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Note: The award announcement below seems to have been removed from Solomon McCown's web site. In December 2004, The Coalition of Catholics & Survivors asked The Association for Women in Communications (AWC) if staff members there would review the facts of Helene Solomon's campaign on behalf of Msgr. Foster, and let us know if they agreed that Solomon's tactics should be described as "top-notch." We've yet to hear back from AWC, but it seems that the self-congratulatory pages on the Foster campaign that used to be featured on Solomon McCown's web site have been deleted in the aftermath of our complaint.
AMONG THE BEST IN
THE COMMUNICATIONS FIELD? September, 2003 The Association for Women in Communications recently honored Helene Solomon and Ashley McCown with a Clarion Award in the category of crisis communications for their work on behalf of Monsignor Michael Foster. The Clarion Awards is a renowned competition that recognizes the best works from all communications fields. Only one award is given in each category. The Association’s judges evaluated the Msgr. Foster campaign for substance, style, originality and achievement of objective. The judges deemed the four-month collaboration between Helene, Ashley, Msgr. Foster and his legal team as top notch. When Msgr. Foster, the judicial vicar and head of the Metropolitan Tribunal for the Boston Archdiocese was falsely accused of sexual abuse and voluntarily left his post, the Msgr.’s sterling reputation was tarnished. Helene and Ashley’s strategy of countering the accusations by generating a flood of supportive, positive media not only cleared Msgr. Foster’s name but directly contributed to the dismissal of the civil action and to Msgr. Foster’s reinstatement, which came in just 76 days. Msgr. Foster became the first priest in the Boston Archdiocese to be returned to active ministry. As a result of the communications strategy, 81 local television stories and a national segment on CNN Headline News chronicled the reinstatement. In addition, 13 radio broadcasts ran. In print, 51 stories about Msgr. Foster were favorable. Two editorials urging the reinstatement of Msgr. Foster ran in both The Boston Globe and Boston Herald. Articles announcing Msgr. Foster's return to the church ran nationally in the top daily newspapers including USA TODAY, New York Times, and The Washington Post, as well as a two-page feature in The Boston Globe. Foster's triumphant return was also covered in national trade publications including National Catholic Register and Lawyers Weekly USA.
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