The Week in PR

Does China Need PR Help? We hear it every time we write about how brands should communicate during a crisis: Tell your story or someone else will tell it for you. Other oft-repeated dicta: Tell as much of your story as you can, and be honest. Keeping that in mind it will be interesting from a PR standpoint to watch China’s economy. Beijing has told the country’s economists, analysts and business reporters to keep negative views to themselves. In addition, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, visited his country’s three top media outlets to “remind” journalists to write positive stories, The Wall Street Journal reports. No doubt it’s true that governments the world over try to restrict release of damaging information. More than that, the job of communicators is to urge journalists to write good news stories. Still, we’re talking about a large difference of degree in China’s case. While China has long kept a close watch on political dissent, it tolerated honest reporting about the economy from foreign journalists based in China. Anecdotal evidence indicates that’s no longer the case. To be transparent in a story about a reduction in transparency, it’s important to note China blocks citizens from seeing The Journal, along with The Economist, Bloomberg, Reuters, The NY Times and Time. Google, Facebook and Twitter also are verbotten. While the Chinese economy seems fundamentally sound, it’s no longer growing as quickly as it once did. In addition, portions of its heavy industry are in heavy debt and are producing goods whose demand has slackened, which could lead to an estimated 2 million layoffs this year ( PRN, Jan. 18). While crisis is too strong a word to describe the state of the world’s second-largest economy, it’s difficult to know the truth when policy unofficially prohibits a free flow of accurate information. Will this lack of transparency be good for the economy?

People: Drew O’Brien, a senior adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry, is joining Weber Shandwick as EVP, global partnerships. In addition, O’Brien will lead Weber’s work with educational institutions. – Ogilvy upped Nick Ludlum to EVP and group director, corporate and public affairs. The 10-year Ogilvy veteran leads the agency’s crisis unit. – Former Cisco CCO/VP Melissa Selcher left to join LinkedIn as VP, corporate communications.