The Mississauga Muse
Active Member
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT YAAAAAYYYY Jim Coyle of The Toronto Star! His article, "Look before leaping into spin trade" or as I, The Mississauga Muse would name it, "Spin-- The #1 ReasonWhy Municipalities Need Our Ontario Ombudsman Dancing on Their Pointy Heads"
Mr. Coyle cites a great example here with Brampton's Corporate Spin regarding a City of Brampton ad seeking a Spinmeister. Brampton's Puff-Puffery like "positioned itself as a global economic contender." and "ability to develop key messaging for multiple and diverse stakeholders." is *pshaw* nothing compared to The Corporation of the City of Mississauga --the Poster Municipality of what Ontario Ombudsman refers to as "Puffery" (I call "Puffery" Perfuming then Painting Shit Pink ( P.P.S.P.) but I'd never say that publicly because I'm a lady. So I just call it Lying.)
Regarding P.P.S.P. Andre Marin stated:
"I’m referring to what has become an all-too-familiar and rampant refrain among government organizations. On the one hand, the actions of a Ministry, agency, board or commission are decried as shabby or incompetent. On the other, the reaction from the organization is to sideline the issue and proclaim itself “world class,” or an “international leader”– as if erecting a sign saying “I’m the best and the greatest” will assuage those who have suffered from neglect and maladministration"
Here's Mississauga PUFFery --> Mississauga Puff'in It
Before reading Mr. Coyle, one last quote from Ontario Ombudsman, Andre Marin:
"Millions of Ontarians are at the mercy of a special kind of Big Brother – the hospitals, the long-term care facilities, the children’s aid societies and the like are
cleverly guised as “private entities” and deemed off-limits to proper checks and balances. Big Brother has his hand firmly planted in our back pocket – government revenues his lifeline; unaccountability his refuge."
You see, the irony is that even other municipalities are victims of Municipal SpinMeisters. Here's Mississauga dumping on another municipality while puffing up itself.
Now you're ready for Jim Coyle.
Look before leaping into spin trade
Toronto Star
Aug 04, 2007 04:30 AM
Jim Coyle
The City of Brampton was advertising this week for a senior adviser in "issues management" and the ad itself was instructive in the topic at hand.
The city, it said, has now "positioned itself as a global economic contender." Which, of course, sounded wonderful. Until you thought a bit about what, if anything, the phrase actually meant.
There, in a nutshell, is the cheating heart of issues management.
It is the business of portraying your own glass as not just half full, but perpetually brimming, of making daily silk purses out of endless sows' ears, of "positioning yourself" as the provider of two chickens in every pot (or a vegetarian alternative if preferred).
Among other qualifications, the successful applicant in Brampton will have the "ability to develop key messaging for multiple and diverse stakeholders."
This is the business of what is now known as "spin." The "father of spin" was Edward Bernays. He was an ad man who promoted cigarettes to American women as the nearest thing to health food.
As female smokers discovered – much like the former Iraqi government spokesperson floridly reporting on the thrashing his troops were giving American invaders a few years ago – spin can only work for so long before reality bites. To potential applicants, all we can say is: Look before you leap into this world of duplicity and double talk.
Nothing against Brampton, of course. But issues management may be the biggest con since weapons of mass destruction. Trying to manage issues is like trying to herd cats. It can be done, but usually at the cost of your dignity.
Issues, as somebody once said, are what happens when you're busy making other plans. Think, after all, of the most assiduous issues managers in recent times.
There was the Harris government in Ontario. What are they remembered for? Ipperwash and Walkerton. There are the Bushies south of the border. Iraq and New Orleans. (Mission Accomplished and Heckuva job, Brownie, indeed.)
Oh, you may do precisely as the job description demands. You may develop the best little "corporatewide media and issues management process" under the sun. At the breakfast meeting, you can have your issues all lined up like goose-stepping North Korean soldiers. Then along comes a falling bridge or punctured oil pipeline that just ruins your day.
You may "inform and advise staff, council and management of emerging issues in the media." Then the media, in their childish way, leave that emerging issue and go chasing the next bright, shiny thing that catches their eyes.
Like Hillary Clinton's cleavage, for instance. Who knew a glimpse of 50-something flesh would send the press corps of the most powerful nation on Earth into a tizzy.
Or you might discover that your boss, as did Ms. Clinton, had made the dreadful mistake of sending letters 40 years ago containing anguished teenaged thoughts that should have been confined to her diary, to some high-school friend who turned out to be a creep who kept them and now shows them to any reporter who calls.
This is, we suppose, why the City of Brampton asks that applicants have at least three years' experience in "crisis communications."
Actually, in Toronto we know a bit about that. Once upon a time, the municipal gnomes had us positioned as a "global economic contender" to host next summer's Olympics. Then the tiny imperfect mayor of the day went off raving about Africans boiling him in a pot.
Still, it could have been worse. At least he didn't have anyone managing issues from the intern pool.
Mr. Coyle cites a great example here with Brampton's Corporate Spin regarding a City of Brampton ad seeking a Spinmeister. Brampton's Puff-Puffery like "positioned itself as a global economic contender." and "ability to develop key messaging for multiple and diverse stakeholders." is *pshaw* nothing compared to The Corporation of the City of Mississauga --the Poster Municipality of what Ontario Ombudsman refers to as "Puffery" (I call "Puffery" Perfuming then Painting Shit Pink ( P.P.S.P.) but I'd never say that publicly because I'm a lady. So I just call it Lying.)
Regarding P.P.S.P. Andre Marin stated:
"I’m referring to what has become an all-too-familiar and rampant refrain among government organizations. On the one hand, the actions of a Ministry, agency, board or commission are decried as shabby or incompetent. On the other, the reaction from the organization is to sideline the issue and proclaim itself “world class,” or an “international leader”– as if erecting a sign saying “I’m the best and the greatest” will assuage those who have suffered from neglect and maladministration"
Here's Mississauga PUFFery --> Mississauga Puff'in It
Before reading Mr. Coyle, one last quote from Ontario Ombudsman, Andre Marin:
"Millions of Ontarians are at the mercy of a special kind of Big Brother – the hospitals, the long-term care facilities, the children’s aid societies and the like are
cleverly guised as “private entities” and deemed off-limits to proper checks and balances. Big Brother has his hand firmly planted in our back pocket – government revenues his lifeline; unaccountability his refuge."
You see, the irony is that even other municipalities are victims of Municipal SpinMeisters. Here's Mississauga dumping on another municipality while puffing up itself.
Now you're ready for Jim Coyle.
Look before leaping into spin trade
Toronto Star
Aug 04, 2007 04:30 AM
Jim Coyle
The City of Brampton was advertising this week for a senior adviser in "issues management" and the ad itself was instructive in the topic at hand.
The city, it said, has now "positioned itself as a global economic contender." Which, of course, sounded wonderful. Until you thought a bit about what, if anything, the phrase actually meant.
There, in a nutshell, is the cheating heart of issues management.
It is the business of portraying your own glass as not just half full, but perpetually brimming, of making daily silk purses out of endless sows' ears, of "positioning yourself" as the provider of two chickens in every pot (or a vegetarian alternative if preferred).
Among other qualifications, the successful applicant in Brampton will have the "ability to develop key messaging for multiple and diverse stakeholders."
This is the business of what is now known as "spin." The "father of spin" was Edward Bernays. He was an ad man who promoted cigarettes to American women as the nearest thing to health food.
As female smokers discovered – much like the former Iraqi government spokesperson floridly reporting on the thrashing his troops were giving American invaders a few years ago – spin can only work for so long before reality bites. To potential applicants, all we can say is: Look before you leap into this world of duplicity and double talk.
Nothing against Brampton, of course. But issues management may be the biggest con since weapons of mass destruction. Trying to manage issues is like trying to herd cats. It can be done, but usually at the cost of your dignity.
Issues, as somebody once said, are what happens when you're busy making other plans. Think, after all, of the most assiduous issues managers in recent times.
There was the Harris government in Ontario. What are they remembered for? Ipperwash and Walkerton. There are the Bushies south of the border. Iraq and New Orleans. (Mission Accomplished and Heckuva job, Brownie, indeed.)
Oh, you may do precisely as the job description demands. You may develop the best little "corporatewide media and issues management process" under the sun. At the breakfast meeting, you can have your issues all lined up like goose-stepping North Korean soldiers. Then along comes a falling bridge or punctured oil pipeline that just ruins your day.
You may "inform and advise staff, council and management of emerging issues in the media." Then the media, in their childish way, leave that emerging issue and go chasing the next bright, shiny thing that catches their eyes.
Like Hillary Clinton's cleavage, for instance. Who knew a glimpse of 50-something flesh would send the press corps of the most powerful nation on Earth into a tizzy.
Or you might discover that your boss, as did Ms. Clinton, had made the dreadful mistake of sending letters 40 years ago containing anguished teenaged thoughts that should have been confined to her diary, to some high-school friend who turned out to be a creep who kept them and now shows them to any reporter who calls.
This is, we suppose, why the City of Brampton asks that applicants have at least three years' experience in "crisis communications."
Actually, in Toronto we know a bit about that. Once upon a time, the municipal gnomes had us positioned as a "global economic contender" to host next summer's Olympics. Then the tiny imperfect mayor of the day went off raving about Africans boiling him in a pot.
Still, it could have been worse. At least he didn't have anyone managing issues from the intern pool.