England’s Football Association gave us a lesson this week on how not to secure change within FIFA to rid it of the ‘alleged’ <cough!> corruption.
For too long FIFA has been a self-serving and inefficient organisation. Like many international governing bodies it’s executive committee has become distant from the supporters who actually and in this case own the game. For FIFA football is all about the business – getting and securing the best sponsorship and trickling these deals down into local associations, many of which are run on a shoestring. That said and as has been reported those who sit on the top table of this once venerable organisation have become unconnected with the people who play this sport.
The politics of sport is ugly and ruthless. But let’s be objective, FIFA has 208 national member associations – more than any other international governing body. The UN itself has 192 states as members. These national member associations represent the world and it’s various and diverse cultures. What is acceptable in some of these countries would be deemed unacceptable in western democracies. But equally, some of the West’s own behaviours would be deemed wrong in many of the states that are represented within the FIFA family. That still is no excuse for much of the activity that has become endemic within this broken organisation.
All this doesn’t excuse the moralising of the UK press towards how FIFA operate. If you read the media from around the world you would be forgiven for thinking that it is all above board. In fact, read Spain’s sports daily Marca or As or any other title from South America or Africa and the only quotes about the alleged corruption come from local titles that quote the stings made by The Times and Sunday Times. Moralising in my opinion doesn’t help with change.
To coincide the publishing of stories about corruption to days before the voting for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup was short-sighted by UK newsdesks. Yet ask UK journalists and you’ll get an answer about public interest. Really? Is it better to run a story before the voting or possibly just after? Would news outlets have got better stories in the lead-up to an English World Cup? All very odd. I’ve had conversations with a few journalists who’s view is that they should be independent and I agree. But the question from a public relations perspective is how you secure change? Are some outlets chasing numbers rather than using their skills to enable better transparency?
Public relations can be a force for good. Sure, many people see this profession as one that focuses on spin and misinformation. But, in countries such as the UK, with a good relationship with media outlets PR could work in harmony to achieve the change that is required within FIFA.
So as we approached this week’s FIFA’s 61st Congress we noted the media and the English FA once again making a stand for what they thought was right. It was a question in my opinion of preaching and not teaching. What they did was get it very wrong, to the extent that their behaviour possibly helped Blatter secure a fourth term in office.
The public relations campaign activity by The FA leaves a lot to be desired. Fit for purpose? I leave you readers to decide.
There used to be days when Britain was good at understanding the world, at doing deals and assisting and promoting best practice. FIFA needs to change, but so does The FA, who is in grave danger of becoming irrelevant to the football family.
Social Media in 2011 – A Review
Friday, December 30th, 2011This time last year I made a series of predictions about social media and public relations. I suggested that while 2010 was a year of discovery, the past 2011 was going to be about sharing and engaging. About communities being empowered by the knowledge they will have pooled together. I highlighted from my perspective the challenges and opportunities that Facebook, Twitter and YouTube will pose for companies and individuals. The impact that social networking has had on events during the past year has truly been beyond what anybody could have expected.
While 2010 was about Wikileaks, the past year has been about challenging the reputation of companies, organisations and individuals that used the law to hide their indiscretions. Twitter and other social networks came into their own as members of the legal profession struggled to grasp the structure of communications across international jurisdictions.
In my post ‘2011, A Year Of Change In Public Relations,’ I said that the coming year was going to be about communities that were engaged and empowered. Wikileaks showed what you could do privately. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were the channels through which you could anonymously share content and opinion. They are the channels that gathered a community together, empowering them to seek the transparency that was far too often absent. Even the once trusted media estate came under the gaze of the community.
The Arab Spring in North Africa was an occasion that surprised many commentators. Sharing of stories on Twitter about high-profile individuals was going to happen. Managing reputations has now moved into a real-time business. In fact, if something wrong has been done it is today best expected that such an act will become public.
Last year I also raised the point about the power of mobile, of cellphones. Wherever you are you have a cellphone. You are connected to a world of real time information that reaches you as quickly as you wish to access the news that is available. News shared by the network that you are connected to. Reliance on traditional news channels is long gone. News is shaped by members of the communities that we trust, which is why from a public relations perspective crises are today that when audiences go negative on a brand, cause or individual.
As I stated, news organisations are not dead and they are certainly not dying. They are just changing and adapting to become what their primary audience wants of them. An adoption that will continue in the 2012.
But what about the coming year? Well, I am finishing my thoughts on this and will share these with you pretty soon.
Tags: 2011, audience, content, facebook, journalism, mobile, news, pr, publicrelations, publishing, reputation, socialmedia, socialnetworking, transparency, twitter, youtube
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