Tyron DevottaOf public relations and media
Who is a PR person? Though the answer may seem obvious on the face of it, it has become quite important these days to define the role of public relations.
Why do we call a press conference?
I was recently asked by a CEO of a leading enterprise in Sri Lanka as to why journalists don’t ask questions at a press conference. This phenomenon is not uncommon, where a press conference attended by over a 100 strong audience might just end flat.
De-synchronisation effect
American writer, futurist and the author of ‘Third Wave,’ Alvin Toffler said in his book ‘Revolutionary Wealth’ (2006) that world economies like the USA, Japan, China and the European Union are heading for a crisis none of them want.
Going West in education
Brain drain. This is a situation we don’t fear in our country. The media does not write about it, our policymakers don’t talk about it and our families don’t think about it.
Lessons for corporates from Victor Ivan’s book
Investigative journalism is a particular type of reporting in the media that can usually drive fear into the hearts of the subject of investigation.
In my early days as a journalist I have worked on the investigation desk of many newspapers.
Human development indicators
I was recently reading the International Human Development Indicators (HDI), an index created by the UNDP, which had marked out Sri Lanka as the 91st out of the 169 countries on their list.
Being the opposite of Bollywood
Last week I was at a fashion show. My first, meaning that I have seen models, on the ramp on FTV, but this was the first time in real life. For me watching a fashion show is as boring as watching formula 1 racing — apparently excellent design moving up and down the track or ramp but the monotony really gets me. Well the highlight, in racing is that inevitable crash and on FTV the designer who uses the least amount of material would get the highest applause (I am sorry if that sounds like a chauvinistic approach).
Fake, counterfeit and unregistered drugs
Recently somebody I know was prescribed a drug by a leading doctor for an intestinal problem. This drug was prescribed after a colonoscopy exam done after an overnight stay at one of the many private hospitals in Colombo. But it was later found out that the hospital actually did not give the patient the drug prescribed by the doctor.
Third World America
The words United States of America (USA) and Third World are two that I never expected to see side by side in my lifetime. But that changes with Arianna Huffington, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist and author of 13 books, who has dared to title her book ‘Third World America’.
Time to unlearn the West?
Recently, I overheard the conversation between two people, who were of European origin. They were planning to meet socially, and the line used was “let’s meet for dinner and drinks”.
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