Via our sister site TVNewser, we bring you an ethics debate: NBC has now used its “editorial” news shows Rock Center, Today and Meet the Press to promote its upcoming White House sitcom 1600 Penn. (Well, OK, it was the Meet the Press web channel if you want to get all technical, but the clip will still appear on some affiliates.)

We understand the network’s need to go all out to promote its newest property. Now that The Voice is over, NBC is pretty much guaranteed to drop back into its perennial loser status among the big networks.

Still, we have to ask: is the network crossing a line by hyping the show on its supposedly serious editorial programs? Joe Flint at the Los Angeles Times thinks so:

To be sure, the idea of media companies making use of their platforms to advertise their own assets and personalities is nothing new. ABC’s Good Morning America has no qualms about using its valuable time to talk about Dancing With the Stars.

But NBC is becoming the most aggressive in doing this and if it continues it could harm the credibility of its news division.

Crazy idea, but maybe news programming should be kept to news.

What do we think? Does NBC risk harming the credibility of its news division with this kind of everywhere-all-at-once promotion? What’s their marketing team so afraid of, anyway?

The present is a great time to be in the public relations industry: never before have so many people done so many things while in contact with so many others.

Thanks to social media and the continuous miracle that is technology, we never do anything alone anymore (with a few obvious exceptions, ahem).

There was a time when television was a passive pursuit that involved tuning into a favorite program and ignoring the rest of the world. That dynamic, however, has changed. Watching TV has become an active–even interactive–experience.

So it makes perfect sense for TV ratings monolith Nielsen to join forces with Twitter, creating a new ratings system that will generate metrics for viewers who comment on TV shows and those people who read or interact with said comments.

It’s fun to open a bottle of red wine and log onto Twitter while movie stars walk down the red carpet to accept awards in clothing worth more than your apartment. It’s entertaining, cathartic and always good for a laugh.

But if the Oscars aren’t your thing, there is always the NFL, which suffered a major public relations disaster this weekend as the league’s less-informed (and, let’s be honest, flat-out racist) fans took to Twitter to vent their displeasure about President Obama’s speech in Newtown, CT, taking precedence over the New England Patriots vs. San Francisco 49ers game. Wow. Not exactly the image the NFL wants for its fans.

Read more

Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty

Cee Lo has tweeted himself into trouble after he published a post in response to a negative review of his Minneapolis performance last Thursday.

The controversy also comes as Absolut, the vodka brand, prepares to debut a film starring Cee Lo on its Facebook page.

According to Mashable, Cee Lo wrote, then deleted, a post that read: “I respect your criticism, but be fair! People enjoyed last night! I’m guessing you’re gay? And my masculinity offended you? Well f**k you!”

Cee Lo has apologized broadly for the comments and specifically to members of his team on the hit show The Voice.

Read more