Million Women March Makes Its Point

By Jack O'Dwyer, Publisher & Editor of The O'Dwyer Co.The Million Women March Jan. 21 (actually several million across the nation) made its point and signals increased use of public demonstrations to get attention.Lots of other messages are going to be drowned out since “a kind of hysterical oppositionalism” has surfaced in the press to combat President Trump’s “own tabloid style,” wrote New York Times columnist Ross Douthat Jan. 22.“Slamming Media, Trump Advances Two Falsehoods,” screamed a NYT front page headline Jan. 22. At issue are the size of the D.C. crowd as estimated by the Trump team and whether there is a Trump “rift” with the Central Intelligence Agency.When not only reporters but average citizens find they can’t get through to officials or company reps on the phone or via emails, the only recourse is to take to the streets, which is what the Million Women March did. Women do not want to lose their right to have abortions. They want many other things, along with all Americas, such as healthcare that is affordable.They’re disappointed that Hillary Clinton lost the election on a “technicality” (the Electoral College) since she won the popular vote by 2.8 million.There’s a lot of rage that charges of email abuse by Clinton were made twice by the FBI and twice withdrawn. What the Electoral College did was legal but that does not make it fair, critics feel.This rage is bound to manifest itself in many ways and it’s a phenomenon that reporters and communicators must be aware of.PR Has Role as MediatorPR# people must not shrink from this battlefield but must try to insert their historic role of being mediators.Their role has diminished in recent years as companies, institutions and trade associations relied more and more on lawyers for advice. Marketers have been emphasizing direct contact with customers and potential customers, bypassing media.Media are going to win more attention from the public if they can do a good job of documenting what are flaws in proposed changes in programs such as healthcare.Women organized to deliver a powerful message to the Trump Administration and the nation over the weekend.[author]About the Author: Jack O'Dwyer has covered PR, communications, journalism and related fields in his own company since 1968, and was previously a financial reporter at two of the five biggest daily newspapers in the U.S., the New York Journal-American (six years) and the Chicago Tribune (four years).[/author] 

Reprinted with permission of O'Dwyers