When the press are after you...  
       Sometimes organisations get press attention they DIDN'T ask for - the threat of critical news coverage which may be highly damaging as well as embarrassing and unwelcome.  At times like this ignoring the phone, bluffing it out or getting heavy with journalists will usually do a great deal more harm than good.

     I was a news journalist for 10 years before going into PR and I've since had extensive experience advising business owners and senior public servants on coping with high-pressure media attention and managing radio, TV and newspaper interviews in confrontational situations.

      A few ground rules:

·         DON'T run or hide (and certainly not on camera)

·         DON'T be rude or aggressive

·         DO remember the press are not the law - you don't have to give a full testimony

·         DON'T be hustled into giving an off-the-cuff interview about something that needs preparation and thought

But:

·         DO offer to ring back, or talk, at a time and place to suit both you and the journalist

·         DO ask questions of your own to establish the journalist's agenda before you answer theirs

·         DON'T take refuge behind a written statement if you can possibly avoid it, but DO prepare and agree written material to use as a brief for you and your team

·         DO tell the truth as far as confidentiality, the law, public safety etc allow you to - NEVER risk being exposed as a liar

·         DO take the opportunity to say what YOU want to say about your organisation and its actions

·         DO contact me at any time for advice, assistance and support on a difficult media relations matter.   

"We invited Chris in after two other agencies had shown a complete lack of interest in our brief.  He got us valuable press coverage in our target media and helped us to identify the messages that were important to our business" - controls company MD, Stroud

         WRITING FOR THE MEDIA 

A press release's mission in life is to get published; most fail.  If yours is to be among the minority that succeed, it must first be of interest and relevance to the target publication.  To ensure the journalist you send it to appreciates this, you must:

• Announce the story clearly in the heading

• Summarise it in the first paragraph

• Tell it clearly and in a logical order in the text.

You have only to look at any tabloid newspaper to see these rules demonstrated. 

The angle
You are of course looking for favourable coverage, so where appropriate stress positives ('New factory will create 50 jobs') rather than negatives 'Historic factory to be demolished').  But don't try to take this too far and pretend bad news is good - it will destroy your credibility and that of your organisation.

The headline
The job of the heading is to attract the interest of the journalist, not that of the reader - the sub-editor will write a headline to suit the newspaper's style and the available space.  So make it factual and explanatory rather than clever, witty or cryptic.

The intro 
The first paragraph should tell the essence of the story clearly and succinctly and be reasonably short - for most newspapers and broadcast media this means no more than about 40 words. (This is still twice the length of most tabloid newspaper intros).

The text 
Now go on to tell the story clearly and logically. First say what has happened/is happening, then explain who, why, where, how (and how much) and when, approximately in order of importance.

Clear up any question marks 
Once the key facts have been given, ask yourself if any other queries will be raised in the reader's mind or if additional messages deserve to be included. For example, is this a first for the area?  What about the financial implications? (journalists love large sums of money).
      Then add in whatever is needed by way of explanatory context or background - for example, if what's happened is part of larger-scale plans.

Language 
Most local media model themselves on the national tabloids, so keep the language punchy, straightforward and non-technical.  For trade press, technical language will be needed in the interests of credibility, but only where necessary.

Style and length 
Your release is likely to be changed substantially on its way to the printed page. You have no control over this, so try to leave as little scope for 'improvement' as possible by keeping it tightly written and factual. Make sure the meaning is clear and unambiguous.  
      Don't hype your services or products with soft superlatives like 'superb' or 'excellent' - stick to hard claims like '22% faster'.
      In general, the shorter the release, the more likely it is to be used and the less it is likely to be changed. Releases aimed at radio and television news should be even shorter than those for newspapers.

Timing 
Daily newspapers tend to publish press releases, if they use them, within a day or two of their receipt, though they may wait longer if the story links to an upcoming feature or event.  Weeklies normally use them the following week (most close for press on Monday or Tuesday). If your release relates to a forthcoming event, you should send it at least 1-2 weeks in advance.

Embargos 
An embargo is no more than a request for publication of your release to be delayed until a particular moment, for example the time and date of a meeting. Embargoes can be useful for putting out briefing material in anticipation of coverage of a major story, to reduce the risk of hastily-prepared, inaccurate reports.  However they tend to look self-important and editors dislike them and may even ignore them, so use them only when absolutely necessary and even then no more than a day in advance.  Simply put above the heading - (e.g.) EMBARGOED 10.30 AM TUESDAY APRIL 17.

Photographs 
A good picture will often get a not-very-interesting story into print. This usually means commissioning professional photography - it is false economy to rely on amateur shots unless the subject is so remarkable that picture quality is secondary.
      Not only must the picture be of good technical quality, it must show the subject in a way the press can use. Pictures of products or buildings in isolation may be of use to technical media, but general media always look for the human interest approach.
      
Distribution
Don't send a press release to any newspaper, magazine, radio or TV station unless there is a real chance it will be relevant to their readership - otherwise you will be wasting their time and yours.  Local media have well-defined circulation/broadcast areas and are interested only in events inside them. So if you want people in Southbury to flock to your new shop in Northbury, don't expect the Southbury News to help you.      
      Duplicate the release on proper 'news' or 'press release' paper if possible (you can produce this on a PC and a colour printer if only small quantities are needed). Date the release and sign off by giving at least one name and phone number for further information. If other organisations are involved, give their details (as agreed with them) as well.
      Use trade directories, phone books or the Internet to compile a media list. To do the job properly you will need to subscribe to a media directory – or better still, contact Chris Newton Communications.

  COMMUNICATION IN THE NEWS

     Are you a natural-born 
          lie detector?

Research at the University of South California has shown that people tell on average 200 lies a day - about one every eight minutes. Most are harmless 'white' lies which help us to pursue our own agendas while keeping social relations intact.
   Evolutionary biologists believe our extraordinary skill at lying has developed because of millions of years of competition between races, tribes and individuals. We depend for our success on the skilful manipulation of others, and that means dishonesty.

      Signs that someone is lying:

• Flattening of voice tones
• Covering the mouth
• Nose-rubbing, ear-tugging or collar-pulling
• Answering a little too quickly,  or not quickly enough
• Blushing, or other signs of stress
• Looking up and to the right (to the left for left-handers)
• Lack of detail and 'colour' when telling a story

Natural-born lie detectors

Most people are much better at telling lies than spotting them.  The exceptions, according to new research by psychologists in California , are a small percentage of people who are able to detect and interpret tiny changes of facial expression which may last less than a fifth of a second. (see www.paulekman.com)  
   Even when lies are not picked up directly, scientists tell us that the human brain has an extraordinary ability to recognise insincerity or incompetence through what's known as our 'adaptive unconscious'.  A US psychologist found that when students were asked to rate professors by watching them on videotape, the judgement they made after just a few seconds of silent video was almost as accurate as the rating they gave them after a term's worth of lectures.