It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well not if you are also trying to squeeze client news in between the countless holiday gift guides and best/worst of 2009 lists.
I personally love these ‘year in review’ lists, especially when you think that there is an editor out there wondering which unflattering photo of the Gosselins to include or whether you can honestly compare the impact of Susan Boyle to that of Sonia Sotomayor.
It has been a tough year, but everything is relative. In light of some of this year’s most memorable headlines we should consider ourselves lucky. Here are just a few, in no specific order:
- Governor Sanford’s “hike through the Appalachians” causes a mountain of trouble
- Balloon Boy’s parents filled with hot air (Check out these 10 Craziest Media Hoaxes of all time from the Daily Beast)
- Letterman’s sextortion scandal (Check out Jessica’s commentary)
- Madoff making off with your money
- Tiger’s drive into the fast lane not so grrreat (Check out Rebecca’s take)
- Michael Phelp’s bong bombs
- Carrie Prejean proves beauty contestants should stick to “world peace”
- Jon and Kate separ8
- Serena’s foul mouth (Check out Rebecca’s recap and the video)
- White House Party Crashers
PR can keep stories out of the headlines or save a bit of dignity and grace when all else is lost. It can also make a headline infamous, like Queensland, Australia’s ‘The Best Job in the World‘ candidate search did earlier this year. The stunt recently joined Taylor Herring’s prestigious ‘Publicity Stunt Hall of Fame‘ which showcases the best PR stunts of all time.
TIME's 'Person of the Year' Ben Barnanke
Tough economic times, political unrest and fears of swine flu swept the country, but balloon boy is really what kept us talking. TIME made a commendable choice of Ben Bernanke for their ‘Person of the Year‘ honor, but you can’t help but wonder how many Americans said, “who?” We are a tabloid, celebrity-obsessed culture with a selective memory and short attention span, which is best seen when we try to rank the most influential happenings of a whole year.
The lists and recaps need to be broken down. In my opinion the best compilation is TIME’s Best/Worst Lists (don’t miss their Top 10 Lists or their ‘Year in Photos‘). Yahoo’s ‘Year in Review‘ also puts together a good collection, although slightly skewed towards tabloid stories. If you are looking for that kind of ‘news’, look no further than the People with their ‘Best of ‘09‘ (and read this recent Newsweek, ‘The Greatest Show on Earth‘, article defending our celebrity fixation). Better yet, go all out and indulge in the Huffington Post’s ‘Hot Messes of the 2000s‘. It seems like some have forgotten it is the end of the decade, so it’s a good thing Newsweek has it covered with their 20/10 Project.
The Gosselins dominated the 'news' in 2009.
After getting lost in a myriad of yearly recaps and reviews, I was interested to see what the UK’s Telegraph’s ‘US Review of 2009‘ considered noteworthy. When browsing through this year’s recaps consider the source and the audience before judging their lists. After writing this post, I know taking stock of a year gone by not as easy as it seems! I wonder when someone will come out with a list of the best and worst ‘best/worst lists of 2009′?
Cheers to the holidays and ringing in 2010 with all its anticipated wonders and blunders.