Lessons in Media Relations and Blogging, from Tyler Flood [Updated, and Again]

 Posted on November 07, 2009 in Uncategorized

Tyler Flood (one of the smartest lawyers Tyler Flood has ever met!) says of his recent debacle in the Houston Press:

During the course of this process I praised so many of my colleagues and even told Mike who to talk to, including Jed [Silverman], Gary [Trichter], Troy [McKinney], [Mark] Thiessen, Murph [Doug Murphy], Jim Medley and others. It was Mike's choice who he decided to include. I also told Mike many things about our role and the noble profession we are members of. There were so many positive things I discussed with Mike about what we do and the problems we face and try to solve for our clients that the public is unaware of.

And yet, exclaims Tyler, "any of the good stuff would up on the editing room floor."

As though that's some surprise.

When you're talking with the press, every word counts. These people write down the things we say, and use them to tell the stories they want to tell. Their job is not to boost our practices, but to inform the public. As Chronicle Reporter Brian Rogers will freely tell you, "I am not your friend."

Tyler, if you didn't think Mike Giglio was following you around to make you look good, you probably should have been more circumspect, and not said:

Listen, most of the people we get off are intoxicated. But that's the justice system.

Then you wouldn't have found yourself making this Clintonesque nonapology:

I apologize to them if the net effect of what was WRITTEN did damage or offended.

And if you thought Mike Giglio was following you around to make you look good, I've got some SEO magic to sell you-guaranteed to keep you at the top of Google.

I was done with this story, but Tyler got his D&G panties* in a twist and compared my posts about the Houston Press article to Andy Nolen's pseudonymous flaming astroturf:

Mark Bennett loves to bash other lawyers such as Andy Nolen for allegedly posting negative comments about lawyers at Yahoo reviews or other places online. Now Mark engages in the same practice himself. Search Mark Bennett at Bennett and Bennett and you will see a flurry of recent blog posts bashing Tyler Flood for an article in the Houston Press

Yes, that's the entirety of the post.

Yes, Tyler Flood is willingly comparing himself to Andy Nolen.

If Tyler wants to put himself in Andy Nolen's company, I'll accept it and explicate: like Andy Nolen, Tyler has a reputation (we learned from the article) for badmouthing other criminal-defense lawyers to potential clients; and, like Andy Nolen, Tyler has (we learned from the article) left a positive review of himself online.

I left a comment to that post, which is awaiting moderation (and which I doubt that Tyler will publish-his "blog," which I've blogrolled since I first saw it, seems to be for purposes more of advertising than of discussion [update: he did]):

You'll recall that when Andy Nolen left his pseudonymous false reviews, one of them was for you./tag/tyler-floodThat ain't bashing. That's quoting. If there's anything incorrect there, I hope you'll correct the record.

As I've said before, I like Tyler. But there is no grey pinstripe wall of silence (Simple Justice on Matt Brown) that dictates that, when a local criminal-defense lawyer becomes news, I can't comment on it. I am a commentator, and I will comment.

Tyler, if you were misquoted or taken out of context, I'll be the first to spread the word of Mike Giglio's journalistic sins. If you want to correct the record somewhere that people will read it, you're welcome to do so here. If I have misstated any of the facts, I will eagerly correct them.

If the article was factual, though, and if I got the facts right (and nothing you've written so far leads me to think that it wasn't or I didn't), I stand by my conclusions and opinions.

Are we done?

[Update: Why does Tyler Flood talk about himself in the third person on his blog?]

[Further update: Tyler tells me that he hasn't read any of my posts "attacking" him. Which-along with the use of the third person-suggests that someone else is blogging in Tyler's name at his blog on his website. Why do lawyers let that happen?]

*Disclaimer: I don't really know what brand panties Tyler Flood wears.