Manage your Message Media Training

Orillia mayor tries to put the local media in his inbox

It seems the Mayor of Orillia, a city here in Ontario, has had enough of those bothersome phone calls from the media.

Mayor Angelo Orsi announced yesterday that he is no longer accepting phone calls from the media. A memo from the mayor's office to the media stated that "all media questions are required to be in writing and e-mailed to Orsi". His rationale for the move? "This approach helps me keep track of what I am asked, what I did state, and see what gets printed. It helps keep my side of the story in check with what is used in relation to the context of the story."

If only it were that simple.

The media exists to serve as the eyes and ears for the working public, to question our leaders, keep them honest and report on the goings-on in our communities and governments at all levels. This move by the mayor of Orillia to put the local media in his inbox is a shortsighted tactic that I suspect is destined to backfire.

Of the hundreds of media training sessions I've facilitated over the past 17 years, some of the most challenging were with municipal mayors and councillors. They've always mostly been pleasant, well-meaning people, but local politicians play by a different set of rules. I've had councillors say they simply don't answer calls from the media and that they never will. Many of these politicians say they're suspicious of the motives of reporters and in speaking with these individuals, I can see that many of them have a palpable fear of dealing with the media.

On more than one occasion, I've had municipal politicians ask me whether it was acceptable to simply ask reporters to conduct interviews by email. My answer has always been the same. "No." That isn't to say email doesn't have a role to play. There will be times when email is the quickest way to get back to a reporter with a short response or to clarify an answer. But trying to limit all local media relations to email won't work over the long-term.

The mayor's announcement implies he's running the show when it comes to the local media. As he may find out over the next few months, that's not the case. Ultimately, it's the reporters who are in control. Here are a few predictions about what's (hopefully) going to happen in Orillia over the next few months:

- First, reporters will start going to other spokespeople for quotes on their stories. Other councillors, committee members, heads of local citizens' groups, etc. There will also be an increase in the number of 'anonymous sources' being quoted in the local media. Reporters are like water. They will find the path of least resistance. If the mayor's office is too slow to respond, or appears to be responding with outright 'spin', they will go to other sources. And that's a lost opportunity for the mayor, who may find himself on the sidelines when it comes to telling his story.

- If there is a contentious issue in the community, the mayor may find himself being ambushed by reporters desperate for information. At the grocery store. At the airport. At a hockey game. At his home. Imagine a food or water contamination situation where the mayor will only conduct interviews by email.

People who run for public office have an obligation to speak with the media. That includes phone calls and face to face interviews. Time will tell if this 'email only' approach will work in Orillia. If I were a local reporter in Orillia, I can tell you I wouldn't be too thrilled with it. And I hope the local media takes him to task for the decision, before other politicians try to follow suit. Even as someone who coaches spokespeople on how to conduct better interviews, I disagree with the approach. What's next? "I'll only conduct interviews by text message?"

No matter how well-meaning the intentions might be, I suspect this move by the mayor of Orillia to keep the media at arm's length won't sit well with reporters or the public. Even if it's not the case, it smells vaguely of fear and mistrust. And that's not a solid foundation for successful media relations.

If I were running for mayor of Orillia in the next municipal election, I know what my platform would be: Openness, accountability and a willingness to speak with the media (and, by extension, the public) face to face.

Rob Ford's CBC Radio gravy train wreck

Rob Ford, the mayor-elect of Toronto, is no stranger to the media. In fact, he's done hundreds of interviews in the past year alone, driving home his message about stopping the 'gravy train' of wasteful spending at City Hall. But none of those interviews was as baffling as the national radio interview he granted to CBC just one day after his resounding victory.

 

If you haven't heard the interview yet, you really need to hear it for yourself. As Carol Off, the co-host of CBC's 'As It Happens' starts asking him questions, Ford ignores her and starts barking at someone on the football field (he's a football coach and conducted the interview during a team practice). He does this several times. You can almost hear the host's irritation level rising as the interview progresses. Ford then gives a few stock quotes about cost-cutting, then says he has to go and abruptly ends the interview.

 

The Lesson: Where to begin? I'm probably going to miss a few, but let's take a crack at it, shall we? First, avoid scheduling a national radio interview for a time when you know you're going to be standing in the middle of a windy field on a cell phone (yes, the interview time had been arranged in advance and agreed to by Ford). Give the interviewer your undivided attention. Avoid yelling at others while conducting a media interview. When you have an opportunity to speak to the entire country, use it to deliver your most important messages to your most important audiences. Thank the people who voted for you. Assure those who didn't vote for you that you'll work to earn their trust. Whether or not his behaviour in the CBC interview was deliberate (Ford reportedly has a dislike for the national broadcaster), it represents a real lost opportunity. 

Note: This story is taken from our 'Manage your Message' e-newsletter. To get your own copy sent to your inbox each month, sign up here.

 

Student journalist schools State Senator

Preparation is the key to success for any media interview - whether you're being interviewed by Peter Mansbridge or the kid next door. Recently, high school student Keith Wagner interviewed Arizona State Senator John Huppenthal. During the interview, the student asked a few basic questions about massive budget cuts to education funding. Huppenthal is clearly caught off guard and appears to know less about his own voting record than the student journalist. After Huppenthal agrees that the cuts are terrible, the student reminds him that he actually voted for a bill that would cut $550 million from education. Huppenthal's body language gets more uncomfortable as the interview progresses. He excuses himself and doesn't return. The interview has been seen more than 340,000 times on YouTube. 

The Lesson: 95% of a successful media interview occurs before the first question. Do your homework, anticipate questions (even the bad ones), Google the reporter's previous work and never underestimate a reporter because of their age or experience level.

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Note: This story is taken from our 'Manage your Message' e-newsletter. To get your own copy sent to your inbox each month, sign up here.

A Refreshing Dose of Honesty from CNN Anchor

Recently, CNN anchor Campbell Brown announced she was leaving the network. The reason for her departure? Her show's poor ratings. "Of course I pay attention to ratings," she said. "And simply put, the ratings for my program are not where I would like them to be."

 

Brown wasn't fired. She quit. And to her credit, she didn't try to sugar-coat or manipulate the optics of her departure. Answering questions about her motivation for leaving, she said, "As for why, I could have said that I am stepping down to spend more time with my children (which I truly want to do). But I have never had much tolerance for others' spin, so I can't imagine trying to stomach my own. The simple fact is that not enough people want to watch my program, and I owe it to myself and to CNN to get out of the way so that CNN can try something else."

 

Most companies (BP comes to mind) would be better served if their executives adopted Brown's refreshing, no-BS approach to media relations.

Globe and Mail's Salutin takes cheap shot at PR

In his column in the Globe and Mail this morning, Rick Salutin reveals a serious bias against the PR industry. What's that, you say? A reporter who's got an axe to grind against PR?

Everyone (particularly a newspaper columnist, who's paid to fan the flames of controversy) is entitled to his/her opinion. On that note, here's mine. This column is an unwarranted cheap shot at the PR profession.

Salutin uses the Michael Bryant affair as his platform (the recent case in which a former Ontario politician, in the car with his wife, was involved in an altercation with a bike courier which resulted in the courier's death). After noting that the media coverage of the event has served the public well, Salutin writes, "But there's one element that irritates me severely. It's the presence, since very early, of a public-relations firm aiding Mr. Bryant."

The rest of the column doesn't seem to have a clear point. It just rehashes journalism's old disdain for PR. He also suggests that the other problem at play is that many journalism grads end up in public relations. And that a "depressing quantity of news stories, especially in areas such as medicine, now come from well-produced PR packages sent on behalf of pharmaceutical firms and the like."

He bemoans the fact that PR people "may put words in client's mouths, vet their ideas and advise on whether to speak at all".

Is this guy for real? Salutin has been at this game a long time. His feigned naivete on the role of PR comes off more like a columnist's device than genuine concern. If a prominent public figure gets tangled up in a situation like Bryant did recently, their first two phone calls should be to their lawyer and a PR firm. The man's career, reputation and freedom are on the line. And given the media's love of 'David versus Goliath' stories, the bicycle courier starts out as the clear favourite in the court of public opinion, even though the truth has yet to emerge. Bryant likely has a million things going through his mind. Hiring experienced professionals for council on how to handle his one shot when the TV cameras are shoved in his face is not shocking, insulting, or devious. It's common sense. And if Salutin happened to be the unfortunate individual in the car that night, I'll bet he would have the Globe and Mail's PR firm (that's right, the Globe and Mail has a PR firm) on speed dial - pronto.