The appointment of Matt Tee as the inaugural chief executive of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) has been welcomed by PR industry chiefs, reports PR Week.
It quotes Francis Ingham, director general of the Public Relations Consultants Association, as saying "Matt is a good choice...
"I think the mainstream media will be okay with this appointment. Matt, through his work at the COI, would have built up an in-depth knowledge of the newspaper industry and I think they will have confidence in this appointment."
Alastair McCapra, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (of which Tee is a fellow) agreed: "They have appointed a chief executive with a record of commitment to promoting and upholding the highest professional standards in public relations."
I'm not certain that journalists will regard his PR skills as a major plus. The article also (partially) quotes me as saying: "To be frank... I've never heard of him."
That remark prompted Tee to tweet: "I'm sure @GreensladeR said more than the quote in @PRweekuknews. As a reader and fan of his I hope we can fix his ignorance of my existence!"
Tee is almost right. Asked for my reaction to his appointment, here's my reply in full: "To be frank, I haven't the faintest idea. I've never heard of him."
But I would guess that, having taken on the poisoned chalice of heading a regulator that was set up amid controversy, he will soon find himself in the headlines, especially on this blog.
