Op-Ed: So Who’s The Worse? Yes, It Really Matters (With A Sobering Lesson For Those New To Our Business)

Arthur Solomon, Public Relations Consultant

We are now, according to many none medical scientists, in the late stages of the first peak of the deadly coronavirus. But to those in the White House and communications business who believes that “No Crisis Should Go To Waste,” not to worry.  Unfortunately, you will surely have many other chances to demonstrate how to take advantage of the worldwide pandemic.

It’s easy to decide “Who’s The Worse.” By a wide margin it has to be President Trump, for several reasons:

• In an attempt to keep the stock market from sinking, he delayed acting to contain the virus. Instead, he claimed it was a “Democratic hoax” that would magically disappear in a matter of days. (At this writing on May 27 the number of deaths in the U.S. are in excess of 99,000 and rising. By the time this is published the number of deaths in the U.S. will be more than 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Many medical scientists believe there are many more deaths than have been reported because people who died at home and deaths caused by complications due to the virus are not included.)

• He dismissed the concerns of his own medical scientists, claiming, as he did when he said he knew more than his generals, that his “hunches” were better than their scientific knowledge.

• He dismissed saying wearing masks was prudent, saying it’s up to individuals

• He told his followers to liberate states from governors who took medically advised actions to protect the health of their citizens.

• And, as usual, he attacked member of the media for reporting facts about the virus that he thought harmed him.

• He consistently watered down advice from the CDC.

• He threatened to hold emergency funds from states with high rates of Covid-19 because they voted against him in 2016 and 2018.

• Instead of attempting to defuse the rioting, his comments  have done the opposite. He has shown what many people feared: In a time of crisis he would revert to his default position: Attacking and pointing fingers instead of attempting to calm the nation.

For a single individual, Trump is far and away the winner of the “Who’s The Worse?” crown. However, the president’s actions haven’t changed much from the behavior he has demonstrated throughout his life. Only now, his actions are causing other people to lose their lives.

It’s difficult to pin point the worse of Trump’s atrocious remarks; there have been so many. But on May 27, even the conservative pro-Trump Wall Street Journal ran an editorial titled, “A Presidential Smear.” It concerned the president’s accusation suggesting that MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, a former Congressman, might have had been involved in the death in 2001 of a young woman who worked for the broadcaster. (Scarborough, as has many other former Republicans who have left the party because of Trump’s erratic behavior, has been a critic of Trump.) The editorial concluded with the following: “But Mr. Trump is debasing his office, and he’s hurting the country in doing so.”

Still the president has many non-military camp followers, who adhere to his “me first” philosophy. Among them are Vice President Pence, the lackey, his latest myth maker, lackey press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and a host of Republican governors who are continuing to open their states despite an uptick in Covid-19 cases.

Deceitfully regarding their viewers health are many Fox News commentators, who while broadcasting from the safety of their homes are continually urging their viewers to go forth and make merry.

And let’s not forget the scam artists who are trying to get people to buy and try unproven products to ward off the virus. (Oh, I already covered that. The leader of that pack can be reached at The White House.)Also a believer that “No Crisis Should Go To Waste” are the many businesses who will use the current tragedy as an excuse for what they always wanted to do – firing people to increase the bottom line.

But Trump, Fox broadcasters and his civilian camp following lackeys are old hat. So are companies that look for any excuse to raise profits by firing people.

What’s new is the winner of the “No Crisis Should Go To Waste,” award. It is public relations elder kin folk – the advertising agencies.

Unlike the Trumpkins, who do not attempt to camouflage their messages, advertising agencies and their clients do, but their smoke screen efforts are clearly obvious.

TV and radio commercials with tag lines like, “we’ll get through this together,” “we’re there for you,” or “during these troubling times,” are ubiquitous. The primary reason for these commercials is to let people know that these establishments are open for business. Why not just say so? Instead these commercials are as disingenuous as the “men in the white coat” commercials of the tobacco industry, which for years hawked the benefits of smoking, or more recently commercials saying that following an exercise routine will make a woman or man look like the persons of their dreams. (As people in the business know, advertising commercials have never been highly regarded by the public; only by the self-congratulatory industry that pats itself on the back for creating many misleading ads. The same is true with many public relations programs. That’s why it’s so difficult to measure the public’s acceptance and success of one.)

A person doesn’t have to be a member of Mensa to see that public relations messages are few because almost all the news budgets are devoted to coronavirus reporting and riot coverage, exposing what many people in our business always knew, but never spoke publicly about: When there is real hard news to report, news outlets can do just fine without us. We’re irrelevant. That might be a distressing reality to some in our trade, especially to true believers and newcomers, but not to those of us, who like me, came to public relations after a stint as a reporter and editor. We know that slow news days are our friend. Hard news days are our enemy.

Now is not the time to attempt and force a client connection with the coronavirus pandemic. Only have the client make statements regarding the terror of the coronavirus if it is backed up by action. Now is the time for PR people to plan client campaigns for the future, not attempt to take advantage of a killer crisis. program, like so many business are doing with their camouflaged radio and TV commercials.

And, importantly, for newcomers to our business, remember firms are hiring, if not for the present, for the future. If you’re unhappy with your present job research other opportunities. Even if you were “furloughed,” not terminated, there is no guarantee that you will be asked back.

If done in the correct way taking advantage of a crisis can be a plus for you. And, as medical science has demonstrated by creating vaccines and drugs to treat previous virus-created crises, for everyone.

Thus far the PR business can hold its head high, unlike the ad industry, Fox News and the Trump lackeys, by not taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis. Let’s keep it that way.

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About the Author: Arthur Solomon, a former journalist, was a senior VP/senior counselor at Burson-Marsteller, and was responsible for restructuring, managing and playing key roles in some of the most significant national and international sports and non-sports programs. He also traveled internationally as a media adviser to high-ranking government officials. He now is a frequent contributor to public relations publications, consults on public relations projects and is on the Seoul Peace Prize nominating committee. He can be reached at arthursolomon4pr (at) juno.com or artsolomon4pr@optimum.net.