By Kevin Foley
I thought I knew most everything there was to know about media relations after 30 years in PR but Rick Gorka, Mitt Romney's press secretary, just schooled me.
Having stumbled his way through Britain, Israel and Poland, sticking his foot in his mouth at every stop, Romney raised a lot of questions about his knowledge of foreign affairs and policy as well as his tact and diplomacy.
Gorka was no doubt feeling the heat. His man was conducting very few interviews and no news conferences to provide answers. Thus, the media traveling with Romney was getting nothing, even Romney's softball squad, Fox News, according to UPI reports.
"There has been no press access to Governor Romney since we landed in Poland," Van Susteren complained. "We (press) are in a holding pattern (I can't help but feel a bit like the press is a modified petting zoo since we are trapped in a bus while Polish citizens take pictures of us)."
What we discovered during Romney's seven-day trip is he isn't even close to ready for prime time. It's okay to meet with Barkley bankers (behind the ongoing Libor scandal) to collect campaign donations, but to deliberately avoid the media is, in the long run, a very bad mistake if you want to get yourself elected.
For Governor Romney, the error manifested itself as he prepared to board a limo after a ceremony at Warsaw's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier the other day. New York Times, CNN and other reporters accompanying him were held back and began shouting questions at the candidate while cameras rolled. Gorka can be heard off-camera snapping, "Show some respect!"
After a reporter protested the treatment the press corps was receiving by the campaign, Gorka barked, "Kiss my ass! This is a holy site for the Polish people! Show some respect!" before telling a Politico reporter to "shove it."
I have had to face hostile media in the past, but it never occurred to me to use such creative phrasing to make a point.
Romney has thus far exhibited almost complete disdain for the public's right to know about the man who wants to occupy the White House. His elusiveness reminds me of some CEOs I've seen in action, who assiduously avoid media at the direction of attorneys. Since Romney is an attorney, he may have decided to keep his own counsel when it comes to dealing with the press.
"I think it would be smarter if they interacted with the press," Van Susteren told Politico. "What struck me is that when the candidate got on board, he never waved to the reporters in the back of the plane. Lots of times candidates will come back and talk. I was struck that there was no off-the-record chatter, not even a wave.
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Kevin
Foley is president of KEF
Media Associates, an Atlanta-based producer and distributor
of sponsored news content to television and radio media. |