Positive Media Relations Need Special Effort

Tip 13 of 25
Elaine Cogan

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As a public official, never consider the media friends who will do favors that are not in their self-interest. They have no obligation to provide free coverage for your agency. Most media are businesses whose owners expect to make a profit. Even the public or nonprofit media pick and choose the subjects they believe interest their audiences. With these caveats, the media serve as important conduits to your constituencies, and you can work together by recognizing their similarities as well as important differences.

Print -- your daily or weekly newspaper -- can cover stories in more depth than the other media. Know their  deadlines and give them as much notice as possible. If the reporter cannot stay for an entire meeting, arrange to phone her or the editor as soon as the meeting is over and/or the decision is made. You might ask them to delay the report of the meeting so that the complete story can be written the next day, but they probably will not agree for fear of being scooped by the other media.

Television cameras can be obtrusive especially when doing close-ups, but news crews can be asked politely to film from an angle that does not obstruct the public’s view. 

Offer to brief the assigned print or television reporter before the meeting and give them a written outline of the issues under discussion. Whenever you are interviewed for TV, talk in short, succinct sentences and be prepared for a very short segment to appear on the broadcast, regardless of the amount of time they filmed.

Radio listeners are most likely doing something else while listening. To communicate well over this medium, speak clearly in a friendly, informal voice. Local call-in talk shows are a good vehicle for two-way communication with the public though a clever host will try to boost listenership and ratings by challenging you with controversial ideas or statements. Be prepared by ascertaining the format and the style before you go on the air.

There will be times when no matter how hard you have tried, a misleading or damaging story will appear in print or be broadcast. Do not be swayed by your first frustrated or angry emotions. If other colleagues, staff, or friends do not think any harm was done, ignore it.

However, if you and others believe you have cause to complain, assess the situation. Was the entire treatment of the issue untrue? Or were the facts correct, but the emphasis skewed? Were comments misquoted? Does the story unfairly damage your reputation or that of the agency? If any or all of the above is true, contact the reporter first and, only if necessary, the editor or station manager. If you discuss the issue without rancor, they may be receptive to printing a retraction, a guest editorial or letter, or giving you rebuttal time on the air.

Above all, do not burn any bridges with the media. Over time, and with effort, you can build and nurture relationships that benefit all.

Editor's note: for another article on how planning commissioners can best deal with the media, see David Essex's "Think Like a Reporter" (available to order & download).

We're pleased to be posting over the next half-year, on a weekly basis every Wednesday, PCJ columnist Elaine Cogan's 25 tips for planning commissioners from her excellent Now That You're on Board Publication.

We hope this will provide a convenient opportunity for planning commissioners and other "citizen planners" to benefit from Cogan's years' of experience in working with communities. The complete attractively-designed, spiral-bound, Now That You're on Board publication is also available for purchase and delivery by mail.