This Wall Street Journal report about a news article by James Arndofer, a blogger for the Miller Brewing Co., raises interesting questions.
Mr. Arndofer, a reporter who was recruited by Miller, sent rival Anheuser Busch into a tizzy when he revealed on his Brew Blog that Budweiser would be unveiling a new brand of beer – before Anheuser Busch could announce the news itself.
Much of the brew-ha-ha focuses on whether Mr. Arndofer is – or should be – objective. While Miller told him to treat the blog as though he were a “beer beat reporter”, as a Miller employee, his blog and his reporting is, not surprisingly, a little biased.
But look at the remarks from Harry Schumacher, editor and publisher of the fee-based and “unbiased” Beer Business Daily.
Mr. Schuhmacher adds that he writes fewer positive pieces about Miller than he once did because he knows Brew Blog will always publish the same stories. On a recent evening, a Miller spokesman suggested he write about one of its newer brews, a lemonade-flavored wheat beer called Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy.
“I said, ‘You know what, give it to Brew Blog,’” Mr. Schuhmacher says.
Over at TechDirt, blogger Mike Masnick points out the irony: Arndofer’s biases are at least out in the open, since he’s paid by Miller; Schuhmacher, on the other hand, seems to let a personal grudge determine his editorial content, even though he’s the “unbiased” trade publication.
What does it mean for you?
If reporter Harry Schuhmacher is reluctant to write about Miller because of the Brew Blog, what’s to say other reporters and publications aren’t the same way? Will general news publications or trade pubs shy away from your story because you promote yourself on your blog?
I’m not so sure. Building relationships with reporters and editors has always been at the core of public relations. Good PR isn’t about having a story you think is great, but about persuading others that your story needs to be shared with the public. Build strong relationships with reporters, show them you are a valuable resource, and they’ll write about your company no matter what you blog about.