Only this morning, SKDKnickerbocker MD and Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen was sticking to her guns, telling everyone that the uproar over her comments about Ann Romney having “never worked a day in her life” deflected attention from important women’s issues.

But this afternoon, after a day of constant backlash that came from both Democrats and Republicans (including a tweet on First Lady Michelle Obama’s Twitter feed), she issued an apology.

“Let’s put the faux ‘war against stay at home moms’ to rest once and for all. As a mom I know that raising children is the hardest job there is. As a pundit, I know my words on CNN last night were poorly chosen,” the statement reads. “As a partner in a firm full of women who work outside of the home as well as stay at home mothers, all with plenty of children, gender equality is not a talking point for me…I apologize to Ann Romney and anyone else who was offended.”

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Launch a complete social media marketing campaign and measure results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. The innovative online event will include keynote speeches from industry experts and hands-on, small-group workshops to implement your social media strategy. Register now.

Kristopher Brooks published a press release on his Tumblr and blog announcing that he’d been hired as a reporter for the News Journal in Wilmington, D.E. In it, he gave a bio, some info about the staff at the paper, and said he’s starting on April 16.

Brooks’ press release quickly became “old news” because he was fired yesterday afternoon “for improper use of the newspaper’s logo on his personal sites,” JimRomenesko.com reports.

Brooks told Romenesko that, as a fan of the NBA, he noticed that teams frequently send releases about new players and thought it must be because the teams are proud of who’s on the team. (PR firms presumably do the same thing for the same reason.) Since news organizations normally don’t do that unless it’s a big get, Brooks decided to make the announcement on his own.

It’s absurd to fire a qualified reporter over something like this. They could’ve just asked the guy to take the offending logo off the release if it’s that big of a deal. But then again, I guess that’s why “newspaper reporter” landed on the list of worst jobs.

Are you ready to watch your career bloom? 1-800-Flowers.com and FineStationery.com are looking to hire a new director of marketing. The position can be based in our around New York or Philadelphia.

In this role, you’ll be expected to lead customer acquisition and brand development efforts for FineStationery.com. You’ll be responsible for media buys, marketing strategy, budgeting and more, while managing a staff of three to five individuals. Your people skills will come in handy with this position, too, as you’ll be working with sister brands around the country. Read more

Cellebrite, which provides a variety of mobile services, has chosen Affect for brand awareness work. The firm will target various vertical markets and business media.

Abine, a company that provides online privacy tools, has chosen RF|Binder as global AOR. The firm will promote messaging tied to giving people control over their online data and how Abine’s products can help do that.

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RLM Finsbury tops the list of M&A firms by value for the first quarter of 2012. The latest PR league tables, provided by mergermarket, show the firm handled 25 deals worth $89.9 billion during Q1. Tied for second place are Aura Financial and Stockwell Communications, which each had only one whopper of a deal valued at $53.5 billion. Both of these firms and RLM Finsbury worked on the Glencore International/Xstrata deal.

Topping the list of firms based on volume is Brunswick Group with 41 deals valued at about $38.8 billion. In at number two is FTI Consulting with 33 deals valued at about $5.2 billion.

Speaking of FTI Consulting, that firm released research showing that having a succession plan in place reduces the risk to stock price that a CEO departure can have.

“The study found that investors care a great deal about the reputation of a CEO when they’re deciding whether to buy or sell shares. On average, nearly a third of investment decisions are based on the perception of the CEO,” Forbes writes.

Still smarting from the huge losses tied to the film John Carter, Disney is now banking on The Avengers, the Marvel comic hero extravaganza that opens May 3, but had its Los Angeles premiere last night. And unlike John Carter, which can attribute its losses, in part, to the marketing effort, Disney is backing this film up with promotional power.

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Mitt Romney is taking his campaign to the general election, and he’s bringing his wife with him.

Ann Romney was the target of a rhetorical punch thrown by Hilary Rosen on CNN last night. Rosen, an MD at D.C. strategic comms firm SKDKnickerbocker and a “Democratic operative,” said that Mitt Romney shouldn’t use his wife as a “guide” to the economic issues women face because Ann Romney “has never worked a day in her life.” Many are saying that the comment is off-base because Ann Romney is a cancer survivor, suffers from MS, and raised five sons. Moreover, critics say it’s offensive to stay-at-home moms who work hard to raise their children.

Both Rosen and Ann Romney were on TV this morning to discuss the issue further, Rosen has written a column in response, and both women are trending on Twitter. Democrats, trying hard to maintain the edge with women voters, are also coming out against the comment. For example, Obama advisor David Axelrod tweeted about his disappointment over the comment. Ann Romney even joined Twitter so she could respond.

Mitt Romney has caught a break. But it’s likely a temporary one.

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As our lives have become more infused with technology, so have our homes. Consumer electronics company LG, has partnered with Janna Robinson, a lifestyle technology guru and host of the DIY Network program Hi-Tech Hollywood, and ESPN’s Stuart Scott to promote the fine art of “techorating,” the term trademarked by LG Electronics USA defined as the “blending of modern technology with the art of decorating to create a functional, yet stylish environment.”

The three have launched a competition, the “Sport of Techorating,” that puts two dad bloggers against each other to create the “best technorated living room” using LG products (of course). The rooms have been presented on Facebook for a public vote, giving fans the chance to win LG products.

According to Robinson, the idea of techorating is something she’s been into for years.

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London Evening Standard:  Yard PR chief broke rules to hire former NoW executive

Gawker:  Hi Roger. It’s Me, Joe: The Fox Mole

WSJ Deal Journal:  PR League Table: Finsbury Top By Value, Brunswick By Count

FishbowlNY:  Patch Editor Brian Farnham Resigns

New York Times Magazine:  Ornery in the Morning: Mika Brzezinski Refuses to Perk It Up

It was only yesterday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added her two cents to the “Texts With Hillary” meme that took off over the past week. But all good things must come to an end. The Tumblr’s creators, Adam Smith and Stacy Lambe, have announced that they’re getting out while the getting’s good.

“Is it really possible to top a submission from the Secretary herself? No. But then when you get to text with her in real life – it’s just over. At least for us,” the final TTYL post reads.

But even if the blog is gone, the boost for Madam Secretary will stick around.

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