CHAPTER 7

Reporters and Editors

On the first day of my first corporate internship, which was with an ­industry-leading manufacturer, the media relations director handed me a news release and a list of trade media. My task was to call each of the editors and reporters on the list—more than 300 of them, from New York City to Los Angeles—and pitch them on a new product being launched across the United States. Before that day, I had not ever talked one-on-one with a news reporter.

Has your introduction to media relations been similar? I certainly hope not. However, few executives receive the background, briefing, and coaching they need to be truly successful as spokespeople. There can be an assumption that, given your title, you can talk to anyone effectively about any topic. That may be true in most situations, but working with editors and reporters brings with it unique challenges. Their agenda is usually not the same as yours, and a power struggle can ensue. Since they own the distribution channel, you are typically without much leverage. You have to really know what you are doing, and how to get the kind of coverage that’s both accurate and fair.

My initial experience with pitching a news story—or “smiling and dialing” as we called it back in the day—did not go particularly well. I had a news release in front of me for reference. I had the right contacts at my fingertips. And, I had the faith and confidence of my supervisor. What I did not have was industry expertise or spokesperson training. The product launch was actually more of a product relaunch, with just a few minor technical tweaks. The media relations director knew this when giving me the assignment. If I could gain any media coverage, that would be a win. If I could not gain any coverage, no harm would be done—except to my ego. That assignment, as you can imagine, had one clear outcome: a bruised ego for a university student who thought he could conquer the world. You sometimes don’t succeed in business, I learned, even when you’re trying.

Trying isn’t enough when it comes to working with the news media. Talking to a reporter can be stressful and tenuous, even when you are well prepared. Regardless, a big part of responsible communication is owning the role of company spokesperson, and addressing the public’s need for information. It helps to know the basics of media relations, and to keep in mind the values you wish to espouse through media relations efforts.

See Reporters as Partners, not Enemies

First, leaders should acknowledge that the news media do not necessarily carry the weight that they once did. Yes, people still read, watch, and listen to the news, though increasingly in digestible bites while on a mobile device. The news cycle is 24/7, and people do not need to wait for the morning newspaper or the evening television newscast to catch up on the day’s news. As well, people have more media outlets at their disposal, allowing them to consume the kind of news that appeals to their sensibility—local, national, international, liberal, moderate, conservative, and so on. All of this means news coverage is more fractured and less linear than it was prior to the Internet, and the rise of digital and social media.

Still, the news media are powerful. They exist to serve as an objective conscience, on behalf of public good. More pragmatically, news media provide third-party validation that certain issues, topics, announcements, developments, and the like are, indeed, newsworthy and of importance to the public. You can use your corporate website and social media platforms to disseminate your message, but there will never be the same type of credibility that comes with garnering the attention of, and coverage from, news media.

With that concept in mind, you should view the news media as a partner, or at least a neutral contact, rather than an enemy. You presumably are committed to moral, social, and cultural values, and journalism stands for many, if not, all of the same values and principles. Both parties want to shed light on the truth, and to bring into clearer focus the issues that are of real impact and importance to the public.

As a spokesperson, how can you communicate responsibility and build relationships with reporters, rather than brew animosity? You should strive to remain calm, clear, concise, and consistent.

Above all, stay calm. Don’t let a reporter’s aggressive questioning or dismissive tone set you off emotionally. Remain in control. Maintain your composure, and you maintain as much control as you will ever have with a reporter.

Likewise, remain clear in what you are saying. Don’t let a reporter derail you. What helps is having two or three talking points in mind, before you talk with the reporter. Each of these points should be supported by a few facts or statistics, to help add punch and weight to what you are saying. As a reporter asks you questions, keep bringing your answers back to one of the talking points. This technique is called bridging. For example, let’s say a reporter asks you during an unrelated interview whether your company would ever consider closing its local factory. You are not prepared to discuss that topic publicly, nor is that the focus of the interview. The reporter might just be digging for dirt, or trying to substantiate a rumor. In your response you might say, “Our local factory serves us well, but what we want people to know right now is . . .” and bridge to whatever that topic may be, that is, a new customer service initiative, the expansion of product distribution to a new market, etc. You are acknowledging that you have listened to the reporter’s question, but you are maintaining some degree of control over the information you share.

Third, you must remain concise. The average sound bite or quotation is generally not more than 10 seconds long, or a sentence or two of text at most. That’s not much. There’s an absolute art to speaking concisely and clearly. This can take practice, which is something you should do with a member of your corporate communications team, or an outside agency experienced in media training (Hayes 2011).

Finally, a spokesperson should remain consistent. Your answers in today’s interview should be consistent with what you share and discuss internally, and with what you share and discuss externally, with vendors, community representatives, customers, and the like. And, it should go without saying that your communication with reporters should be consistent, as well. The talking points should stay consistent, your delivery should remain consistent, and your accessibility should stay consistent, as well. Reporters like working with sources who are consistent in word, thought, and behavior. This is no different than employees who seek these same qualities in their leader. These traits are all signs of values-based leadership and responsible communication.

Research affirms that spokespersons should strive to work with reporters as partners rather than adversaries (Ulmer et al., 2007; Veil and Ojeda 2010). This is certainly true not only for crisis situations, but also for general public relations efforts. Build relationships with reporters, by reaffirming values and remaining accessible. The working dynamic will improve over time, as should media coverage.

Help Drive the News Agenda

The old adage asserts that any publicity is good publicity. Nothing could be further from the truth.

You also can’t claim success by the total amount of news coverage earned. In the end, not all news media coverage is equal. At a high level, you can look at the amount of news coverage obtained, and compare that with coverage earned by your competitors. That’s still too basic, though. To really understand the impact of media coverage, you have to examine tone of the mentions of your organization—positive, neutral, or negative—and whether the direct quotations and/or examples used are from your company. You also need to consider what part of the total story focused on your organization, and again compare that with any competitors mentioned.

You likely have a corporate communications team or public relations agency who can do media tracking and reporting. That shouldn’t be your primary concern when it comes to analyzing, understanding, and helping drive media coverage. What matters most is getting positive coverage in the media outlets. This would be the ones that reach the right audience, and who have the greatest credibility with that audience. Given your ­industry, trade media might be more important than consumer media, for example. Or, if your business is more consumer-oriented, in-depth coverage in certain markets might be more important than general mentions in national media outlets. Again, you likely have a team or agency to do this analysis and strategizing. However, as a responsible communicator, you should take a vested interest in understanding your company’s media relations strategy, and contributing valuable insight as appropriate.

Now, on to how to help drive the news agenda. You absolutely do not have to sit back and wait for reporters to come to you. Even the news release is becoming outdated. The coverage that matters these days is typically garnered by building relationships with key reporters over time, and pitching them story ideas and news leads, as valuable developments begin to unfold. A pitch usually takes the form of a phone call, or a brief message delivered via e-mail or private message within social media platforms like Twitter.

What stories should be pitched? Bring to mind the values your organization espouses, and think of ideas, initiatives, or successes that illustrate these values. Your communications team or counsel will usually drive this process, but they do not have to do the legwork on their own. As a leader, you often have the broadest view of the organization, and, as well, often the deepest knowledge of particular functional areas and cross-functional initiatives. You can serve your organization well by thinking of ways to build relationships with key reporters, so that the stories that affirm your organizational vision receive that important third-party validation through news media coverage.

You may be concerned about reporters and how they tend to punch holes in story ideas. Remember, this scrutinizing is their job and their social responsibility. If you anticipate concerns and think through your responses, you will be fine.

What can become challenging is national coverage of multinational operations, or local coverage of national or regional operations. The moral, social, or cultural values of a certain nation or locality might differ somewhat from the organizational values as understood in the headquarters location. In these instances, the values differences and similarities must be clearly articulated. You and your fellow leaders must have thought through these potential conflicts, and made values-based decisions with the greatest good and the least impact for all concerned. Addressing these values differences head-on can diffuse the concerns and build effective argumentation for media interviews and other purposes (Lehtimaki, Kujala, and Heikkinen 2011).

If you work in a labor-driven industry, you should pay particular ­attention to how the news media cover your industry and its labor practices. Media coverage pertaining to public reporting about labor standards has been found to be limited and generally favorable, across multiple different types of potential issues. Any violations receive the most extensive coverage, of course. Still, reporters provide little insight as to why certain issues exist or how those issues might be resolved (Dickson and Eckman 2008). This is where you might proactively help reporters—and, therefore, the public—understand the circumstances in which your business operates, and the values-based decisions your organization has made, or will be making.

We know that helping drive the news agenda is a viable communication strategy across many industries. In one study, for example, researchers analyzed public relations content, news media coverage, public opinion, and corporate financial performance for more than two-dozen US-based companies considered to have strong reputations. Evidence that agenda-building and agenda-setting strategies are in play, and do, in fact, help influence public opinion (Keousis, Popescu, and Mitrook 2007).

In public relations practice, most businesses focus on investors as the primary stakeholder (Moon and Hyun 2009). Businesses tend to strive, in their public relations content and news media coverage, to establish legitimacy with shareholders, rather than demonstrate some degree of power or urgency, which may come more into play with a public affairs program. People criticize business news and corporate communications for focusing too much on investors, and the evidence exists that these complaints are warranted. As a leader, you can challenge your organization to communicate more responsibly, which would be fulfilling the obligation to all stakeholders, not just investors.

Stay Accessible and Responsive

This chapter has covered considerable ground, especially if you do not currently work with the news media as a company spokesperson. The best advice may simply be to stay accessible to reporters, and responsive to their questions and concerns. Nothing good has ever been gained by ignoring a reporter, or by stating, “No comment.” The public deserves better, and keep in mind that reporters are simply advocates working on behalf of the public.

Treat reporters like partners, not enemies. That means maintaining dialogue, and staying in touch. Build those relationships gradually over time, and when you really need the help of reporters who understand your organization and its values, you will be well-positioned.

Reflection Questions

Responsible Actions