Electing a Pope in the Modern World

Kelli Eason

Eight years ago, I was sitting in my trigonometry class at St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles, La. While I usually dreaded the math class, that day was different. That was the final day the 2005 papal conclave – the first in my lifetime – which elected Pope Benedict XVI. We watched the white smoke billow out of the Sistine Chapel live right there in my class. Little did I know that I would experience another rarity (a papal abdication) and another conclave so soon. Nor did I realize how much would change.

Just like the most recent Olympics and presidential election, the digital world we live in makes this papal election quite a different animal than it ever was before. Consider the following:

·   Fantasy Conclave – This friendly competition is not unlike fantasy football except there is no money involved, and prizes are provided by sponsors. You choose the cardinal you believe will be the next pope, the day on which he will be elected and the name you think he will choose. (I went with Cardinal Rivera Carrera from Mexico, day three, and said he would choose the name Leo.) I’m sure my grandmother never expected something like this.

·   Pope Alarm – This digital notification service is only for the most dedicated conclave watchers. It sends a text message, email or both to registered users to notify them as soon as the white smoke appears, confirming the next pope. This may include a text in the wee hours of the morning as Rome is anywhere from five to eight hours ahead of the United States.

·   Papal watchers on Twitter – Mashable published a handy dandy list of five of the top papal watchers to follow during the conclave. The list includes a reporter who first broke the news of Benedict XVI’s abdication because she understands Latin.

This papal conclave also brought to the forefront the idea of campaigning for certain candidates. Although the church works very hard to maintain the secrecy of the ballots and the conclave, it seems that the more connected we are, the more speculation there is. I found several interesting articles on this phenomenon:

·   The Sweet Sistine – Tapping into the popularity of March Madness, the Religion News Service put together this bracket of what they believe is the most likely list of candidates. They even included odds provided by Irish bookmaker paddypower.com.

o   If you’re interested, here’s the final bracket developed from more than 40,000 votes.

·   A possible American pope – There has never been an American pope, but it seems that the American media was pretty excited about the fact that…there could be. There was a lot of buzz surrounding Cardinal Sean O’Malley from Boston and Cardinal Timothy Dolan from New York.

·   A wide open field – There was no clear favorite, which may be why so many people were campaigning and speculating and hoping to influence the outcome.

The church hasn’t changed much in the last few hundred years, so I didn’t count on social media, citizen journalists or the 24/7 news cycle altering the process or the outcome. Still, it made for quite an interesting conclave, and it sure was fun to feel like a participant…even if it is just part of the Fantasy Conclave! Unfortunately, I was nowhere close to winning the fantasy league. Not many people were. Only 0.7 percent of participants, or 41 people, chose Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Only six correctly predicted that he would be chosen on day two, and no one was anticipating that he would choose Francis as his papal name. But I guess congratulations are in order for Michael Brennan of Wisconsin, who officially won and gets bragging rights for the remainder of Pope Francis’ tenure!

How are people getting your news?

Crissy Lintner

In the not-too-forgotten “old days,” people got their news from two places: the local newspaper and TV’s nightly newscasts. Now, we have so many places to look for news! Newspapers, magazines, TV, blogs – it’s almost information overload. Well, actually, according to some studies, we seem to be becoming a society of information overload. And now, more than ever, PR pros have to be on their feet because social media is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to breaking news.

Just recently, I was awakened at 2 a.m. by the sound of sirens from police cars and fire trucks. For 10 to 15 minutes solid, sirens were blaring, and it sounded as though they were stopping not too far from my house. The first thing I did was to visit a local TV station’s website on my iPhone, thinking they would have something up about what’s going on that would cause such a ruckus this early in the morning. Then, coming out of my sleepy fog, I remembered that the real place to get breaking news is Twitter!

I switched over to my Twitter account, and initially, didn’t see any information. (I did learn an interesting tidbit about the fact that more people die each year from donkeys than car accidents – who knew?). But within seconds, up popped the gem I was looking for from a local TV station: “Crews on the scene for two-alarm apartment fire at 10800 Steppington in Dallas.” Bingo! I now knew the reason for the sirens, where the fire was located, that the building was unoccupied and eventually got photos from the scene – all within five minutes and without having to get up and turn on the TV. And, I could go back to sleep with my curiosity satiated.

My point is this. If you’re not hooked into Twitter, you should be. And if your client isn’t using Twitter, it probably should be. And if you, PR Pro, are not monitoring what is happening on Twitter, you better be because more and more breaking news is “breaking” on Twitter. So is general chatter – both from reporters and the general public – that could involve a client or give you an opportunity to pitch your client.

While I still very much value the news I get from print and TV outlets, including the wonderful coverage they offer for our many clients, it’s a different type of value. At 2 a.m., I appreciate that I can hop on Twitter and find out what’s happening a few blocks away before the camera crews are on the ground or photographer has made it to the doorstep. During the business day, I appreciate that I can find out that a local news reporter needs a source to discuss how to prevent dog bites (@HSNT1 is the perfect fit!).

This immediacy gives new meaning to breaking news and how it’s reported and when people find out. And if you’re not paying attention, you and your clients could be left behind.

Follow Obsidian on Twitter: @obsidianpr | @obsidiandallas

Honesty is the best policy!

 

Kelli Eason

Lance Armstrong.

Manti Te’o.

Bernie Madoff.

Aside from the fact that they are all well-known American figures, it’s not hard to guess what these three have in common. They all got caught in a lie of some sort. It affected them all differently, but ultimately damaged each of their personal brands.

Bernie Madoff was caught in a major Ponzi scheme, lying to his clients and costing a lot of people a lot of money. It cost him his personal fortune, his estate, his career and his freedom outside prison walls. Lance Armstrong was caught lying about using illegal substances to help him win the Tour de France seven times in a row – and it cost him his titles, future racing opportunities and endorsement dollars. Manti Te’o was the heartbreaking story of the 2012 college football season after his grandmother and girlfriend died in the same week…until the world found out there was no such girlfriend. Te’o is new to this group, so we have yet to determine exactly how his brand will be tarnished by the scandal. 

Working in the field of public relations, my first thought when these types of scandals break is that these guys’ publicists won’t be sleeping much for a while. My second thought is how I would handle it.

If you’ve ever dealt with a crisis situation like this, you know that there should always be a PR practitioner at the table. With that in mind, I would advise the following:

1.    Don’t do wrong or unethical things in the first place.

It’s too late for Lance Armstrong. He made poor choices for way too long to have them just disappear now. But it’s not too late for most people – companies or individuals. If something is wrong, make it right. When faced with a potentially damaging situation, take the high road. Don’t let yourself get caught up in scandals that could ruin lives (as Madoff did) or ruin your career or brand (like Armstrong or Te’o). 

If you’re unsure of whether you’re being confronted with an ethical situation, PRSA has a handy Code of Ethics available to help identify and overcome those situations, as do many other professional organizations.

2.    If you find yourself caught up in a situation like this, honesty is the best policy.

I watched a segment on The Today Show a few weeks ago in which Star Jones recommended, from a legal standpoint, that Lance Armstrong never admit to doping. In her eyes, it would severely damage his personal brand and therefore his ability to make money from future endorsements, speaking engagements or even future competitions. But Star Jones is a lawyer, not a PR practitioner. Public relations is all about building trust and building a strong personal brand no matter what. With all Armstrong’s former teammates saying he used illegal substances, it became increasingly difficult for him to convince anyone that he was telling the truth.

The same could be said of Manti Te’o. Today the official statement from the Te’o family and from Notre Dame is that Te’o was the victim of a cruel prank. The rest of the world is still confused. Even according to official statements, Te’o knew about the hoax on Dec. 6, yet he still spoke about the girl two days later at the Heisman ceremony. Without the whole truth, people will think the worst no matter what.

3.    Make your brand a priority.

This is true in any situation, not just those that involve a lie. In Lance Armstrong’s case, he has been an important advocate for the cancer community. A close friend of mine lives in Austin, Texas – where Livestrong is headquartered. She recently beat lymphoma and is very supportive of the Livestrong organization separate from Armstrong. In her blog, she acknowledges his mistakes but hopes that the charity – which has since severed ties with Armstrong – continues to thrive and support cancer survivors.

Bernie Madoff can, of course, never recover from his lie. He is serving his prison sentence for a variety of felonies related to his Ponzi scheme. In Madoff’s case, he owned his company, which went under with him. Had he been part of a larger bank or investment group with the strength to survive such a scandal, he likely would have been a casualty of the company’s rebuilding.

In Manti Te’o’s case, he may overcome this, depending on whether he tells the whole truth before it’s too late. There is still time before the NFL draft, for which he was previously projected to be a first-round pick. I’ll be watching the news for more information, and will be interested to see how the NFL considers his personal brand along with his talents as a player.

Have any thoughts about this blog? Leave it in the comments and we can discuss it there.