Telkom wooing the media

rpm

rpm

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Hi folks

Telkom is currently visiting various journalists (individually to the best of my knowledge) to clarify why the ICASA report is flawed etc. Xolisa Vapi stated that this is part of his job description and that there is nothing untoward regarding this action. Definitely damage control in my opinion and trying to win over the media. I do however have a significant amount in trust in most of the journalists I have worked with to filter out the PR and look at the facts.

It is rather sad that people have to wait for months to get ADSL installed or get their telecoms problems attended to, but I do not see any senior Telkom officials visiting these people. The poor technicians are working around the clock with limited staff to try and keep ahead while Telkom is rather spending millions on PR…not good.

Regards,

RPM
 
rpm said:
Hi folks

Telkom is currently visiting various journalists (individually to the best of my knowledge) to clarify why the ICASA report is flawed etc. Xolisa Vapi stated that this is part of his job description and that there is nothing untoward regarding this action. Definitely damage control in my opinion and trying to win over the media. I do however have a significant amount in trust in most of the journalists I have worked with to filter out the PR and look at the facts.

It is rather sad that people have to wait for months to get ADSL installed or get their telecoms problems attended to, but I do not see any senior Telkom officials visiting these people. The poor technicians are working around the clock with limited staff to try and keep ahead while Telkom is rather spending millions on PR…not good.

Regards,

RPM
Click to expand...

The PR machine must hate us right now. It makes me warm inside. :)
 
Is there anything MyADSL can do to debunk the statements made by our friend Mr Vapi? The general public doesnt know the difference between Telkom lies and the truth. I dont think a newspaper will deliberately badmouth Telkom since they need telecommunications.

I sure hope your faith is not misplaced in those individuals... Telkom is big and powerful. I fear them.
 
Vapi can visit who he pleases, he just provides ammo.
edit: probably more of an asset to us than Telkom LOL.
 
Sounds like damage control to me aswell. Wonder when the visited journo's will be publishing/broadcasting their work, relating to the mentioned Telkom visits. That I would love to read/see/hear.
 
What about creating a layman's guide to the ICASA report, printing a bunch of these and handing them out at malls etc? We need to give the findings as much exposure as possible before the Telkom media machine tries to twist the truth.
 
The report MAY be flawed, but that does not change the fact that we are paying an exorbitant price for a way-below-par ADSL service.

This is more a diversion tactic by Telkom to avoid the truth - that it is ripping off its customers...
 
LOL @ Vapi - the attempts of a dying monopoly to try & pull the wool over everyone's eyes - TelkoDemonopoly's nefarious parasitic business practice cannot be hidden that easily :).

Thank you Mr Vapi for insulting the intelligence of all those journos you have been visiting - I'm sure they will display their intelligence by revealing the truth you are trying so hard to hide!!!
 
Remember ... a lot of those journalists may be swayed by the fact that telskum could withdraw advertising/funding/etc to their paper ..... as always .. money talks .... so it may be beneficial if we can get a laymans guide to the ICASA findings out and maybe get a journalist(maybe someone on this forum) to publish it !!
We could also make sure that we have someone (rpm?) that is willing to provide responses to any publications made due to telskum harassment trying to debunk the ICASA findings.
 
money does talk...and telkom know it

pitty we live in such a corrupt "place"
 
About journos possibly being threatened by TelkoDemonopoly withdrawing their advertising...well that is certainly a real concern, however my message to the editors out there, is simply not to print anything in that scenario - we certainly do not want a pack of lies dreamt up by TelkoDemonopoly's propaganda agency, being printed as if it were truth (pty) ltd...
 
Journos, and editors pride themselves on "editorial independance". A publications' advertising arm has NO say over its editorial division. It would jeopordize the freedom of a newspaper to publish news, if this were the case. Of course, it doesn't always work 100% that way, but they believe in their editorial independance with a passion, as long as it doesn't kill their business.

Telkom can threaten all they want, it's not like they've been phenomenal ad spenders. I mean, who needs to advertise for a service that everyone needs, and can only get from you?

I do believe the press will portray this properly, where they can. The one thing journo's are bad at, is to gain a proper understanding about the topic that they're writing about. Because they deal with so many stories and issues at the same time, often before strict deadlines, they have to go with what they understand. It's up to us to make them understand the issues, and spell them out.

The more PR's myadsl.co.za puts out, the easier it will be for them to understand.
 
The journalists who are swayed by Telkom's forked tongue are the ones who are probably after the Telkom Journalist of the Year Award - another good way to stop negative, truthful reports about them.

The award is definitely for n00bs though.
 
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