Being Clarence

https://www.gorkanapr.com/news/article?news_articles_id=11396

Being Clarence

There's no stopping Clarence Mitchell. He's in full flow talking about a subject he knows a thing or two about – the machinations of the British media.

"If there's a big story on the go I can watch TV and I can predict almost to the person who will be on which bulletin at which time...you know the rhythms of who will do what and how a story will develop. You know there'll be cameras at that hospital or that police station – the media runs on tracks just like any industry."

Listening to him speak with such conviction about the ebb and flow of major news stories, it's easy to see why he has become one of the industry's most high profile crisis comms experts. A seasoned journalist who earned his stripes working as a news correspondent -"in the early 80s working for the BBC I travelled with two, three passports at a time and I was parachuted in to help local bureaus in war zones like Bosnia and Northern Ireland, and fairly unpleasant situations" – he is now firmly on the dark side and has clocked up thousands of hours as a spokesman over the past five years.

Jettisoned in as the official spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann, the Leicestershire couple whose daughter Madeleine disappeared in Portugal on May 3 2007, a few days before her fourth birthday, he found himself thrust into the global media glare – "it was like being a reporter but in the reverse".

It was while he was director of the Cabinet Office Media Monitoring Unit that his life and "pinball career path" took an unexpected turn.

"I knew Howell James (the Government's then permanent secretary for communications) from when he was John Majors' political secretary and I said to Howell in various conversations: 'Look if ever there's a big story you need to send someone out on I wouldn't mind being considered.'"

When Madeleine went missing he was seconded to the Foreign Office because of his extensive television experience, and thought he'd be in Portugal for a fortnight (after taking over from another former journalist and senior government spokesperson Sheree Dodd). But five years on and Clarence is still the McCanns' spokesperson and now close friend - he carries a separate Blackberry to take calls related to the Madeleine case.

Stints at Lewis PR and Freud Communications followed before WPP came knocking last year. He joined Burson-Marsteller in September with a "roving brief" to provide advice and counsel where needed, open his bulging contacts book and join in on pitches.

He has worked on a wide range of accounts including ICOMP, an industry initiative that campaigns against anti-competitive practices online; the Skolkovo Foundation, an innovation centre founded outside Moscow; and he was one of the main media contacts when the Italian cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, ran aground in January killing 34 people.

Last week he was named head of Burson's public affairs practice and he seems to have made the switch to agency life without too much fuss.

"I've personally believed in all the situations I've found myself involved in from the PR side and I feel entirely comfortable and entirely happy supporting and messaging them – in the case of Kate and Gerry, one of the biggest adjustments I had to make was having been a reporter was to be asked, in front of a camera, to express an opinion."

Clarence clearly gains comfort from being neck deep in a crisis - "I prefer to have a pressurised run where I can suddenly decided x, y and z needs to happen now" – and he is quick to give advice for any PR finding themselves at the centre of a media storm.

"All hell can break loose around you very, very quickly with lots of conflicting requests and lots of confusion and usually you have access to very poor and limited information. With the nature of 24/7 media as it is now, questions come at you thick and fast and all demanding accurate responses immediately and a lot of the time the situation is far more nuanced than that, with far more grey areas.

"On a personal level, you need to stay calm, you need to overcome any nervousness you may feel about the scale of what is in front of you. You need to break it down – that's the way I do it – and compartmentalise and prioritise the situation in your mind. What needs to be done, what’s most pressing, who's on deadline?

"The idea of controlling the message is no longer valid but you can influence the message – your story will be told. If you don't get out there and tell it somebody else will and you won't like what they have to say. These days a lie is halfway around the world before the truth has even switched its laptop on, and as a result you need to be in fully corrective mode that much faster, you have to develop strategy more quickly and there’s a need for speedy client sign off and that can sometimes cause frustration internally. But corporates can see how things are changing and if they don’t work with their agencies quickly enough then they will suffer."

He says online should not be ignored but it is only when mainstream media engage that something becomes an issue.

"Even in this world of social media, the bulk of people still take their news and information flow from traditional mainstream media. A piece that appears in a broadsheet or on TV will have far more impact than a Twitter rumour. When traditional media traction takes place and starts to eat into an online narrative that’s when alarm bells really start ringing for me.

"It's a cohesive ecosystem but you don’t need to over-react to social media. You need to be aware of it."

There is a certain irony when we talk about social media – Clarence has made a conscious decision not to be on Twitter or Facebook because of what he calls his "online fan club", keyboard terrorists who denounce his every move.

"The hostility online at the height of my work with the McCanns was intense and it still is – there are forums out there dedicated to being anti anything I do and my reputation is traduced and I am libelled every single day.

"What surprised me was the viciousness and the bile and the downright inhumanity which was being spread by people who are very brave on a keyboard and under a pseudonym."

The 'nicest' thing his detractors have to say about him is that he's a media manipulator.

"I've had certain individuals picket meetings where I've been speaking, handing out leaflets in the street.

"When I was at Freud the offices were picketed by this so-called Madeleine Foundation which frankly is a disgrace and they were handing out a four-page leaflet saying 'Mitchell is a master media manipulator'. I showed that to Matthew Freud and said that's a pay rise if nothing else.

"I feel sorry for some of those individuals who feel so exorcised about what I'm doing. I'm not manipulating anything, I'm doing the best I can for my clients, be they individuals facing a family crisis or corporates who need a hand with something. It's simply making sure their voice is heard and heard as clearly and as effectively as possible in the modern media mix.

"And sure if getting their voices into places where they might not necessarily be heard – if that is manipulating the agenda then fine I'm guilty of manipulating. But I'm not. I'm just performing the basic role of being an advocate."

But he has this final word for his critics: "I've reached a plateau now. I monitor what's being said but I've gotten to a point now where I don't care."

His new role leading the public affairs team at Burson sets him up nicely for his future political ambitions. Fiercely Conservative, Clarence has hopes of becoming a Tory MP, inspired by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who was MP in the local area covered by the Hendon & Finchley Times, the paper he joined as a cub reporter.

"We had lots of interesting stories – it was during the Falklands and it was during the miners' strike and I was sort of plunged in at the deep end. I found her inspiring as an MP.

"I've had lots of people and editors who have inspired me. My original editor in local papers, Dennis Signy, was a great influence in my early stages – he was always very supportive. He was a great old school journalist. My very first job was in a bank but I hated it. Dennis took me on because I was the only one who knew what the Press Council was."

Working in PR means Clarence is free to pursue his political future. He was on the approved Conservative Party list in the run up to the 2010 election but "didn't have time to find a seat". He is now back on the list and the candidate selection list begins next year ahead of applying for a seat.

"Central Office have told me that they see me as a potential south-east/metropolitan candidate. It's up to the individual associations of course to choose – some of them won't have Central Office foist someone on them just because they're on the list, others will welcome London input."

Whatever he goes on to do one thing is clear, Clarence will never be far from the action.
"I'm at my worst when things are quiet and there’s not much focus – I'll think it's downtime and I'll relax."

Clarence was speaking to Celina Maguire, Gorkana Group Head of Consumer Community.

Wow, what a megalomaniac. He’s worse than I feared.

I always knew he joined K+G to further himself, but using a missing child to build an undeserved political career is sick, even for him.

IIRC he cited the Kegworth air disaster as something of a career opportunity too ...

"His new role leading the public affairs team at Burson sets him up nicely for his future political ambitions. Fiercely Conservative, Clarence has hopes of becoming a Tory MP, inspired by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who was MP in the local area covered by the Hendon & Finchley Times, the paper he joined as a cub reporter"

Now we know who the inspiration is for his hairdos!!

"Central Office have told me that they see me as a potential south-east/metropolitan candidate."

Well he won't be able to AVOID questions on the stump!
No list of 'only' questions to be asked.
Avoid answering at your peril, Pinky.
Being 'evasive' will costs you votes and prove you untrustworthy!
Q1. 'Just how much money did the McCanns receive in the 'envelopes' you told people to post to Kand G 'it'll get there' and how much tax was paid on that unspecified amount?
Q2. How much have you personally benefited from money taken out of the 'fund' in the last five years, to pay your salary, the 'fund' that was supposedly set up to specifically pay for only the search for Madeleine?
Q3. Why do the supposedly intelligent doctors NEED a spokesman five years after they left their three kids alone in an apartment abroad?
Seemed they were able to speak for themselves in their last promotional appearances last week.
Etc,etc.

"Central Office have told me that they see me as a potential south-east/metropolitan candidate."


This indiscretion alone is sufficient for him to be quietly removed from the Approved Candidates List.

Self-aggrandisement is not looked upon favourably.

What a vomitus maximus load of rubbish from a man who has carved a career out of spin, lies, and deception!

Me?

or Clarence?

There's no stopping Clarence Mitchell.
But no mention of his 'sleeping on the job' incident at the BBC.
That was a case of 'There's no STARTING Clarence Mitchell'.

These days a lie is halfway around the world before the truth has even switched its laptop on ...
Oh the irony ...

What surprised me was the viciousness and the bile and the downright inhumanity which was being spread by people who are very brave on a keyboard and under a pseudonym.
Well Clarence, what surprised US was the viciousness and the bile and the downright inhumanity of the people who support the McCanns, from the early days of the Mirror forum right up to the present day.
Any dissent from the McCann party line is met with insults, false accusations of unspeakable crimes, taunting of those known to have disabilities and internet stalking (examples: 'we know where you live', pictures of McCann dissenters' children being posted on pro blogs).
Those dissenters who do use real names will be gagged, taken to court with the intention of putting them in jail, grabbing all their savings or rendering them homeless.
And death threats. YES Clarence, several people have had death threats.
Is it any wonder that for most, a pseudonym is the favoured option?

But he has this final word for his critics: "I've reached a plateau now. I monitor what's being said but I've gotten to a point now where I don't care."
If you don't care, why are you going on and on about it?

He is now back on the list and the candidate selection list begins next year ahead of applying for a seat
Hmmm - there's nothing like forward planning Clarence, as Gerry would probably tell you, but ANYTHING could happen between now and next year. ANYTHING. Still, better look on the bright side, despite the circumstances.
Good luck with that ...

Whatever party he represents he'll fit in nicely with most of the other greedy, grasping, cheating, expense fiddling shysters that govern us imo.

jay2001 wrote:Whatever party he represents he'll fit in nicely with most of the other greedy, grasping, cheating, expense fiddling shysters that govern us imo.

Your comment beat me to it. I have to say though your description fits more than just U.K. politicians.

jay2001 wrote:Whatever party he represents he'll fit in nicely with most of the other greedy, grasping, cheating, expense fiddling shysters that govern us imo.

Yeah, I agree totally.

Politics in this country is akin to a large tree.

Those at the top of the tree (politicians) look down and see upturned faces.

Those at the bottom of the tree (us) look up and see a load of A***holes.

How does he think he has not manipulated anything when on the James Whale Interview for
Talksport, James twice referred to the fund as a charity and at no time did Clarence correct him. As
spokesman for the Mccanns he should have set James and the listening public straight, not to do
so he gave the clear indication that the fund was a charity. That is deceitful and dishonest and clearly
manipulative.

Clarence also said people could put money into an envelope and send to Kate and Gerry! How on earth is that money going to be accountable!

Whatever party Mitchell attaches his political ideals and desires to would be courting disaster, he's been shown as and admitted to, being a professional ambulance chaser, a manipulator of truth and information for public release and also to being a biased distorter of facts in the case of a missing 3 year old child.
Who would vote for a party that was prepared to lower its standards and utilise the skills possessed by the likes of Mitchell?

What does he have to say about the Mccann supporters regularly attacking, abusing, threatening, and lying about those who dont believe the story!

I agree with what you say, malena stool.

But then again, Wirral West favoured Esther McVey for their MP so they must have been very happy with the way she presided over the 'fund' in the early days, (including the infamous McCann mortgage episode), until she left to spend more time with her degree course.
Of course the voters were somewhat prevented from making an informed choice when McVey scrubbed away all vestiges of 'life with the McCanns' from her blog before she started pitching herself to the locals.

Politics in this country is akin to a large tree.

Those at the top of the tree (politicians) look down and see upturned faces.

Those at the bottom of the tree (us) look up and see a load of A***holes."

Nice one Alfiefinn

Whatever we think of Clarence as a Man and i agree with all of you , he has kept the McCanns in the limelight, got the Press to print anything he wants
and has the temerity to answer a Reporter querying the £300,000 paid to Halligen "the matter is closed".!!!!!

almostgothic wrote:I agree with what you say, malena stool.

But then again, Wirral West favoured Esther McVey for their MP so they must have been very happy with the way she presided over the 'fund' in the early days, (including the infamous McCann mortgage episode), until she left to spend more time with her degree course.
Of course the voters were somewhat prevented from making an informed choice when McVey scrubbed away all vestiges of 'life with the McCanns' from her blog before she started pitching herself to the locals.

Agreed almostgothic, but I don't think McVey ever really had the limelight and press control that Mitchell was given nor did she abuse it so thoroughly.

malena stool wrote:

almostgothic wrote:I agree with what you say, malena stool.

But then again, Wirral West favoured Esther McVey for their MP so they must have been very happy with the way she presided over the 'fund' in the early days, (including the infamous McCann mortgage episode), until she left to spend more time with her degree course.
Of course the voters were somewhat prevented from making an informed choice when McVey scrubbed away all vestiges of 'life with the McCanns' from her blog before she started pitching herself to the locals.

Agreed almostgothic, but I don't think McVey ever really had the limelight and press control that Mitchell was given nor did she abuse it so thoroughly.

I know I'm quoting from an online media report, which may or may not be true, however I read that Esther McVey resigned from the board, because she had a bust up with Gerry McCann, over a substantial amount of money she claimed from the fund, for her expenses.

Was it Esther McVey, who accompanied Kate McCann to the police station and was it Esther McVey who admitted that she and Kate were sending texts from inside the police station? Once again I am quoting from an online media report.

kathybelle wrote:

malena stool wrote:

almostgothic wrote:I agree with what you say, malena stool.

But then again, Wirral West favoured Esther McVey for their MP so they must have been very happy with the way she presided over the 'fund' in the early days, (including the infamous McCann mortgage episode), until she left to spend more time with her degree course.
Of course the voters were somewhat prevented from making an informed choice when McVey scrubbed away all vestiges of 'life with the McCanns' from her blog before she started pitching herself to the locals.

Agreed almostgothic, but I don't think McVey ever really had the limelight and press control that Mitchell was given nor did she abuse it so thoroughly.

I know I'm quoting from an online media report, which may or may not be true, however I read that Esther McVey resigned from the board, because she had a bust up with Gerry McCann, over a substantial amount of money she claimed from the fund, for her expenses.

Was it Esther McVey, who accompanied Kate McCann to the police station and was it Esther McVey who admitted that she and Kate were sending texts from inside the police station? Once again I am quoting from an online media report.

That was Justine McGuinness

mumbles wrote:

kathybelle wrote:

malena stool wrote:

almostgothic wrote:I agree with what you say, malena stool.

But then again, Wirral West favoured Esther McVey for their MP so they must have been very happy with the way she presided over the 'fund' in the early days, (including the infamous McCann mortgage episode), until she left to spend more time with her degree course.
Of course the voters were somewhat prevented from making an informed choice when McVey scrubbed away all vestiges of 'life with the McCanns' from her blog before she started pitching herself to the locals.

Agreed almostgothic, but I don't think McVey ever really had the limelight and press control that Mitchell was given nor did she abuse it so thoroughly.

I know I'm quoting from an online media report, which may or may not be true, however I read that Esther McVey resigned from the board, because she had a bust up with Gerry McCann, over a substantial amount of money she claimed from the fund, for her expenses.

Was it Esther McVey, who accompanied Kate McCann to the police station and was it Esther McVey who admitted that she and Kate were sending texts from inside the police station? Once again I am quoting from an online media report.

That was Justine McGuinness

Thank you and apologies to Esther McVey for getting her mixed up with Justine McGuinness. No wonder I couldn't find any information on Google.

Alfiefinn wrote:

jay2001 wrote:Whatever party he represents he'll fit in nicely with most of the other greedy, grasping, cheating, expense fiddling shysters that govern us imo.

Yeah, I agree totally.

Politics in this country is akin to a large tree.

Those at the top of the tree (politicians) look down and see upturned faces.

Those at the bottom of the tree (us) look up and see a load of A***holes.

A bit like this?