Balki is the worst representative of public relations…EVER!

My favorite soap opera, CBS’ The Young and the Restless, managed to render me speechless twice in the past seven days – and for once it had nothing to do with an evil twin or someone coming back from the dead.   

 

 

Actually, within the past week, the soap managed to portray one of the worst versions of a public relations practitioner ever shown on the boob tube – “Patrick the Publicist” – and then turned around and did nearly an entire show on ethical journalism.

“We can’t give preferential editorial treatment to advertisers no matter what,” said bad girl-turned-co-publisher of “Restless Style Magazine” Phyllis Summers Abbott Newman.

 

 

 

As “Patrick” giggled in delight at scoring the cover of the New York Times (because a magazine launch in Genoa City certainly trumps a war and impending recession) by simply picking up the telephone (because that happens) and glommed onto the regular cast members by sucking up and showing off all of the media he was able to wrangle for the launch of the big magazine, I almost had a seizure from rolling my eyes so much.

Alas, at least the journalist inside of me felt good. It also reminded me of the great journalists here in the Valley who were lauded this past weekend at the annual Society of Professional Journalist Freedom of Information dinner and award banquet.