The e-mail below is one that I received from a public relations person at General Motors today, asking me to send student journalists to an event that the company will be holding in Las Vegas next month.
Maybe I’m just a bit jaded, but I have a problem with this solicitation. It seems what young student journalists would be “learning” from this experience is how to take a free trip and meals from one of the company’s largest corporations. I hope that wasn’t GM’s intention, but it’s not how we train future business journalists in the 21st century.
Am I wrong?
—–Original Message—–
From: diedra.wylie@gm.com [mailto:diedra.wylie@gm.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 8:43 PM
To: diedra.wylie@gm.com
Subject: URGENT – General Motors College Journalists Event
Importance: High
Dear Advisor,
I’m writing to inform you of General Motors’ First College Journalists Event taking place in Las Vegas, NV on September 9-10th. This is the first time we’ve done this sort of event and it’ll be a great learning opportunity for young journalists. The program will focus on car customization culture which is relevant to young adults.
While in Las Vegas the college journalists will have the opportunity to meet with professional journalists and GM executives who’ll be in attendance. GM will pay for travel, hotel and meals for students that attend. Travel will be scheduled so students don’t miss any school (arrivals and departures will take place during the weekend).
More information on the program is below. Please feel free to forward the information below to students you believe are qualified and would benefit from this opportunity. For questions or more information, please contact me at 805-373-9523 or diedra.wylie@gm.com.
Best,
Diedra Wylie
(805) 373-9523 (office)
(805) 208-5249 (cell)
(805) 373-9648 (fax)
diedra.wylie@gm.com
GM Communications Western Region
515 Marin Street, Suite 216, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
UPDATE on Aug. 31, 2006 at 10:24 a.m.: I ran this by two public relations professors whom I respect, and this was their responses:
1. Don’t journalists get free use of new cars for extended periods so that they can review them? Why should the collegiate press be denied the same sort of opportunity that full-time journalists enjoy? GM’s cost probably is comparable for both. If you are suggesting no journalist should ever accept a complimentary favor, I might agree. However, many full-time journalists take advantage of — even seek out — comps, particularly in certain industries. When I was at Dial, we were besieged with requests from journalists for complimentary lodging in the Glacier Park hotels that we operated and for complimentary accommodations on Premier Cruise Lines. At the other extreme, reporters at the Wall Street Journal returned the holiday medallions that were blistered into the Christmas cards that we sent them when I worked at Franklin Mint Corporation. They kept the cards but scissored out the medallions and mailed them back.
In this case, I might question whether GM will get much value from this junket, but it does not look unethical to me to offer it. GM is facing a stark future, and the company needs to find new ways to refresh and rebuild interest in its products.
2. How is this any different from what the big car companies have been doing for working journalists since the 1950s? Maybe the airplane ticket isn’t paid for anymore, but it sure sounds to me like the regular old rollout of the new models, etc. And what about car companies letting reporters from car mags and large newspapers drive their new models for awhile so they get the feel of it and can write about it? Is that really any different? And can young student journalists be bought so cheaply that they’ll pander to this co. the
next time they write a story about it? Oh ye of little faith! Frankly, I’m bothered more by the fact that the email author said students that, rather than students who.
