Page 16 - WBG March 2025

FEATURE

You may want to tape the interview if it will cover some 2. Recognize the reporter’s ego. A reporter wants to get every
sensitive topics. Get the consent of the reporter before doing so. story right every time. And they are well-respected in the areas they
If you are concerned about being misquoted, you can ask the cover. And they are smart and educated individuals. So, attacking
reporter to read back any quotes before they are published. In most the reporter’s accuracy, ethics or intelligence is not a good way to
cases, they will do so if you ask and if they have the time. However, get what you want. Rein in the instinct to “straighten them out.” They
do not expect the reporter to show you the story before it is run; will resent it, and it will not get you the story you want. The larger the
some sources would want to edit everything if they viewed it newspaper or bigger the television channel, the correspondingly
before publication. In the interest of professionalism most reporters larger ego the reporter will have.
will not show the story beforehand.
3. Do not go over the reporter’s head. First of all, editors are even
Misquotes may be a concern, but that is a risk that you take when more sensitive to criticism than reporters are. They truly want to
you agree to be interviewed. You can manage the process to believe that yesterday’s paper was error-free and to that end they
minimize errors and show your company in its best light, but do not tend to take a legalistic approach to accuracy. “Did we spell the
attempt to control the process. Reporters like to feel independent name right? Did we accurately quote the source?” Second, the
and do not like to be pushed or manipulated. reporter is the one who will be writing the all-important follow-
up story, and it makes them look good to produce a follow-up
There are times when a source says something that is published idea to their efforts; which means they will be more likely to write
out of context. You should be very thoughtful about everything that friendly, upbeat story you want. Having an angry note
you say, realizing that it could be taken out of context. Be careful from on-high saying “call these people and write a follow-up,”
about making a joke; it might become the headline. If a mistake is not a motivation tool for a good, positive story. Remember
is made, you can ask for a timely publication of a correction, but that the reporter controls the tone of the story, and a disgruntled
most of the damage already would have been done. If you feel that reporter is the difference between a story about the nice,
there is a serious error, it might be a good idea to set up a meeting normal kids who play pretend games with neat dice and an
with the reporter and editor to discuss it. article about the whack-jobs who pretend to slay demons while
shouting obscenities and rolling occult polyhedrons.
Newspapers
4. Moderate your tone and language. Accusing a reporter of
Newspapers tend to be reporter-driven, decentralized being a member of a vast conspiracy against you, calling him an
organizations. The business is quite different from the news uninformed jerk and bludgeoning him with his own mistakes is
operations, and executives of the company usually do not not going to win him over. Reporters have been known to hang
pretend that they are journalists. One part of the organization up when the language starts getting foul. Keep it positive, sound
has little influence over the other parts. Sometimes editors professional and act appropriately.
will suggest a story, but most ideas come from the reporters.
Therefore, your key relationship will be with the reporters who cover 5. Make a suggestion instead of a complaint. No one is ever
stories related to your topic. If a reporter thinks that something completely happy with the story the reporter wrote yesterday, and
is newsworthy, he will convince the editor to let him cover it. reporters get pretty thick-skinned to the “You didn’t cover it the way
I wanted it covered” complaint. Instead, phrase your concern as a
Contacting the Press suggestion. “I think there is another angle you ought to look into,”
are magic words that a reporter likes to hear.
When contacting the press with a specific news item, be aware of
the deadlines, which may arrive sooner than you anticipate. Make 6. Understand the source-reporter relationship. When a trusted
sure that the names of the people and their titles are up to date. If source says something to a reporter, the reporter is conditioned
you contact a former reporter who now is performing some other to believe it is true, especially if the source has been accurate and
function, your message may be ignored. reliable in the past. If the reporter has worked with a source for 20
other stories, then the source’s words carry more weight than yours.
Attacking the source’s credibility is likely to provoke a defensive
Fifteen Tips for Productively Dealing with Reporters reaction from the reporter. You cannot discredit the source, so
instead try to provide an alternate viewpoint.
1. Do not blame the messenger. Most reporters see themselves
as a funnel, taking raw information, filtering it, and passing it 7. Understand the news cycle. Reporters work on deadline.
on to the readers as a story. When the story quotes a source They have to get the story done by a certain time. If their trusted
saying something derogatory, the reporter is just passing along source provides them with information on a breaking news story,
that information, not creating it. Yes, a reporter chooses what they are unlikely to have the time to take several hours looking
information to put in the story and what to leave out, but few for a source to give an opposing viewpoint. Likewise, calling a
view their role as that of an active participant, instead believing reporter who is working on deadline will not get the response
that they have a more passive role. you want. Instead, if it is a morning newspaper, call early in the

14 W.A.D Beyond Global