From today’s Wall Street Journal:

Want good press? Hire a journalist. That’s Dan Abram’s pitch.

If it were that simple, every business in the country would be lining up to get a journalist on the payroll.

Positioning working journalists as business consultants, former MSNBC newsman Dan Abrams has created a media-strategy firm to help businesses “navigate public-relations challenges.”

Reading the Journal’s article this morning sparked quite the conversation in our office – primarily focusing on the roles journalists and PR practitioners play in communicating news. Abrams Research seems to blur the line between journalism and PR. Let’s face it: A journalist taking money to consult with business is a media relations strategist. That’s just a fancy term for a PR person. Does this crossover present ethical challenges for the journalists? According to the society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics:

Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know.

Presumably, a journalist coaching one of Abrams’ clients will be privy to sensitive information. If a traditional journalist were to get a hold of that news, they would write up the story and give it to their editor. But, now, are we to assume the consultant/journalist will sit on the story out of loyalty to their client? What happens if that person works for a newspaper and one of their colleagues gets the scoop independently? Does the client question the consultants’ loyalty?

The Code of Ethics also says journalists are to avoid conflicts of interest – real or perceived. And, as we are always telling our clients, perception is reality.

The credibility of news organizations has recently been called into question. In fact, a phrase – infotainment – has been coined to describe the meshing of news and entertainment. How will the news industry’s reputation be affected by the fact that some independent journalists aren’t quite so independent anymore?

Update: Looks like Gawker agrees with us, too. As they put it:

You can’t hire anybody who is in some way a practicing journalist, because then they’re being paid money to consult for somebody, which is a conflict of interest. This is really simple.

Update 2: Looks like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal won’t allow their reporters to work for the firm, citing conflicts of interest.

Over the weekend, quite the controversy brewed – and apparently caught Motrin off guard.

Have you seen the infamous ad? Motrin took it down, but it lives on – thanks to YouTube.

Much has already been written about the controversy from business experts … to social media gurus … to parenting experts. But, there are some important lessons worth pointing out:

We aren’t a Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 society. Bloggers and Tweeters don’t stop talking on the weekends … so companies can’t stop listening. Thanks to today’s always on, always connected lifestyle, marketing communications folks – from the bottom up – are never truly “off the clock.”

Companies big and small need to pay attention to Twitter. The Motrin ad went up on Saturday. Mommy-bloggers went to work almost instantly, and by Sunday, the controversy was so out of hand that Motrin pulled the ad. And, the company’s web site was still down until Monday around 1:15 p.m. Does anyone still question the power of Twitter?

You get what you wish for. Creative marketing departments everywhere try to come up with a buzz-worthy viral campaign. Who wouldn’t want to be the next BlenTec? But, be warned. As Motrin would likely tell you today, becoming an overnight sensation for the wrong reasons – like offending moms everywhere – is not good for business. Make sure your zest for generating a buzz doesn’t overtake your common sense.

Why does social media matter? Because people are talking about your company … whether you know it or not.

Consider Idea Paint, which is supposed to “transform any smooth surface into a high-performance dry-erase utility surface.”

Not so, according to Alex Rudloff – a fairly influential member of the Twitter community. The other day, he revealed to his 1,703 followers that Idea Paint dried with bubbles and bumps on his wall. Clearly, a bumpy dry-erase board won’t get the job done. This is not the message Idea Paint wants spreading through the Internet.

If Idea Paint had created “alerts” – using services such as Google Alerts or Tweet Beep – they would have known immediately that someone was telling the world that their product fell short of expectations … and they could have responded quickly. Instead, almost 2,000 people – many of whom might find the idea of “dry-erase board” paint appealing – only know that this product dries with bumps. Not exactly the message the company wants to communicate.

On the flip side of the coin, a growing number of companies are embracing Twitter as a tool to improve customer service and strengthen their brands. See ComcastCares or WholeFoods.

Is your company listening to what is being said? If not, don’t you think it’s about time to start? Your brand reputation depends on it.

With an estimated $20 billion in spending power, children have long been a desirable target for marketers. But, today’s kids and adolescents are wielding even more influence – and not just with the power of the purse. Youngsters have mastered the art of parental lobbying.

Just look at the recent New York Times article – crystallizing this young generation’s ability to shape their parents’ decisions. In family after family, children played the role of “eco-police,” ultimately convincing their parents to purchase more fuel-efficient cars, compact fluorescent light bulbs and even solar panels.

The greening of America is not a passing trend. In fact, protecting the environment is mission-critical for today’s kids. And, parents are responding to their message. According to a recent study, 92% of adults have a more positive view of a company that supports a cause they care about, and 87% said they are likely to switch from one brand to another if the other brand is associated with a good cause. For a large percentage of households, environmental issues top the list of causes to care about.

So, now what? Companies need to take a two-pronged approach. First, they must identify strategies to become more green (if they haven’t already). Second, they need to communicate their eco-friendliness in a manner that will pique the attention of young people. Incorporate words and graphics that “speak” to kids and teens and use modes of communication that reach young people.

The bottom line: Children are driving purchasing decisions … and they’re insisting that their parents go green. How does your company adapt to this market shift?