Smoking Ban to Impact on Pets? Honestly!

Can you believe how the media lapped up a survey by the insurance company More Than on the impact the smoking ban will have on pets?

Sunday's broadcast media and Monday's print media were full of the 'startling' news that the smoking ban will lead to pets inhaling second hand smoke as smokers shun the pubs after the ban comes into place on July 1st and smoke at home instead.

Obviously these are all people where their local has yet to invest in a firepit from The Firepit Company (see Saturday's post below) but why is it buried in ever report that there are fears that children too could be exposed!

Surely the story is that children are at risk from the ban if irresponsible parents smoke around them instead of heading down the pub is the story? Or parents abandoning their children to go down the pub?

Sadly if you examine the similarity of the written reports it loudly smacks of lazy journalism reproducing press releases and not bothering to analyse if the right story is being written. Sometimes it is - Morgan PR delivers press releases that are already in the right format with the most important angle clearly represented.

From the Dark Side of PR a cynic might say those who might lobby against the ban would benefit from a story like this - or maybe the way is being paved for pet insurance to cover smoking related illnesses... or more likely exclude cover if a pet owner admits to smoking around the animal!