Legal Marketing Consultants

Alyn Weiss and Associates

Realities of Dealing with the Press

Before embarking on a media relations program, you should understand the opportunities and risks of dealing with the press and be able to assess your risk tolerance.

1. Remember, you are under no obligation to speak with a reporter. At the same time, the reporter is under no obligation to use what you say. You may spend an hour speaking to a reporter and find a one-sentence comment from you in the story or that the story was not run for one reason or another. On the other hand, you may be the focus of an extended story.

2. The reporter is under obligation to tell you what he or she plans to write, and to identify the media outlet for which the story is being created. In fact, the reporter may not know the story line until all interviews are over. Then an editor may change the focus after the story is filed.

3. All quotes, by definition, are out of context. The brief, broad-stroke nature of news stories means quotes probably will not have details and nuances that you, as someone with expertise in the field, might feel are important. A reporter's job is to condense; your natural tendency is to elaborate. This conflict cannot be resolved.

4. The reporter is not in control of the editing process. Many "misquotes" are caused by copyediting that changes the context of the quote within the story.

5. The reporter does not write the headline, chose the photo, write the photo caption or decide where in the paper or during a newscast the story will appear. Particularly at major newspapers, the copy-editing functions may be done by an editor writing headlines and photo captions for several news stories an hour under tight deadlines, and long after a reporter has gone home.

6. Assume that anything you say to the reporter, under any ground rule, will be repeated to your competition, if only for comment.

7. Each article affects the tone of future coverage because it may appear in a database that reporters reference for future stories.

8. Corrections do not receive space or visibility comparable to the original error.

Click any of the following for additional information:

What To Do When a Reporter Calls

Handling a Media Interview

Special Tips for Television Interview

Ground Rules for Dealing With the Press

Assume You're On Record When Talking to the Press

7 Words or Phrases That Should Never Appear In a News Release

9 Rules of Crisis Communication

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Please call us at 303.298.1676 or email us to schedule a private consultation with Bob.