Editor,
Long before "spin" made its way into the vernacular, we were taught to tell the truth and do what's right.
But today where "truthiness," meaning sounding like it could be true, is the standard used by many of our leaders and opinion is as good as fact, it is no wonder that the Albuquerque Journal can write that Mike Collins, David Schmidly's personal spin-meister, was contracted to create a "media plan," which is part of "good communications," which "are essential to transparency."
To understand the absurdity of these comments strung together, and how Collins' new $153,000 contract will affect us, we need to go into the histories of Schmidly, Collins and UNM.
According to the article, Schmidly first brought Collins on the scene at Texas Tech when Schmidly got himself into media trouble by hiring Bobby Knight after the controversial basketball coach was fired from Indiana for "a pattern of unacceptable behavior."
In 2002, a female law school professor at Texas Tech accused Schmidly of sexism. It was Collins who once again got Schmidly out of hot water with the press.
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When Schmidly came to UNM, his first major blunder was walking into the North Golf Course senior housing development hornet's nest. When the golf course's influential neighbors and patrons uncovered the plan, they went ballistic. According to the Albuquerque Journal, it was Collins, the "media and crisis management consultant," who was contracted to handle the press "to quell the uprising."
Does this sound like the essence of transparency Collins was spinning?
This fits right in with UNM's long-time modus operandi.
Traditionally, UNM has kept both its students and the surrounding community in the dark about what it's doing to us. This has meant voting in tuition increases during school breaks and informing the surrounding neighborhoods of upcoming construction affecting us after the request for bids for construction has been published or, in some cases, after the ground has been broken.
By contracting Collins, UNM is evidently upping its public relations ante.
If UNM wants good public relations, perhaps it should consider telling the truth and doing what's right to begin with. Unfortunately, UNM has chosen another path, and only time and due diligence will tell how much spin and truthiness Collins' new $153,000 contract will buy.
Peter Schillke
Daily Lobo reader
