The Washington Post reprinted a 1990 letter from its late executive editor Ben Bradlee to “flacks” on Oct. 22, after a DC PR pro hounded the paper for a story on a retiring lion tamer.
“We need no help from flacks -- whether or not they are called communications consultants -- to advise us on out-of-town assignments, or, for that matter, in-town assignments,” Bradlee wrote to Julian Read of Read-Poland Associates.
The journalism giant also mocked the pitch for apparent delusions of grandeur. “Whom are we talking about here? General Eisenhower? Jonas Salk?” he asked of a pitch that expressed a desire to place the lion tamer “in the annals of journalism for a historic personality.”
Bradlee died Oct. 21 at 93.
How Ben Bradlee dealt with PR folks. http://t.co/Kpi8L6Oc2S We should do this more often. pic.twitter.com/VgwFgXDopK
— Anup Kaphle (@AnupKaphle) October 22, 2014
.@AnupKaphle love it. But as @spj_tweets member & Comm guy I do think there is appropriate place for "this may be of interest on your beat"
— Elliott Smith (@soundslikepuget) October 22, 2014
@AnupKaphle Julian O. Read is a brilliant communicator. He helped the careers of many journalists. They're now in PR! Thx JOR!
— Michelle Bleiberg (@mebprpro) October 22, 2014
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