Picture this: You're sitting at your desk and receive an email request from a journalist with I'mNewOnTheWeb.com who wants to speak to your top client about that company's
patented bees wax formula. You weigh your options. You could: A) respond immediately; B) wait 15 days to reply; C) Ignore the request [same as B]; D) pass it off to someone else
[same as C]; D) switch professions.
Media reps recognize that, like it or not, most publicists develop a preferred hierarchy but journalists still recognize quick response as the only professionally appropriate
and acceptable option publicists should exercise on their behalf.
"Flaks are just as likely to ignore online journalists or give us second-class treatment as they are to respond," says journalist Bill Lane, who worked as a regional managing
editor of the defunct LocalBusiness.com. He now serves as technology editor for the Boston Business Journal. "If we're competing for a CEO's media time while following a major
story, we're likely to be pushed to the back of the line."
Lane is not surprised by that fact, especially as deadline looms. "From a PR point of view," he says, "that only makes sense. With 100,000 'unique users' in a readership base
that can't be precisely measured, PR firms might feel they are not using their resources most efficiently. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and established print products
give a more measurable return on a CEO's time."
Log Jam
Naturally, publicists perceive their treatment of online journalists differently. Mark Curran, managing director of Ogilvy's global marketing practice, says the agency is media
blind in large part because the Internet offers an outlet for targeted messages.
"I don't think there's any kind of division in terms of importance," Curran says in comparing online outlets with those of mainstream media. "There are certain publications
that might be thought of for an exclusive. But I think online journalists are treated the same as any other."
Online journalist Joe Clark, who maintains a Weblog called NUblog, disagrees. Clark says it took an Edelman PR staffer 15 days to respond to his initial email request for
assistance in speaking to someone at Apple Computer. The interview never materialized because Clark wasn't considered a credentialed journalist.
While three Edelman practitioners aren't disavowing the incident, they seem surprised given what they describe as a corporate culture made up of media agnostics. Senior Account
Supervisor Michael Young of Edelman's technology and telecom marketing division, echoes the industry mantra that all journalists are created equal.
"We are in the business of communicating our clients' messages," he says. "For certain clients it might be more important to be online --we don't rank media as one being better
than another."
While Lane's credentials haven't been called into question, his experience, nonetheless, mirrors Clark's. "I think I was given a smile and pat on my head and sent on my way in
some cases because I was online," he says of face-to-face meetings with publicists. "I don't think I was taken seriously."
Trickle-Down Effect
Journalists understand there's a pecking order. Sure, the editor of It'sAllAboutMe.com wants to be considered Ivy League, but he gets it when he sees your client's Wall Street
Journal story framed on the wall, while his email version is stacked on your desk.
What he doesn't appreciate is having the downloaded printout of his story serving as a paper coaster for your overflowing coffee mug. "An online media outlet may require the
same years of marketing and presence to establish itself, much like newspapers have, to grow into respectability," says Editor Bill Lane.
Kay Bransford, vice president of marketing for Maryland-based PR software developer Vocus, Inc., often witnesses the negative mindset practitioners have towards online media.
"I evangelize that you must treat all [media] equally because the online journalist can have even more influence than The Wall Street Journal," she claims. "But [practitioners]
scoff at me saying 'my CEO doesn't care if he's online on a media site; he wants to be in The Wall Street Journal.'"
A more synergistic, more level playing field seems to exist among publicists at small technology companies and the online journalists who cover their beats.
Ray Bolger, an editor for the New England Tech Wire, rarely gets dissed by his audience. Technology publicists tend to be more aware that online media is an important source of
news, he says.
Cam White, who handles media relations for Gaithersburg, Md.-based software developer RevealNet, concurs but with caveats. "Online media let's me get my message out in a hurry
but the message also gets buried quickly with the proliferation of new content hitting the Internet every day," he says. "Print generally has a longer shelf life for my
message."
While White embraces all media, he still differentiates the medium from the journalist delivering the message. No matter where their stories are published, online or on
newsprint, "some journalists write independently verified, carefully researched, thoughtful articles," he says. "Others are glorified ad copywriters."
(Ray Bolger, New England Tech Wire, 617/267-4190; Kay Bransford, Vocus, 301/459-2590; Mark Curran, Ogilvy, 212/880-5217; Bill Lane, Boston Business Journal, 617/330-1000; Cam
White, RevealNet, 800/738-3254; Michael Young, Edelman, 202/326-1755)
What Journalists Want
Journalists expect rules of conduct whether they are novices with I-Wish-I-Were-A-PulitzerPrizeWinner.org or veterans of Time. First and foremost, they want the illusion of
respect until it becomes a reality. This means you:
- return their calls the day they place them.
- answer their e-mails the day they send them.
- show an interest in meeting their needs.
- grasp their request.
- accomplish requested tasks by deadline.
The practitioner who considers online journalism beneath his clients might wake up one morning to find his story of apathy on the screens of faceless -- yet niched --
thousands. Should that day arrive, a publicist might need to update his resume instead of donning a suit. Then It'sAllAboutHim.com.