A DC-AREA PR FIRM IS CLAIMING CREDIT for RatherGate. I don’t recall getting anything from them. Neither does Charles Johnson. This seems to have been a story largely generated by blogs, not email, anyway.
And if they were really smart enough to do something like this, would they be dumb enough to be bragging about it before it was over? I certainly wouldn’t hire a PR firm that did mind-bogglingly stupid things like that, and I can’t imagine why anyone with any sense would do so. Perhaps I’m wrong, but this looks like rank, and transparent, opportunism.
UPDATE: Power Line: “Victory has many fathers. You know the Rathergate battle has been won when PR firms step into the breach and try to take credit.” Timing issues with their claims are noted.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Bill Ardolino: “Horsecrap.”
YET ANOTHER UPDATE: The PR firm apologizes handsomely. They’ve raised themselves in my estimation. (A quick apology — good PR. Maybe CBS should hire them!) Click “read more” for the full text, as I don’t think the link above is permanent.
MORE: Kathy Kinsley has the right idea! “I’d also like to add, that if they want to communicate with me and ask me to push a story, they can stuff it or buy a blogad. Their choice.”
Regarding PR Week’s article of 9/17, (http://www.prweek.com/news/news_story_free.cfm?ID=222586&site=3)
CRC President Greg Mueller released the following statement:
“Please understand, we never meant to imply that the blogosphere is something we did, or even could, control or direct. No one controls the bloggers. The extraordinary depth and breadth of their talent and resources only breeds one thing: a fierce independence much needed in the country. They are a force the PR industry and news media need to pay greater attention to.
“In the interview with PR Week, we tried to communicate that the bloggers, and then CNS www.cnsnews.com, were moving this story, which we then began pushing to conservative media, news websites and “mainstream” press.
“If anything, we’re just proud that our client, CNS News, provided some hard news reporting to add some gasoline to the already rampant wildfire that the bloggers had started. Do we deserve credit for that? Not nearly as much as the guys at PowerLine, Instapundit, LittleGreenFootballs, INDCJournal, Allahpundit, and so many others deserve.”