McGwire's tearful refusal to comment at the infamous 2005 St. Patrick's Day steroid hearings in D.C. has cast a shadow over the slugger's powerful career. This will be a PR issue for MLB and the Cards and is a big step in his image rehab toward the Hall of Fame.St. Louis is a great baseball town, but even fans that don't boo have limits.
As an example of why his lets-not-talk-about-the-past defense is no longer going to fly, Jeff Gordon, sports columnist for the Cards' hometown paper, says he needs to come clean: "The media will come calling day after day after day. This issue will hang over him day after day after day. McGwire must take this head on."
Reverse Mentors: Twenty-somethings at Edelman are teaching the more seasoned execs the ins and outs of social media. Per the Chicago Trib: "Though Cabot, 56, is Edelman's central region president with more than 30 years in the business, she is the student. Spohn, a 23-year-old account executive on the firm's digital team, is the teacher."
Prepping for Journal: Cramer-Krasselt is said to be advising potential sources of a Wall Street Journal story in development on water issues around the great lakes. C-K works for the Milwaukee Water Council. A local political blog was dismayed at some of the language however, noting that emails urge potential interviewees against airing "dirty laundry" or certain "ugliness" associated with water policy debates, while emphasizing to the reporter, Joe Barrett, that cooler heads are prevailing.
Selective Disclosure? The New York Times wonders why some PR and ad spending isn't reflected in lobbying reports. The paper of the record, in an online post, noted the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity dispatched workers to 274 state fairs and other public forums to advocate coal energy. But the cost of that effort, along with a TV ad blitz, wasn't in its public lobbying report because ... it doesn't have to be. Says one of the ACCE's Venable lobbyists: While grass-roots activities "might be influencing Congress ... on the other hand, it's not captured in the definition of lobbying disclosures, so it's not reported." The issue comes to light as Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) probes the fake-letter campaign by PR firm Hawthorn Group.