The Week in PR

A Tale of Two Apologies:You can apologize directly or back into it. The difference may be magnified in the court of public opinion. Baseball player Robinson Cano, 35, (pictured) of the Seattle Mariners was suspended 80 games May 15 after testing positive for a banned substance. His apology followed a lengthy preamble noting the diuretic furosemide, which he tested positive for, “is not a performance-enhancing substance.” True, yet the diuretic is known as a masking agent, often used to prevent detection of or hide a banned substance. Media reports cite sources saying Cano planned to appeal, but eventually dropped the case. Baseball can automatically suspend players for furosemide only if it can prove the diuretic was used as a masking agent. “Playing professional baseball has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life…I would never do anything to cheat the rules of the game that I love…I obviously now wish that I had been more careful.” He concluded, “I apologize to my family, friends, fans, teammates and the Mariners organization.” He’ll forfeit about half his $24 million salary. Last week, Wellington Castillo, 31, of the Chicago White Sox, also was suspended for 80 games for testing positive for Erythropoietin, the drug bicyclist Lance Armstrong eventually admitted to using. Without clearing his throat, Castillo admitted, “The positive test resulted from an extremely poor decision that I, and I alone, made. I take full responsibility for my conduct…I apologize.” He’ll forfeit about half his $7 million salary. Before the suspension Cano was en route to the Hall of Fame. Castillo will get in only if he buys a ticket. Yet for PR pros, Castillo’s apology for a dishonorable act was a home run.

Presidential PR: President Trump was working the PR angle last week when he used the term “spygate” May 23 to describe news about an FBI informant who’d allegedly infiltrated his 2016 presidential campaign. On May 22 there were 4,556 mentions of spygate on Twitter. There were 65,489 mentions before noon ET the next day, digital tracking firm Digimind says. The Associated Press reports the president told a friend he chose the word spy because it “would resonate more in the media and with the public.” He was right.

Platform Prater: Facebook unveiled measures to assist those who oversee Facebook Groups, including communicators. It also discussed measures it’s taking to cut down on transmission of bogus news on Facebook. In a May 23 post, Tessa Lyons, a product manager, wrote the brand’s strategy to stop misinformation consists of “removing accounts and content that violate our Community Standards or ad policies; reducing the distribution of false news and inauthentic content like clickbait; and informing people by giving them more context on the posts they see.” Regarding Facebook Groups, which communicators can use to locate brand advocates, Facebook said it would respond to administrators’ questions faster, offer them online training, allow them to contact users whose posts they’ve removed with an explanation and let administrators pre-approve the content of reliable members.

Growth and Transactions: APCO Worldwide bolstered its Middle East presence opening an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 10-year APCO veteran Liam Leduc Clarke will become its managing director. APCO also has Mid East offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. – Congrats to Russo Partners as it celebrates 30 years in business this month. -- Kudos too to Anderson Group, celebrating 30 years in business this year. Part of the celebration includes a rebrand, including a new color palette with red for strength and energy, turquoise for creativity and balance, and navy for loyalty and confidence. Anderson deployed ThinkAnderson.com as its new website, replacing TheAndersonGrp.com. It also changed its name on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to @madebyanderson.

People: Bill Dalbec was named managing director at APCO Insight, APCO Worldwide’s in-house research consultancy. Dalbec is a 10-year APCO vet. – The NHP Foundation named Marijane Funess to head PR and marketing. Funess joins from Crenshaw Communications, where she was a director, managing consumer, CSR and tech accounts. -- Strategic Governance Advisors named Steven Balet managing director in NY. He joins from FTI Consulting. – UpSpring PR celebrated its 9th anniversary by naming Bridget Moriarity communications director, PR Division. -- Sayles & Winnikoff Communications promoted Lulu Cohen to VP. -- UpSpring PR celebrated its 9th anniversary and named Bridget Moriarity communications director for its PR division. -- Congrats to PR News friend and Hall of Fame member Gil Bashe, Finn Partners’ managing partner, global health, on being honored at the Marfan Foundation gala last week for his support of the organization and contributions to health communications. Few are more deserving. -- Solomon McCown named Jan Goldstein (pictured) an SVP and leader of its mission, education and healthcare practice.