Ethics

While two Megaupload executives have been bailed out of jail in New Zealand on Internet piracy charges filed in the U.S., Sandvine has released figures on how the shutdown of Megaupload affected other networks worldwide.

Sandvine says with all the attention on Internet regulation, a number of competing sites have either decided to shut themselves down, or dramatically alter the way files are uploaded or downloaded from their servers.

For example, FileSonic has halted any new uploads and is only allowing users to download their personal files.

Read more

Create a clear, strategic approach to the way you use Facebook to market your business in our new Facebook Marketing Boot Camp. The online conference and workshop starts April 24. Learn more.

At Brooklyn junior high school where 95 percent of the students live below the poverty level (!), a group of students are finalists in a music video contest with a grand prize of $75,000 in technology for their school.

The contest is sponsored by eInstruction, and among the parameters for entering the contest, all entries must include mention of the company, its logo, a shot of one of its products.
Read more

A California water agency has dragged Google News into a scandal over a serious case of astroturfing.

The Central Basin Municipal Water District, in Los Angeles County, has been called out for writing fake news stories promoting itself, disguised in a website called the Hawks News Review. Google News had approved the faux-news site as a legitimate source.

The Los Angeles Times covered this story, asserting that the Water District paid more than $200,00o to a public relations firm for planting the positive coverage.

Read more

The picture at left is the packaging that we received along with Martin Lindstrom‘s new book Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy. After the jump, we’ve got another picture of the inside of the box, which comes with a little video screen.

Bloggers “receive so much stuff every day, I had to stand out,” Lindstrom told us this morning during a phone conversation. “I thought the kit would be interesting and would be passed around the office.”

Lindstrom also wanted to make a point about being “brandwashed.” He says there’s both positive and negative marketing and far too many companies are crossing the line into negative territory.

Read more

September is PR Ethics Month at the PRSA (and in Colorado) and the organization has a number of events planned, including a tweet chat on the topic happening now. (A Slideshare of that chat is available here.)

In today’s guest post, Dr. Deborah Silverman, chair of the PRSA Board of Ethics and Professional Standards and an associate professor and associate chair of the Buffalo State College communication department, says that while there have been notable ethical lapses in PR, it’s an area of recognized and growing importance to the industry.

Click through to read more. And take to the comments to share your thoughts on the importance of PR ethics and how the industry can prevent and/or correct ethical missteps.

Read more

Ever since news broke that Russell Armstrong, husband to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong, committed suicide, there have been questions of whether the show would air as planned. (Definitely one of the least important questions being asked.)

That question has been answered by the president of Bravo, Frances Berwick, who issued a statement saying the network would air the season premiere on September 5 as scheduled and it would be accompanied by PSAs focused on suicide prevention. The show is being re-edited and footage of the Housewives is being shot to take into account the terrible news.

Besides the logistical questions, the news has raised ethical questions about the affect that reality TV has on its stars. NPR has a few suggestions about an ethical code for reality TV shows, including a proposed panel that would settle disputes over whether certain footage damages the reputation of someone appearing on a show.

Colorado’s Governor John Hickenlooper has declared that September is “Ethics Month” for PR pros.

The Colorado chapter of the PRSA worked to get the proclamation, which coincides with the organization’s nationwide celebration of Ethics month.

The PRSA has listed a number of Ethics Month happenings on its website.

In an email to PRNewser, Matt Lauer, partner at Qorvis, said the work the firm is doing with the government of Bahrain is meant to highlight the changes that are happening in the country.

In a recent article, Salon notes that Qorvis has submitted a Foreign Agents Registration Act filing stating that it’s being paid $40,000 per month for reputation work on behalf of the government of Bahrain.

Lauer notes in an email to us that the firm has worked with the Bahraini government (“a long-term American ally”) on a variety of projects for more than a year. “We are actively working to make note of the reforms and progress currently underway in the country,” Lauer added.

Read more

A helpful tipster (and comic strip reader) passed along a copy of a weekend edition of “Dilbert.” Wonder where Scott Adams gets his material?

We included this story in this morning’s Ticker, but we think it’s important enough to give it a little more detail.

Salon reports that Qorvis is working with the ruling family of Bahrain (the country’s King is Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa) at a rate of $40,000 per month (plus expenses) with the goal of improving the government’s image. The firm has issued a statement following a raid on what the government says was an unlicensed Doctors Without Borders office in a residential building. A spokesperson for the nonprofit denies this, telling NPR that the group has been upfront with the government.

*Clarification after the jump.

Read more