A lighthearted post today.
If you’ve spent any time at all in communications you have, at one time or another, tried to control your organization’s story being reported by the media. This is tricky and few are completely successful but there are a few standard rules that always apply:
- You are there to delivery YOUR message
- The media is there to find a story
- The media is neither your friend nor your enemy, they are a tool
- Being combative with the media is always a losing proposition
- Interviews are not Q&A sessions. Prepare your key messages in advance
- Make sure you know your data
- Rehearse and tweak your talking points with others prior to the actual interview
Apparently Frederick County, MD city councilman Kirby Delauter was absent the day “How To Play Nice With Reporters” was covered in politician’s media training school. In his attempt to control his story he forbade the local paper from using his name altogether going so far as to say “Use my name again unauthorized and you’ll be paying for an attorney.” I guess he thought they would fall in line and comply. Fortunately for us they did not and I had a good laugh listening to this story on the way to work this morning. Check it out on PR Daily here.
This guy was absent the day How To Play Nice With Reporters was covered in media training school
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