Clips and Media Mentions
Public Relations Society of America
Bonus Tactics Commentary:
Dissecting the media circus around
John Mark Karr. Who’s to blame?
In October the world's largest professional society for PR professionals features in-depth legal PR analysis by Richard Lavinthal in which Boulder County Prosecutor Mary Lacy is taken to task for exceptionally poor legal media relations in the John Mark Karr investigation fiasco.
Philadelphia Daily News
When A Bomb Drops During An Election
An Oct. 31, 2006 OpEd in the Philadelphia Daily News by Richard Lavinthal appeared a week before the mid-term general election. Lavinthal looks at candidates who are under investigation and explains what it really means when anyone is being investigated.
Associated Press Worldwide
JonBenet Ramsey Murder Investigation
A Sept. 3, 2006 AP report distributed around the globe appearing in hundreds of newspapers and Web sites. The day after legal PR expert Richard Lavinthal's OpEd appeared in the
The Philadelphia Inquirer (see below), the Associated Press in Denver called.
In her August 31st "exculpatory" news conference, Prosecutor Mary Lacy stated that all the physical evidence in the Ramsey case was known by the public, a stunning admission that should never have been blurted out. Now, without "holdback," if DNA identification becomes a problem how can a suspect ever be identified? This was yet another example of worst-practice legal media relations by a prosecutor.
Philadelphia Inquirer OpEd
August 31, 2006
JonBenet Ramsey Murder, The Karr Investigation
Mishandled By The Prosecuror And By The Media This OpEd takes a close look at missteps made by Prosecutor Mary Lacy, especially the improper way the investigation of John Mark Karr was conducted in public instead of in private. The result was a worst-practices example of legal media releations, Richard Lavinthal argues.
The Times of Trenton
Journalism and Omerta: Watergate Style
Richard Lavinthal takes a cold, hard look at secret sources in journalism in light of the May 31, 2005 revelation that 91-year-old W. Mark Felt is the mysterious Watergate source dubbed "Deep Throat." When Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein and the Washington Post confirmed Felt as their source they burned a 33-year-old vow of secrecy for life, Lavinthal argues. The OpEd. was also linked on prPROpinion.com and PRforLAW.com.
WPHT Radio, Philadelphia
The Michael Smerconish Show Nothing ever disappears from the Internet, Richard Lavinthal explained at an in-studio appearance on Philadelphia's highest-rated AM talk show. On July 28, 2005 Lavinthal discussed archive.org and the Wayback Machine, in light of a lawsuit in which a suburban Philadelphia law firm was alleged to have "hacked" into the non-profit's Web site in an attempt to gather evidence. Just to show how Wayback worked, Lavinthal brought Smerconish a printout of his Web site as it appeared seven years ago.
"John" Shots: Punishment by Photo
A Philadelphia Daily News OpEd
In summer 2004 Richard Lavinthal argued that the newspaper and Philadelphia police acted irresponsibly by publishing mug shots of 33 men arrested in connection with two street prostitute reverse stings.
DA Spinning Jackson Case
A Philadelphia Inquirer OpEd At the beginning of 2004 Richard Lavinthal argued that District Attorney Tom Sneddon erred by allowing a PR firm to handle media relations for the Jackson case.
Cold Case Homicide Article
When the Philadelphia Daily News looked at cold case homicides it called Richard Lavinthal for expert comment as result of long tenure as spokesman for a private organization that seeks to solve old murder cases.
UHF Channel 48, Philadelphia
On "Update 48"
Richard Lavinthal argued in summer 2004 that Pennsylvania law enforcement should distribute mug shots only in rare circumstances, i.e. where a life can be saved, a wanted person captured or a law enforcement investigation continued.
WPHT Radio, Philadelphia
The Michael Smerconish Show
In June 2005, Natalee Holloway had been missing for a few days in Aruba. Mike Smerconish asked Richard Lavinthal to explain why pundits already complaining about Aruban law enforcement's investigation don't know what they were talking about. When an FBI "bug" was discovered in Philadelphia Mayor John Street's office just before the November 2003 elections, Smerconish, an attorney, asked Lavinthal to provide insight into calls for the U.S. Attorney to reveal why the listening device was placed in City Hall. Lavinthal used his experience as a U.S. Department of Justice spokesman to explain why court rules do not allow anyone to comment in any way.
WWDB Radio, Philadelphia
Paul Kircher Show
Richard Lavinthal argued that Pennsylvania law enforcement should distribute mug shots only in rare circumstances on Philadelphia's business radio station.
Times of Trenton
Op Ed
After famed Hollywood actor Donald O'Connor died, Richard Lavinthal reminisced about the time the multi-talented performer put on a unique show for students at Trenton High School. O'Connor appeared thanks to an invitation from a former Army buddy teaching at the school who had served with O'Connor in World War Two.
Quotes and Appearances
(Alphabetical Partial List) |
