But misdirected e-mail insults Daily Camera reporter

By Brittany Anas
June 9, 2005

A new University of Colorado public-relations plan suggests that officials host journalists for breakfasts, lunches and campus tours and for informal gatherings during the Christmas season and graduation.

While releasing the plan to the Daily Camera on Wednesday afternoon, a top-ranking CU public relations official mistakenly forwarded an e-mail that said another official was withholding parts of the plan. The forwarded e-mail included a disparaging remark about a reporter.

The 2006 "Communications/Re-Branding Plan" that was given to CU regents Saturday makes several suggestions for building public trust, promoting the university and working at the "highest level of ethics."

Here are some of the suggestions for the public-relations campaign:

Assign a communication staff member from the president's office to work full-time with the regents and their office.

Formalize and redesign CU's response process under the Colorado Open Records Act.

Integrate a system-wide crisis communication plan.

The Camera requested the public-relations plan after it was given to regents.

An e-mail written by Ray Gomez, associate vice president for university communications, to Michael Hesse, associate vice president for university advancement, was mistakenly forwarded Wednesday to Camera reporter Elizabeth Mattern Clark.

It said the public-relations plan that would be given to the media is a "cleaned up version" and sections titled "introduction" and "summary" wouldn't be included because they are internal.

"I don't think it's any of her business, quite frankly," Gomez wrote in the e-mail. "I also removed references to any appendices.

"As we saw last weekend, this reporter isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, so I agree with your recommendation yesterday that we walk her through this."

When Mattern Clark contacted Hesse on Wednesday, he wrote in an e-mail: "Elizabeth that note did not refer to you. I will call you to explain."

Hesse first told Mattern Clark that the e-mail referred to a journalist at the Silver & Gold Record, CU's faculty newspaper. However, later in the afternoon, the public relations office acknowledged the e-mail referred to the Camera reporter.

"It's very ironic and unfortunate," said Gomez.

Gomez and Hesse, each earning $150,000, started their jobs with the university in December. Together the men have begun developing a communications plan for the university.