What Happens if You Call A Press Conference and Reporters Don't Show?

You fake it, of course. At least, that is what FEMA did on Tuesday, October 23, when FEMA held what was called a "news briefing" on the California fires, but the questions asked did not come from reporters. Instead, they were asked by FEMA staffers.

When asked who was responsible for this fakery, Press Secretary Dana Perino said, “Well, FEMA is responsible. And they have accepted that responsibility, and they issued an apology today. They have admitted that they had an error in judgment. I would agree with that. They've issued an apology. And, you know, you'll have to ask them about why they decided to do that."

An error in judgment? Sending out a premature press release is an error in judgment. Offering a half-baked excuse for slow reaction time is an error in judgment. Faking a news conference, on the other hand, is a full-blown attempt at lying to, manipulating and deceiving the public. Keep in mind, this fake news conference was carried by the networks as well as by local stations in California. It wasn't a practice run held in privacy. Holding a fake press conference is not an error in judgment: It is stupidity and arrogance at worst and deceitful at best.

In my mind, this represents just one more example of a government entity believing they can do or say anything they want, no matter how untruthful or hurtful it may be. Furthermore, they believe we Americans are either so gullible or so stupid that we will accept their attempts to manipulate the public trust, assuming much trust of government still exists among Americans.

What this tells me, the big message being sent, is that we cannot believe anything we see or hear out of Washington D.C. We must depend on our wits and all of our fact-checking resources to determine what is true and what isn't. Is that any way to run a country? And what does this say, if anything, about what public relations and marketing mean in today's world? Can we say or do anything to sell a message?

For those of you who missed the fake press conference, here it is:

FEMA agents pose as reporters and ask bogus questions to Howard Johnson about the fires and FEMA's response.