Remember one of Gov. Bill Clinton's messages when he ran against
then President George H. W. Bush? With a laser-like focus on
domestic issues, the campaign coined the phrase, "It's the economy,
stupid" in order to bring attention to one topic.
Media trainers and message-development professionals are being
handed a similar compelling idea in the soon-to-be-published
"Taking the Heat: The President, The Press, and My Years in the
White House" by Ari Fleischer, (HarperCollins, 2005) former
press secretary to President Bush.
While saying the media tilts slightly toward the left -- just as
the Clinton camp would argue it tilts to the right -- Fleischer's
main point is that the press is biased in favor of conflict and
controversy. "That (political) bias is secondary," he writes.
"Conflict comes first, regardless of whether the press is covering
a Democrat or Republican."
Put another way by a Washington, D.C.-based reporter from a
national publication, "I don't know why anyone would ever talk to
us. All we can do is bring them harm."
I think that's a bit over-stated, and it reflects a particular
perspective from too many years in the nation's capital and a press
corps that is spun incessantly by the White House; Congress; and a
multitude of federal agencies, law firms and lobbyists. However,
given the reporter's training to be skeptical, the press usually
will write or broadcast a half-empty-glass perspective.
But if you start out with the presumption that a reporter is
seeking conflict, it helps to prepare for the inevitable tough
questions and any downsides to a spokesperson's story.
So let's break down the conflict approach and possible
responses. Remember, a spokesperson is not going to keep negatives
out of a story; the goal is fairness and balance.
- Negative sound bites or examples. A car accident is more
newsworthy than a normal rush hour with no traffic hiccups. The
anecdote about the disgruntled customer or the patient who had an
adverse drug reaction is going to get covered. Responses: Prepare
data about the number of satisfied customers. Develop positive
testimonials. Recruit third-party experts who can, perhaps, dismiss
the anecdote; and create a non-story or at least balance what's
reported. - Financial conflict. One down quarter usually receives
more coverage than 12 good ones. Response: Prepare charts and data
that provide perspective. Discuss trends that smooth out the down
side. Again, use third-party experts who can balance the conflict
of one bad quarter. - Create positive conflict. Fight fire with fire. While
not as dramatic as the negative for most reporters, spokespersons
should deliver messages that highlight positive changes. Common
scenarios include before-and-after improvements, patients who have
done well on a drug, conquest customer testimonials and responses
in crisis or adversarial situations. - Don't answer the A or B or accept the premise of a
conflict-type questions. While a reporter may pose a question
with the conflict implied, it's not a requirement to accept the
premise of the question. For example, if a reporter asks "Why is
OSHA coming after you?," it's not a requirement that you answer
that your company and OSHA have a conflict. The better answer might
be, "OSHA and we have similar goals. That is to promote a safe
working environment." - Create conflict with prior press reports. You may not
have liked the coverage in the first article on a subject. You can
appeal to the conflict that one media outlet had the story first.
Mention to the next reporter what was missing in the first story,
and you'll more likely get coverage.
When we counsel spokespersons for interacting with reporters, we
point out many things that incent reporters: breaking news, trends,
firsts, local angles, tips (for consumer reporters) and expert
comments. But if we focus on the reporter's need for conflict and
how to prepare for it, then prepping for other reporter interests
is easy to scope out.
Contact: Andrew Gilman is president of Washington,
D.C.-based CommCore Consulting. He can be reached at 202.659.4177,
agilman@commcoreconsulting.com