Gawker: Pr

NYPD Spokesman Paul Browne Is a Lying Liar

John Cook — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:03:26 EST

Kudos to NYU's Brennan Center for Justice and the New York Times' Michael Powell for catching NYPD spokesman Paul Browne in massive, galling, and bald-faced lie. The man should be fired. More »

Bad Flack Ronn [sic] Torossian Under Federal Investigation for Allegedly Extorting Famous Rabbi

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:30:34 EST

For years upon years, we here at Gawker have been bringing you stories of the sheer fuckery of incompetent superflack Ronn [sic] Torossian (pictured), head of 5WPR, the most shameless public relations firm in New York City. Here is a bit of news that we view with exceeding interest: Ronn Torossian is caught up in a federal investigation. A very serious one. More »

Ronn [sic] Torossian Has a 'Juvenile Division'

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:46:35 EST

Incompetent superflack Ronn [sic] Torossian's 5WPR—the hilariously tasteless, unethical, and error-prone PR firm that's repped Tiger Woods girls and Girls Gone Wild's Joe Francis—is now in the family values business, according to a hot new press release: More »

Katherine Heigl Just Wants 'Everyone to Like Me'

Maureen O'Connor — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:10:47 EST

Reviled romantic comedy actress Katherine Heigl is on the cover of Elle magazine with a smirk and this cover line: "They wanted me to be America's sweetheart… then I opened my mouth." Ooh, is Katherine Heigl "rebranding" as a "bad girl"? More »

Abercrombie & Fitch Will Pay The Situation to Stop Wearing Its Clothes

Matt Cherette — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 04:48:26 EDT

Known for hypersexual marketing campaigns with nearly naked teens, clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch is no stranger to controversy—but everyone has to draw the line somewhere. For A&F, that point is Jersey Shore star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. More »

Google Is Reborn Creepier and Meaner

Ryan Tate — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:08:24 EDT

Once upon a time, Google was run like a playground; it was the sort of place where you'd get points for attending the Burning Man hippie drug fest. Under new CEO Larry Page, we're seeing a more ruthless Google — the sort of company perfect comfortable turning its business partners into creepy sock puppets today. More »

Barack Obama Is Totally Biased Against Fox News

John Cook — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:34:39 EDT

Remember when Fox News whined that the White House tried to ice them out of an interview with a Treasury Department official that everyone else got to talk to? And the White House denied it? Well, Judicial Watch used the Freedom of Information Act to get emails of White House staffers planning the event, and it turns out they were totally lying! They hate Fox News and think Brett Baier is a "lunatic," which he absolutely is, because he works for Fox News. More »

Tabloid Paper That Lives on Leaks Won't Tolerate Leaks

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:48:47 EDT

In your finally Friday media column: Col Allan's anti-leaking rampage, The Baffler returns, UK papers kill their international editions, The Wrap infiltrates Reuters, and the Times Square light pole guy's media stunt backstory. More »

Piper Palin Runs Interference for Her Mother

Maureen O'Connor — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:01:00 EDT

Piper Palin is my favorite Palin. Sure, Bristol's plasticine attention-seeking is fun—and Willow's willful disobedience shows promise—but the littlest Palin daughter won my heart licking babies and carrying knock-off Vuitton back in 2008. More »

The White House Can't Get Its Bin Laden Story Straight

John Cook — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:58:07 EDT

When you're dealing with the assassination of the world's most-wanted criminal, you might want to actually know what you're talking about. In the space of 36 hours, the official story on what happened to Osama bin Laden has gone from "he went down guns blazing and taking hostages" to "basically we shot him." More »

New Aflac Duck Voice as Annoying as Old Aflac Duck Voice

Maureen O'Connor — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:52:19 EDT

Praise be the gods, our long national nightmare of peace and quiet is over. After firing Gilbert Gottfried from his job voicing Aflac's screaming spokes-duck, the insurance company has completed its national search for a less offensive replacement. The winner is a sales manager from Hugo, Minnesota (population: 13,000) named Daniel McKeague. Congratulations, Daniel. We can't wait to scramble for the mute button every time your bone-chilling squawk comes on TV. More »

Intern Sent Mass Email About Moist Mom Vaginas

Maureen O'Connor — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:43:57 EDT

Remember that embarrassing PR email blast urging ladies to "Pamper yourself or your mom with the comfort she deserves this Mother's Day"? Turns out it was the error of the most tragic PR intern ever. PRNewser reports: More »

'Because I Got High' Singer Sued for Forgetting Concert

Maureen O'Connor — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:06:17 EDT

The timing of a lawsuit against "Because I Got High" singer Afroman is pure coincidence, say lawyers for a concert venue in Columbus, Ohio. The plaintiff claims that Afroman was going to perform in Ohio on April 9, but then he forgot. More »

Did Pre-Approved Interview Questions Cause Chris Brown's Tantrum?

Maureen O'Connor — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:59:36 EDT

Asked on live television about his history of violence, Chris Brown reportedly flew into a violent rage at Good Morning America today. Everyone agrees Chris was foolish not to expect that line of questioning—not least of all because GMA pre-approved it with Brown's handlers, according to TMZ and The View. More »

Beef Ranchers Find New and Improved Ways to Ruin Animals' Lives

Hamilton Nolan — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:32:19 EST

Patriotic American beef is under attack! I mean, not the cows. The cows are actually happy about it. Per capita beef consumption in the U.S. has fallen by a third in the past 35 years. So the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is training ranchers and other assorted beef-friendly carnivores to fight back using the tools of public relations. More »

Army General Sicced Crack Psy-Ops Troops on Defenseless, Stupid Senators

John Cook — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:55:00 EST

Rolling Stone is trying to add another general to its head count: Michael Hastings, the reporter who dispatched Gen. Stanley McChrystal last year, is reporting that Gen. William Caldwell, who is in charge of training Afghan forces, used Army psychological operations troops to try to influence VIP visitors, including U.S. senators. More »

Snooki Sluts Up an 11-Year-Old

Maureen O'Connor — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:15:56 EST

Doing publicity for Snooki is a pretty straightforward. You put her in a vaguely inappropriate context, aim a camera at her, then wait for media outlets to stumble into your trap. Example: Snooki making over an 11-year-old. More »

CBS Forces the HIMYM Cast to Show Their Love for the Show

Matt Toder — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:29:00 EST

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What a conveniently timed little piece of PR this is: the cast of HIMYM talking about how much they love the show. It's got laughs and earnest talk and you just know CBS forced it in response to Monday's episode. More »

'Washington Post' Religion Blogger Is an Expert in Every Other Subject, Too

Jim Newell — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:01:56 EST

Jordan Sekulow recently started blogging about religion, mostly in the form of Republican talking points, for the Washington Post. But that's just a side gig. His real career is being an expert in everything. Won't you book him? More »

JetBlue Is More Popular Than Ever

Maureen O'Connor — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:41:52 EDT

In the wake of its most infamous employee's dramatic job walk-off in August, JetBlue's passenger traffic increased by 15 percent in September compared to last year. Maybe Steven Slater was good PR, after all? More »

Zuckerberg on Oprah: My $100 Million Donation Is About Kids, Not The Social Network

Adrian Chen — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:00:21 EDT

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It's easy to interpret Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million donation to Newark schools—officially announced the exact day The Social Network opens the New York Film Festival—as a PR move to counter the film's negative portrayal of him. More »

Our Mission to Get Donald Trump to Shut Up Will Go On

Maureen O'Connor — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:37:34 EDT

"One good tactic for speeding up a deal is to show lack of interest in it," writes Donald Trump in Trump: How to Get Rich. Trump ignored our offer Friday to buy his silence. The appropriate response? Press ahead, clearly. More »

Steven Slater Hires Some PR Muscle

Brian Moylan — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:12:24 EDT

Hero flight attendant Steven Slater has hired PR honcho and crisis specialist Howard Bragman to handle his press. Yes, he's famous now! They even attended a Barry Manilow concert together. Nothing seals a gay deal like a shared Manilow experience! More »

Spill-Plagued BP Hires Dick Cheney's Old Flack

Richard Lawson — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:40:48 EDT

Anne Womack-Kolton is either the best PR person in the biz, or an evil demon. (Both?) Having served as the Cheney-monster's press secretary during the 2004 election, Womack-Kolton has been tapped by the petrol concern to spin their mess. She-Devil!!!! More »

Nobody Believes Anything on the Internet Anymore

Maureen O'Connor — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:55:38 EDT

As Bret Michaels recovers from a brain hemorrhage that nearly killed him (and gears up for the Celebrity Apprentice finale), a nagging question keeps popping up online: "Was it all a publicity stunt?" Is nothing in public life believable, anymore? More »

'Baby-Killer' Congressman Hires Sexy Marketing Firm to Help Him Learn the Twitter

Pareene — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 10:04:55 EDT

"Baby-killer" shouter and actual giant baby Congressman Randy Neugebauer hired a sexy consulting firm to help sex up his sexy reelection bid. More »

Carrie Prejean Sued for Non-Payment, Told She Can't Pay for Things In Hugs

Richard Lawson — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:30:48 EDT

Everyone's favorite Biblically-correct beautyqueen is being sued by a Christian PR firm for $64,000. Supposedly she hired the firm to help her spread her message of love when she hit big last year, and then never paid them. [TMZ] More »

ABC News' Toyota Test Fiasco

John Cook — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:08:43 EST

Earlier today, we called out ABC News' Brian Ross for splicing together footage of him driving a Toyota and a surging tachometer into a fake report. ABC News pledged to fix the video. It did—and made it faker. More »

How D-List Wasteland Dancing with the Stars Became the Plenary Indulgence of Celebrity PR

Maureen O'Connor — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:31:13 EST

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It's somewhat disappointing that Evan Lysacek, Pam Anderson, Kate Gosselin, and Ochocinco were cast for a show and won't be clashing in a shared home. But DWTS Season 10's draw is precisely the opposite spectacle: Public figures improving their images. More »

Goldman Sachs Hires Crisis PR Firm Run by Bush Aide

Pareene — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:27:41 EST

To help Americans learn to love the bank that just destroyed the nation of Greece, Goldman Sachs head Lloyd Blankfein is bringing in a media relations firm run by former Bush aide Dan Bartlett. More »

Somebody Fire This Guy, Seriously

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:40:02 EST

Max Abelson has an exceedingly timely profile of Lucas van Praag (pictured), Goldman Sachs' PR chief—variously described as "debonair," "very Masterpiece Theater," "amazingly brilliant," and "arrogant, slightly pompous, flippant and condescending." Image projected: Haughty, rich asshole. Smart, Goldman. [NYO] More »

Harold Ford Tries, Fails to Give a Straight Answer on Whether He's Paid New York Taxes

John Cook — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:28:34 EST

Harold Ford was on Meet the Press yesterday, and claimed to have paid taxes on "all New York income" for the last two years. Which is precisely the opposite of what he said last week. More »

The Tablet Day News Dump

John Cook — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:35:09 EST

Every idiot on TV and the internet won't shut up about Steve Jobs' new thing you need to spend $800 on (though we'll take a free one if anyone's offering!), which means its a great day to release inconvenient news. More »

Ronn [sic] Torossian Is Throwing a Party for Anthony Weiner

Pareene — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:20:54 EST

It is too bad we retired a certain word last year, because this party, hosted by Ronn [sic] Torossian for Congressman Anthony "Dead End Kid" Weiner, looks like a one-of-those convention. More »

Today's White House Tour Has a Special Prize Inside

Pareene — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:58:42 EST

Michelle Obama surprised a White House tour group and it is streaming on the internet! And Bo is there! More »

Tomorrow At 10 a.m. Will We Be Closer To or Further From Doomsday, According to a Clock That Scientists Move?

Pareene — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:26:50 EST

They're moving the doomsday clock tomorrow morning, everyone! More »

Lady Who Oversaw McCain's Fall from Grace Now Represents Google

Maureen O'Connor — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:47:09 EST

It was inevitable that Republicans would invade Silicon Valley, for where there is wealth and corporate influence, there is GOP. Jill Hazelbaker, who oversaw McCain's 2008 transformation into a confused, media-phobic mess, will be Google's new spokesperson. More »

Gossip: Can It Kill?

Pareene — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:54:10 EST

"'Gossip is high stakes in the Internet age,' says Sam Chapman, the CEO of Empower, the public-relations agency that banned gossip. 'It's emotionally lethal. It's leading to suicides.'" [Related, related, related, related.] More »

How Not to Keep Office Secrets

Ryan Tate — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:42:52 EST

Penelope Trunk knows about her co-workers' quiet conversations; Nick Douglas' super knows what he does near his computer; and Alex Payne knows he's got a hot property on his hands. The Twitterati can teach you a thing or two. More »

Isn't This Picture of Obama and Biden... Interesting?

Pareene — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:44:08 EST

Glenn "Instapundit" Reynolds saw this picture of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, hanging out at the Kennedy Center Honors, in the White House Flickr, and he thought there was something... interesting about it. More »