Yahoo News Live’s Katie Couric, who interviewed former Donald Trump supporter Stephanie Cegielski for 20 minutes March 29, saw “hypocritical” behavior in Cegielski suddenly switching sides after initially supporting Trump.
Couric asked Cegielski at 16:33 of the interview whether she agreed with the “hypocritical” charge?
Cegielski, who rose to VP-PR at PR Society of America during her three years there, disagreed with Couric, saying she would have remained with Trump if he had “taken the high road” and concentrated on “policy” rather than saying “nasty things” about people on Twitter.
“I would probably have stuck with him,” said Cegielski.
Couric found that Cegielski’s open letter about Trump on the XOjane blog was “incredibly harsh.”
Cegielski called Trump “simply a television ‘character’ whose 2016 bid is merely an extension of his TV and real estate-fueled celebrity.”
Couric notes that Cegielski, who was communications director of the Trump-backing “Make America Great Again” super PAC, never met or spoke to Trump and asked Cegielski how she could make such harsh comments about him?
Cegielski replied that she relied on the statements and actions of Trump as reported in the media.
VP-PR of PRSA Helped Cegielski
Cegielski’s background of VP-PR of PRSA, the world’s largest association of PR people, no doubt helped her to land the post at “Make America Great Again.”
However, management of the PAC were probably unaware of the Society’s anti-press policies which includes barring reporters from membership or access to the list of members when for many years the membership book was given free to reporters.
No reporters were allowed to cover the Assembly, the annual legislative body of the Society from 2011 to 2013. Reporters were allowed in again in 2014 but O’Dwyer reporters were not allowed to cover any of the general sessions at the conference.
Cegielski joined the Society in August 2012 and became one of the enforcers of its press-blocking policies. She was no doubt aware of the many Society policies and tactics that the Society used to block press coverage as much as possible including the threatened assault on Jack O’Dwyer on Oct. 16, 2010 by an Assembly delegate while O’Dwyer was standing in front of the Washington Hilton.
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