Be Prepared…Be Very Prepared

The News of the World hacking scandal and the subsequent Levenson Inquiry into press ethics has, for most of us, merely reinforced our jaundiced view of Britain’s Fourth Estate. And we’re not alone: the perception worldwide is that journalists, along with politicians, are untrustworthy.

But while we all condemn journalism’s excesses, that doesn’t mean that all journalists are dodgy. Yes, the nature of the work tends to encourage arrogance and self-regard but, on the whole, journalists are trying their best: it’s not in their interest to get things wrong. And we – PRs and organisations: the principal providers of information to print journalists – need to do all we can to help them to produce accurate and, ideally, lively copy.

Two key issues to remember when dealing with journalists is that they are, quite rightly, disinterested and that they’re often fighting a deadline. This usually means that they won’t include all of your promotional messages – would you, as a general reader, want to plough through wodges of “we’re the greatest” marketing-speak? – and a 30 minute briefing could end up as a couple of sentences. In short, unless you’ve cracked time travel or found a cure for the common cold, you’ll just have to accept that you’re operating in buyers’ market. However, you’re more likely to get journalists on side if you follow these ‘rules of engagement’:

Know your customer
There will be times when you’ll be contacting a news desk and talking to an general reporter, but it’s more likely you’ll want to sell in a story to a business journalist who’s covering your sector. It’s always useful to do some preliminary investigation to determine the most appropriate contact. And it’s worth checking out their recent pieces so that you can get a feel for what interests them.

Never hard sell
Journalists always react badly to being told that they should be interested in something. They know – and you know they know – that you’re approaching them because you want some free publicity. That’s fine, but you’re approach has to suitably gentle: rather than demanding their interest, you should be looking to invite it. So avoid bombastic and or/vacuous quotes in your press releases and, when speaking to journalists, let them take the lead. Ask them first what they want to get out of the session: you’ll get an opportunity to introduce issues that you want to raise, but the journalist should never feel pressurised.

Never ask for copy approval
Aside from pre-sold puff pieces in magazines like ‘Hello’, copy approval is anathema to most journalists. Why? Because it’s almost an insult: the interviewee is, in effect, questioning the writer’s ability. Asking for copy approval may be relevant when the story is complex or based on detailed technical information, but that’s it. You can, of course, seek a correction if the published story is factually inaccurate, but you’ll just have to live with inelegant prose or the occasional wrong assumption.

Always respond promptly to journalists’ enquiries
If you’re seeking coverage, you may be asked to supply information which had not been volunteered during your initial approach. Clearly you may not always want, or be able, to supply this information, but you must ensure that you don’t leave the journalist dangling, particularly if he or she is on deadline.

Avoid ‘off the record’ briefings
Use of unattributed or ‘off the record’ (OTR) commentary is fundamental to particular areas of journalism such as political, entertainment or sports reporting: how else would journalists pick up the gossip? OTR also has its place in business reporting, but you should try to avoid it. Journalists always respect the OTR convention but, in the course of a long discussion, it’s sometimes difficult for the briefer to remember whether he or she is, or is not, OTR. It’s far better to assume that everything you say is attributable.