Conflict of interest in Clinton campaign

Everyone learns about conflicts of interest early on in their PR career, and every now and then an agency or company is exposed for a major conflict of interest.

A glaring example occurred just a few days ago with Burson-Marsteller head Mark Penn, who was also chief strategist for Hillary Clinton. Penn, whose firm represented the Columbian government, got into hot water when he met with Columbian officials despite Clinton's strong opposition to a free trade agreement with the South American nation. While Penn said his business in Columbia was fully related to his duties with the firm, he admitted the subject of the meeting was related to the trade agreement.

The outcome? Penn lost his post with the Clinton campaign (but will continue to offer strategy) and Burson-Marsteller lost its contract with the Columbian government. Time will tell if this has a major impact on the struggling Clinton campaign, or what the long-term effect for Penn or Burson-Marsteller will be.

With the world and the way we communicate changing right before our eyes, it is more important than ever to study traditional PR principles as much as the new trends that are changing the media and how we get information. We hope to give conference participants a look at both old and new strategies and techniques at our conference in Miami Beach, June 19-21. Keep your eye on the site, as we'll be posting speaker information in the coming days.