An IT MNC and her PR agency has come under fire from the IT Journalists Association of the Philippines (CyberPress) for a story about the resignation of the GM of that IT MNC that might have resulted in the sacking of the reporter and the editor stripped of his editorial responsibilities.
Wrote the CyberPress blog,
The IT Journalists Association of the Philippines (CyberPress) denounces in the strongest terms, what the group sees as an unfair and arbitrary treatment of two CyberPress members who were penalized for doing their work -- reporting IT industry news.
Last March 1, 2010, CyberPress members had reported the resignation of a country manager of a multinational IT company – a development actually confirmed by the company. The report also stated that the executive had thrice been bypassed for promotion to the top post, an issue denied by the company.
The company objected vehemently that the report was “wrong,” though it announced the official’s resignation later on. We believe that the report, in its totality, is true and correct.
We believe that the proper course of action that the IT company and/or the PR agency could have taken, was to raise the concern/issue directly with the publications’ section editor responsible for the page and/or the reporter who wrote the story. They failed to do so on both accounts. The veteran IT journalists involved have always kept an open line of communication to both IT company and PR agency but were never approached.
However, what the IT company chose to do and allegedly upon the persistent counsel of its PR agency, is highly anomalous if not downright dubious. In other words, a breakdown in basic business ethics and public relations practice.
An inside source highlighted that the reporter who wrote the story was sacked and the tech editor stripped of his editorial responsibilities. His entire section was also removed and this has put the other reporters out of job as well.
Further investigation have shown that the CyberPress was referring to the story in The Manila Bulletin about the departure of HP’s Bernadette Nacario who is leaving her post as Country General Manager of the Personal Systems Group(PSG). Her last day is reported to be on April 8, 2010.
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