New Old Rules for the Interview Road

Posted on by

Is it ok to request or require that a pre-publication review of a story before conducting a media interview?

It used to be that only amateurs asked: the answer from any credible news outlet would be ‘no.’ Newspapers, magazines and broadcast news journalists did not, as a matter of policy, allow sources to review quotes or stories for approval. (Though it has been standard for reporters to read back direct quotes or clarify technical or contradictory information.)

Then journalists started to trade away their power for access to well-placed sources, as reported today in the New York Times. The rules got fuzzy. Understandably, sources took as much leeway as reporters would allow. It was no longer the mark of an unsophisticated source to ask for quote approval.

Now, the old rules are back in place: don’t ask, because they won’t tell. To quote the Times’ memo:  “So starting now, we want to draw a clear line on this. Citing Times policy, reporters should say no if a source demands, as a condition of an interview, that quotes be submitted afterward to the source or a press aide to review, approve or edit.”

The Times’ stance gives other publications permission and backbone to firm up their own no-review policies. Always clarify the “rules of the road” before you start an interview…even if you have been interviewed in the past by that journalist.

Women Nearly Absent in Election Coverage

Posted on by

If you’re thinking that election coverage is testosterone-driven, you’d be right.

Men are quoted much more than men, across all types of news outlets, topics, and issues, according to election coverage tracker 4th Estate. Even on abortion  — a topic that you’d think women would have the final word and the moral high ground — 81% of the quoted sources are men.

Men dominate the source lists for other women’s issues, too:

  • Birth control -75%
  • Planned Parenthood – 67%
  • Women’s rights –  52%

Of the major newspapers, USA Today exhibits the strongest gender balance, with women comprising 19% of its courses. The Washington Post brings up the rear, with 15%.

What does this mean for your organization? Editors are acutely aware of this gender imbalance. To increase your chances of getting your point of view into print during the election cycle, have a woman be your spokesperson. (Qualified, of course, with media readiness training!)

Get Ready to be Ambushed

Posted on by

First, it was bloggers who’d come up to you at a conference, video camera or smartphone in hand, asking for a few comments and a snip of video about industry trends.

Then local publications launched “backpack journalists,” who were expected to take notes, photos, video and audio, all at the same time, while reporting. From AOL’s Patch to cash-pinched local newspapers, staff reporters were suddenly doing all of it.

Now, big media has gone backpack. In August, the Wall St. Journal launched WorldStream. Now, WSJ reporters use their smartphones to upload micro-interviews, video snapshots of scenes, and spur-of-the-moment commentary, all the time.

What does this mean for you, the potential source?

It means that you must have a messaging formula memorized. Not a message itself — because you’ll customize what you say according to whom you are addressing. Having a formula at the ready means you can quickly frame up your comments. Even if a WorldStream reporter catches you at the baggage claim carousel at the airport, just like Mike Huckabee.

You Hold the Heart of the Story

Posted on by

To a journalist, you’re a ‘source.’

That means that you bring insight, information and the human touch to a story. But to craft your message so that you bring the most value — to the story itself and for your own branding purposes — you need to understand what kind of source you are.

This video by Michele Weldon, an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School, breaks it down. You might bring the facts and figures that form the structure of the story. You might bring the ‘big picture’ point of view that provides context. You might bring a personal point of view or meaning that makes the story relevant to readers.  Be prepared to bring all three.

Has Anyone Heard of You?

Posted on by

Don’t believe your mother: Your work doesn’t speak for itself. Cultivating your reputation depends on one thing: what others think. Here are three ways to juice word-of-mouth:

  • Support others’ reputations on social media. Like them and they’ll like you back. Can you cash ‘likes’ at the bank? No. But people are more likely to do business with folks they know, and when your positive reputation precedes you, that’s one less obstacle to building rapport.
  • Comment on others’ blogs and on articles at well-read publications in your industry and in your profession. Then you can post links to the original work as well as your comment. You’ve affiliated with someone whose point of view you admire. That reflects well on you.
  • Be responsive to journalists, even when you are starting with stories that have local reach. Journalists mine each others’ work for leads. Don’t underestimate the value of building local relationships.

Get started with your media outreach strategy with the tips in this Use the News article that just ran in American Building Today. See that? You’re more interested in reading more because you’re wondering what American Building Today ‘liked’ enough to publish. That’s how it’s done!

The Editor Who Said, ‘No Comment’

Posted on by
Reply

Oh, if only what was good for the goose was served up for the gander.

Sources — people interviewed by reporters and then quoted by them in news stories — are always concerned that their comments are quoted accurately. But you’d certainly think that a newspaper editor would be the last person to serve up a ‘no comment’ when the microphones and cameras turned on him.

Yet, that’s precisely what occurred when the fabulously monikered  Ossie Sheddy was asked by another newspaper’s reporter about a plaigarism investigation. Sheddy is the president of the board of the Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association. A member of its board lost his job amid the discovery of serial plagiarism.

According to The Telegram, Sheddy rolled out his defense thusly:

“I don’t give quotes for fear of being misquoted,” he said. When pressed by The Telegram about why the president of the association wouldn’t say if it plans to investigate — and whether his refusal to be interviewed suggests a lack of confidence in newspaper reporting — Sheddy, the editor and publisher of the Drumheller Mail, said, “I’m not saying anything more because of what I had just told you. I can’t say anything about newspaper reporting or confidence in it. I can only say I have confidence in my newspaper reporting, not about anybody else’s.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the profession. But Sheddy’s shyness does underscore how fear can derail an opportunity to connect with key audiences through media interviews. Sheddy could have used his opportunity to simply reinforce the importance of journalism ethics. He could have emphasized the trustworthiness of the association’s publications, especially given the swift boot given the transgressing editor. At the very least, shy Sheddy could have made a statement about the importance of community newspapers — that, after all, comprise the association he leads — as vital communication channels.

Instead, he undermined confidence in all those things. If an editor can’t count on being quoted accurately, who can?

VC’s Invest in Conversation

Posted on by
Reply

They might be late to the party, but venture capitalists are determined to make the most of their newfound appreciation for working with the media.

Historically, VC’s  have preferred to wield their influence and spend their millions quietly in the background. But according to the New York Times, the success of Andreessen Horowitz has been an eye-opener. Great deals pivot not just on who has the most money to shell out, but also on who has the greatest reach and clout. Reach and clout are amplified by reputation. And reputation doesn’t exist in a vacuum. 

Here is some Media Skills advice for publicity-hungry VC’s:

Explain it to your grandma. Short, sweet, and simple: that’s how to explain your point of view to the public without being condescending.  

Work against type. The public doesn’t think that you’re called a ‘vulture capitalist’ for nothing.  Infuse your messaging with mission and show how your investment priorities make the world a better place for everyone.  You’ll be memorable and believable.

Get everyone on the same page.  The firms you invest in, your staff and your communication advisors: get everyone on board with the same methodology for identifying, framing and delivering messages. That will streamline your messaging and conversations and ensure productive collaboration.

 

Reputation ROI

Posted on by
Reply

What others think of your brand can cost you.

Echo Research just released its annual “Reputation Dividend” report, finding that corporate reputation added $3.19 billion to the market capitalization of the Fortune 500. The ‘reputation dividend’ wasn’t enjoyed by all; Apple’s value is enhanced by 58% by its popularity, while Sears’ shaky image has eroded 39% from its value, according to the Echo analysis.

Echo helpful provides a rundown of the most important factors that drive and support corporate reputation. This amounts to a handy priority list for those who manage conversations. Echo’s top three factors are:

  • Value of the company as a long term investment
  • Quality of the company’s goods and services
  • Global competitiveness

A strong messaging methodology will ensure that everyone engaging in conversations on behalf of the company can reinforce the company’s most important reputation drivers.  It’s not enough to understand the building blocks of a reputation that supports corporate value: it’s up to chief communication officers to translate those to a plan — and to put that plan into action.

 

The Power of Positive

Posted on by
Reply

“If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that.”  — Barack Obama

“I’m not worried about poor people.”  — Mitt Romney

This is not a blog post about negative campaigning. It’s not about the frightening power of digital viral communications, which can rip a quote from its context like a sapling in a tornado.  And it’s not about…gee, why don’t I quit telling you what it’s not about and start telling you what it is about?

The power of positive messaging is about more than being upbeat and hopeful. It’s also a smart strategy for avoiding misquotes.

Say what is.

Not what it isn’t.

It’s that simple.  It’s too easy for a negative statement to be pulled out of context. And for negative statements, context is all. For example, here’s the greater context of Obama’s now-infamous quote:

“Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that.”’

Recast this as: ““Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you built it as part of a community. We are all invested in your business, and your business is invested in your community. “

Totally different. And any single sentence could be pulled out as an accurate representative quote.

Always spot on, Peggy Noonan makes a related point in her Wall St. Journal column: “Mr. Obama was trying to conflate a nice thought  — we must help each other — with a partisan and ideological one, that government has and needs more of a role in creating personal success. He did not do it well because his approach was, as it often is, accusatory and vaguely manipulative. Which makes people lean away from him, not toward him.” 

In other words, backing into a comment is confusing. And offputting. So go positive.

 

 

How to Avoid Mitt-in-Mouth Disease

Posted on by
Reply

You’d think that Mitt Romney would have a virtual Ph.D. in strategic communication and messaging. Just look at all the messages he has had to deliver over the years: wins and losses in business, sports and politics.

But he has a chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease — which makes me wonder if he really has gotten top-quality media training after all.

Here’s Mitt as quoted in a recent Peggy Noonan column in the Wall St. Journal:

“All great political families have myths, stories they tell themselves about how history happened. The great story about Mr. Romney’s father, George, is that one word—”brainwashed”—did in his presidential candidacy in 1968. People have hypothesized that Mitt is careful with words and statements, that he edits his thoughts too severely, because of the power of that myth.

“I don’t think my father’s comment figures into my thinking at all,” he says. It’s his own mistakes “that make me want to kick myself in the seat of my pants,” that “cause me to try and be a little more careful in what I say. . . . I’ve had a couple of those during the campaign, which have haunted me a little bit, but I’m sure before this is over will haunt me a lot.”

Asked for an example, he mentions “I like to be able to fire people.” He meant, he says, those, such as health-insurance companies, that provide inadequate services. “I have to think not only about what I say in a full sentence but what I say in a phrase.” In the current media environment, “you will be taken out of context, you’ll be clipped, and you’ll be battered with things you said.” He says it is interesting that “the media always says, ‘Gosh, we just want you to be spontaneous,’ but at the same time if you say anything in the wrong order, you’re gonna be sorry!”

Mitt’s comment about ‘being spontaneous’ makes me think that he’s trying to memorize messages and simply unload his script at the right moment. That’s not how to navigate a media interview. Reporters know a prepackaged quote when they hear one. What they want are comments that are both substantive and quotable.

Memorization doesn’t work because an interview or conversation inevitably drifts off-point. That, Mitt, is why you need to learn how to stay on-message even when you’re off script.