10 things journalists will hate about you

By Eric Minton
Granted, many of you really don’t like the media. You don’t trust them; you suspect they really only want to make you look bad; you can’t be sure they’ll get the facts right. And you really hate them when they give you bad press. And with that attitude, you’re guaranteed to get bad press.

This article is only for those public relations representatives, park managers and even suppliers who want to create a hostile atmosphere with the media. If you don’t follow these suggestions I can’t guarantee you’ll get good press—but by sticking to these rules, I can assure you the media will slam you every chance it gets, even the purported objective reporters.

1. Don’t return phone calls.
Some public relations experts suggest that you never answer your phone, that you always let voice mail take calls so that you don’t get blindsided. Even if you take that tact, get your story lined up and return the call as quickly as you can. Do it not only by close of business the day you get the call, but by 4 p.m. that day.

2. Tell them how busy you are.
It’s a valid excuse, even, and you really want to impress on reporters that you weren’t purposely trying to avoid them. Just remember you are talking to a person who, whether a newspaper, television or magazine writer, is juggling up to a half dozen stories that day, two or three of which must be written/broadcast by dinner time. That reporter also has an editor/producer breathing down his or her neck, one or two staff meetings to attend (your park isn’t the only one with staff meetings), and two or three administrative or additional duties to handle. And the spouse may be putting the reporter under pressure, too. Journalists may empathize with your busy schedule, but it doesn’t impress them much.

3. Show favoritism.
Journalism is, next to hockey but ahead of baseball, the most competitive game there is. When they get beat by the competition, they become determined to get the scoop next time. When they get beat by the source, they become distrustful. Distrust gets dirty. Release announcements to everybody at the same time, enforce embargoes, and don’t trump one reporter’s bona fide scoop by tipping off another reporter. Let them make the effort to get your story.

4. Drag your feet with information.
Similar to 1 and 2, but referring specifically to breaking news stories. You have to be careful here; television journalists, in particular, want instant answers sometimes ahead of accurate answers. You must give accurate answers, and earnest attempts to get accurate information and then providing it on deadline or quicker builds respect and trust. And remember, if you don’t provide the right answer first, many journalists will find somebody else to provide a wrong answer instead.

5. Provide an uninformed spokesperson.
Few things aggravate journalists more than an official spokesperson who obviously knows diddly about the subject matter. This is true not only in covering breaking news events but, even more so, in writing general features and profiles. Those stories need fleshing out and the authenticity that comes from quotes of people in the know. Some companies rely strictly on public relations representatives to do all interviews, which is fine if those reps have the inside knowledge the reporter needs. And when they don’t, reporters know, and somehow their writing reflects that.

6. Give misinformation (exaggeration, out-of-date facts, lies).
Sometimes it’s unintentional. Sometimes enthusiasm takes over and the spokesperson describes a scene that he or she didn’t actually witness—and that didn’t actually measure up to the description. Sometimes assumption intervenes—the irony being that journalists’ assumptions are among the biggest bane to the amusement industry. Sometimes you just feel you have to lie. But the exposed lie always reverberate harder, wider and longer than the worst truth—which ultimately gets played anyway—and the trust is destroyed. Distrust gets dirty.

7. Allow misinformation to manifest.
Sometimes misinformation is unintentional, or, at the least, better information comes along after the interview. When you get the corrected fact, call or e-mail that information immediately. That builds trust and respect.

8. Blame the messenger.
Reporters discovered what you are building before you were ready to announce it. They got a story about a procedure you didn’t really want the public to know. They aired and printed comments from customers that were less than flattering. That’s right, the journalists are responsible for these faux pas; they did their job. Perhaps the fault was in your company not keeping tight lips about an announcement, in allowing an embarrassing procedure to be part of your operation, in giving customers cause to slam you. If you choose to hold a grudge against the journalist, you can count on more such embarrassing moments in the future.

9. Be accusatory.
In the Old West, “you’re cheating” led to gunfire. In the Western Media, “you misquoted me” carries the same impact without the violence. True, journalists sometimes make mistakes in their reporting. More often, journalists will isolate a quote that was spoken in a longer stream of conscience (that’s sometimes the same as taking a quote out of context, but not always). Most often, the person being quoted simply doesn’t like the way he or she sounded after the quote runs, whether they remember saying it or not. Turning defensive, their recollection becomes necessarily murky. When inaccurate information is reported, confront the reporter with the real facts (something more than, “I don’t say those kind of things”), but when doing so appeal to the journalists’ professionalism. If you accuse them of shoddy journalism, it just might get shoddier for you.

10. Insist on reviewing the finished story before publication.
The reason is always the same: “for accuracy sake.” And the reaction is always the same: “you don’t trust me to be accurate?” Journalists are a skeptical lot by nature—that kind of personality is a prerequisite for becoming a print journalist, which pays too poorly to be glamorous—and a request to review material can only be seen as an attempt at censorship, which it really is (in my experience, direct quotes are often changed, facts seldom are). Aside from being insulting, the request is usually impractical. Most stories are written right against deadline, and even the “finished story” has two or three more levels of editing to undergo and possibly a rewrite or two. Good writers unsure of their facts will follow up with the source. Don’t undermine their respect for you by showing disrespect to them.

Eric Minton, editor-in-chief of THE LOOP, is a 30-year veteran journalist, having worked stints as a beat reporter, sports writer, music critic, copy desk editor and city desk editor for weekly and daily newspapers. As a free-lancer, Minton has written more than 1,000 articles for almost 100 different publications, including national consumer magazines and trade publications. For more information, visit www.ericminton.com.