels.)

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