What Not To Say
A popular television show is What Not to Wear, in which a person who is “challenged” in how to dress and look is totally made over. In our version, our goal is to discuss what not to say, especially to the media.
At the most basic level, don’t say anything that you don’t want passed on, and this includes e-mail. Just telling someone that what you are saying is “confidential” or “off the record” isn’t a guarantee that you won’t see it later. And, while we’re primarily discussing seeing it in the media, this also pertains to everyone, everywhere. You may think that you’re telling your senior staff about upcoming layoffs, only to discover that “somehow” the information was leaked to the entire staff.
But, back to What Not To Say to the media. Here’s several examples of incidents that we’re sure people never intended to be public fodder – or certainly, ones they wish they could change by saying something differently when the situation first occurred:
- When an international exchange student returned home, he weighed just 97 pounds and had to be hospitalized. He said his host family gave him only small amounts of food for months. What gave this story even more coverage was the fact that he sat next to a Senator on his return flight home and she publicly commented. The communications director for the exchange program declined to discuss the matter, referring the media to their lawyers. While a lawsuit certainly is a possibility, she passed up a prime opportunity to potentially diffuse the situation — without admitting any guilt or responsibility — as the boy’s mother said that aside from anything else, they just wanted someone to say “I’m sorry.”
- Actress Nicole Kidman is pregnant and it was reported that she was drinking alcohol after an awards event. Kidman’s PR person came out swinging at the columnist, stating: “I cannot remember the last time that Cindy Adams got anything right. She’s an idiot, and you can quote me.” We’ve all experienced times when reporters are incorrect, but calling her an idiot was not the way to handle the situation. The response made the story last much longer and it was picked up in more places. Plus, as we all learned back in “PR school,” it’s never wise to pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel!
- Always remember that it is a reporter’s job to report the story—good, bad and sometimes sensational. The best advice is not to tell them something unless you want it made public. You can speak to a reporter “off the record,” but it is usually agreed upon in advance. If not, you may become an “unnamed source” or worse, actually quoted, as Samantha Power, former senior advisor for the Obama campaign, found out during an interview with The Scotsman. She called Senator Clinton a “monster” then hastily told the reporter her comment was off the record. In this instance, Ms. Power was promoting a book she wrote and agreed in advance that everything she said was on the record.
- Bruce Goldberg, a reporter for the Denver Business Journal, frequently provides examples of “Bad Press Release Theater.” One example was: “Because of issues of client confidentiality and disclosure, the press release below, sent to you on Friday, July 13, should not be used as news material or disseminated in any way. Please completely disregard it.” You can’t unring that bell. Just telling the media to ignore something doesn’t mean they will forget about it — and if it is a good story, you can bet they will begin researching it on their own.
Mistakes will happen, but you can take steps to help alleviate them. Double and triple-check your facts. If you are sending out a press release, have another person (or more) read it. And always, always, make sure you should be sending it out!
If you are going to be speaking to the media, either in press conferences or in interviews, don’t go into it without media training. Of course, we don’t know whether the people in our examples had media training, but it’s always a good idea. Ms. Power got flustered by questions from the reporter and blurted out the “monster” quote. In the instance of the exchange student, a statement could have been issued along the lines of “We are sorry for the student’s health problems. We care a great deal about all of our participants and hope that he has a speedy recovery.” Many people assume that “No comment” means “We’re guilty.” One can say they are sorry without taking blame. Finally, while you may truly want to call a reporter an idiot (or worse), sometimes it is best to not respond at all and let the story die on its own. Or at the very least, take a moment to calm down, and then respond in a civil manner.
One final thought, don’t forget that it’s very easy for your comments to be recorded and/or videotaped. Many cell phones can take short videos and digital cameras are credit card sized. Don’t end up on YouTube…then the nightly news…unless you planned it!
Working with the media can be an intimidating process—but it doesn’t have to be. If you'd like help developing your public and media relations program, call us for a complimentary one-hour consultation.
