Corporate Training Magazine

When the Media Calls
Vol 2 Issue 3- May 2006

By Jamie Niessen

Have you ever watched an awkward person being interviewed on the news? You can see she's clearly uncomfortable and trying to hide something. Or, how about the guy who says something so monumentally stupid you are embarrassed for him? This happens all the time because people are not prepared to deal with the media when they call.

People spend years analyzing what makes news, but for most of us, it's an impractical pursuit. What we really need to know is how we maximize the benefit of media exposure and minimize the risk. If a reporter is calling about an employee who is being recognized for an outstanding contribution to the community it is much easier to see it as a good opportunity. What about the phone call concerning a faulty product that caused injury or death? How can that be a benefit?

There is a great deal to think about, but here are a few basic tips to help you stay in control of a media call. Some of this sounds so easy it might seem simple, but the glare of the media spotlight can sometimes cause us to become excited, or scared, and forget the most elemental steps.

First Contact
The biggest thing to remember is the reason the reporter is calling is to get information. It does not matter whether the story is 'good' or 'bad'; if the reporter did not need information, you would not be getting a call.

Like you, a reporter has a job and is trying to get it done. Also like you, reporters work with people who are cooperative and people who are not. Positioning yourself as cooperative will start things off on the right foot. This does not mean you have to do or say all the things the reporter wants. It simply means you are willing to assist them in getting the information they need.

Unless the story is unfolding at your physical location (i.e. your building is burning), it is highly likely your initial interaction with a reporter will be via telephone. Ask the reporter's name and which media outlet they are with. The reporter will likely have identified herself straight away, but do not be embarrassed to ask for this information to be repeated to make sure your notes are accurate.

Take control and ask, "How can I help you?" This puts you in a position of offering to be helpful and also allows you to lead the discussion. Even if the story is not a 'bad news' item, leading the conversation is always to your advantage. For example, a reporter will tell you what she needs: "I'm doing a story on businesses matching employee donations to charity and I understand your company does this." Or, perhaps: "The president of your company has just been arrested for drunk driving. Can you comment?"

Once you have identified at least initially what the reporter wants, you must determine whether or not you are the person to help them. If you have a public relations, communications or marketing department in your organization, they are likely the best ones to handle they call. In this case, take the reporter's number and indicate you will have someone responsible follow up with them. Be clear and say: "I am not the person best informed to speak about this. Why don't I take your number and have a member of our public affairs team give you a call?"

Do not be pressured into giving any response. Do not say "I have no comment." Nothing makes a reporter sniff out a big story more than those four words. Simply state that you are not the best person to speak on the matter and have the person who is best give them a call back.

Assuming you are not the designated spokesperson, your job is done. But what if you don't have a communications department? What if you are on your own? You have already established good contact with the reporter and positioned yourself as helpful. You should have a very basic notion of what the story is about. Now you need more information from the reporter before going any further. Run through the following list of questions for the reporter:

What is the focus of your story? This establishes the angle the reporter is using on the story.
What kind of information or response are you looking for? This establishes the purpose in calling you and/or your organization.
Who else are you interviewing? This helps better inform the focus of the story. It might also reveal to you that the reporter is on the wrong track, and perhaps you could suggest others to speak to that would be better informed.
How long is the story? In print, this will be word count, on television or radio this will be a running time. The longer the story, the more information.
When will the story be published/broadcast? This helps establish the time frame to give and/or coordinate a response.
What is your deadline? When the story is due is always before when it will go to print or on the air.

At this point you have sourced enough information to have a good sense of what you are getting involved with. In your first dealings with the media, give yourself some time to get prepared. Even if you feel comfortable answering the questions, ask the reporter if you can call her back. Tell the reporter you need some time to gather your thoughts, consult resource material or a colleague.

Position this time as helping them. For example: "I can certainly speak to this issue but I'd like some time to gather my thoughts and provide you with a focused response rather than speaking off the cuff. Can I call you back?" Or, you could say: "I need to review my information on that. That will take me X amount of time. Can I arrange to call you back?"

The Interview
If you want the reporter to walk away with one single point, what would that be? Think of this as your Single Overriding Communications Objective (SOCO). If the story is about supporting employee voluntarism, your SOCO might be: "Acme Co. is committed to the communities where our employees live and believes strongly that voluntarism is a critical component to community development."

Think about two or three key messages that support your SOCO: For example:

"Acme believes voluntarism connects people to their communities and helps make better places to live."
"Building better communities takes a voluntary commitment from the people who live and work there."
"Acme encourages voluntarism and supports employees who work to be contributing members of their communities."

Thinking of different ways to say this will help reinforce your message to the reporter. Consider additional information you can provide to the reporter that will help validate your point. Is there research or statistics published that support your SOCO? Do you have the number of hours your employees contributed to their communities last year? Do you have examples of efforts that have built better communities such as employees who put in time to build a new community children's playground or civic centre?

Be aware of the reporter trying to impose and agenda or bias on the story. The reporter may ask: "Isn't this support really self-serving and a way to make your organization look better?" This might mean the reporter is skeptical or, at the very least, digging for an interesting response. (Remember, the reporter may not have bad intentions, but finding an interesting way to tell the story is his job!)

What is the wrong response? "It could be said that our efforts are self-serving and we only do it to make ourselves look better but that's not what we believe we do it." This is wrong for a number of reasons:

You are using the reporter's language
It is negative language.
It is pulling you away from your SOCO.

The better response is: "Acme believes voluntarism makes for better communities and better places for us to live and to work. Our goal is always to support community development for the benefit of all who live and work there."

After It's Over
Be sure and read, watch or listen to your interview. If you were happy with the results, put a call into the reporter and make note of it; say thank you and encourage them to call if they need anything else in the future. Reporters are always looking for information resources and you can position yourself to be one.

If information was inaccurate or if you were misquoted or misrepresented in the story, put a call into the reporter. Do not be afraid to tell them what you think, calmly and rationally. If the error was particularly bad, you can ask for a correction. Be choice about this, however, and make sure you are not just unhappy with how you came across.

In the end, taking the lead to ask questions and gather information will set you up well. Follow that with a thoughtful, focused response and you should be able to maximize the opportunity to have your organization well represented in the media.

Jamie Niessen is a business communicator as the marketing director for Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP.