December 20, 2006

PRWeek cites HP's blunder

According to PRWeek's "Book of Lists 2006," Hewlett-Packard Co. committed the costliest public relations blunder when its chairman OK'd spying on company board members and journalists to locate media leaks. Not only did the scandal result in the ouster of Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, it launched the term "pretexting" into mainstream vernacular. Rival computer manufacturer Dell Inc. followed on HP's heels with its exploding laptop fiasco. The story may have not made the list if not for the online video clip that circulated faster than the company's response to the incident. "An important theme of 2006 is the huge changes taking place on the media landscape," said Julia Hood, PRWeek's editor in chief. "From Dell's exploding laptop to the sleeping Comcast repairman, citizen journalists and filmmakers are populating the Internet."