12 Aug
Media panel on DAY 2
These notes have been hovering in my drafts folder since the second day of the Worldwide Public Affairs Symposium May 5. My smartphone decided it didn’t like to play with the Opera browser I was using. They’re a little cryptic, but I hope you find them useful.
Media panel: ABC, USA Today, WTOP radio, AP Wash. Bureau, Army Times
- Don’t hover. Know who you are dealing with.
- Give context.
- Train young reporters but trust experienced reporters.
- We can get stories right if you get us the right people to talk to.
- Understand staffing constraints
- “Keep in mind we are a local radio station but we have a global reach” because of internet and location a DC station.
- Give us unique stories. Call to pitch if it is important enough.
- “Embrace the headlines.” – tie your pitch to what is going on.
- TV reporter hardly reads news releases; radio reporter says bring ‘em on.
- Uses audio and video. No longer a radio reporter but a multimedia reporter.
On prepared questions panel was interestingly open. They help – especially if the public affairs officer pitches the story to help give the reporter an idea of what the story is about. OK to ask for questions in advance, nicely. Helps when an interviewee is prepared. Don’t expect them to be the only questions.
AP uses social media to find people to interview but won’t take a tweet and put it in a story.
