Don't discount the PR factor

Boards have to be very cognizant of the 'gotcha' orientation of the press and the many financial websites out there. Take, for example, the very respected footnoted.org site. It's a great site, but exists primarily to point out obscure items in public filings that could easily lead to embarrassment. Case in point: it recently noted some aspects of JetBlue's deals with an executive for a $12,000 housing stipend which, even in New York City seems large. It also made some commentary about how the trend seems to be going away from options and more toward fat salaries for top executives. Now, there likely is another side to all this. Audit and compensation committee members need to think through the many interpretations of the words used to report various facts.  

For more:
- here's the JetBlue item