PR: How not to do it

Case #1: Poor Dirk Romyn, spokesman for Atlantic Superstores in Nova Scotia. He's the guy who has to explain, over and over again, why his grocery chain is going against the will of the people of the province and insisting on finding loopholes allowing them to open on Sunday. Well, that's not quite how he puts it of course. He says things like "We're in full compliance of the legislation and the new regulations as far as we're concerned." (Quoted from a June 29 CP story).

As tough as it's got to be giving all those interviews, when your chain is putting the government on the spot, you've got to be there to answer the questions. Which makes this claim in a recent Roger Taylor column in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald a bit strange: "It appears the pressure is getting to the company’s spokesman, Dirk Romyn. Romyn has told reporters he refuses to talk to The Chronicle Herald because he isn’t happy with how this newspaper covers the Sunday shopping issue."

A PR guy won't talk to the media because he doesn't like how they're spinning his story? Romyn has been putting in long hours, I'm sure. Maybe he just needs a break.

Case #2: Had a great afternoon at the Nova Scotia Multicultural Festival a few weekends ago. It's the kind of event people who poo-poo multiculturalism love to loathe for what they see as its shallow, feel-good view of us all getting along together nicely. But you know, there's nothing wrong with all getting along for a weekend, eating each other's food, listening to each other's music, and enjoying the sunshine. Everybody shows a happy face at these events.

We visited on a Saturday, which meant that the space showcasing a local Jewish group was unstaffed, because of the Sabbath. You'd think they would leave us some eye candy though. What do visitors get instead? A tourism poster promoting Israel and a painting of attack helicopters. That stacks up real nice when it's not too far from the banner proclaiming "Islam is a religion of peace and justice."