Lying to journalists is not a genius PR stunt

‘Media manipulator’ Ryan Holiday’s ability to lie to the media and land high-profile press accomplished little and may harm the industry.

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Ryan Holiday lied about trivial things—vinyl records and cheeseburgers—to get coverage in The New York Times, MSNBC and several others. He used Help A Reporter Out to perpetuate his manipulation. When Forbes wrote a story about his lies, Holiday said it was an “experiment” to prove a point.

His tryout was leaked to Forbes and perfectly timed to coincide with the launch of his book, “Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator.” Genius PR stunt, right?

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