The Right to Bare Arms

Is This Fair Coverage?

Recently, on a Phoenix station, I watched a local reporter cover a story on a proposed gun ban. I lived in Tucson last year, less than a mile from the Safeway, the site of the tragic shootings that wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, so I am personally sympathetic to ideas that might prevent events like this in the future. But I was professionally appalled at what took place in this news report.

All of the anti-gun people interviewed were attractive, articulate and well-credentialed. One, Dr. Peter Rhee, University Medical Center's surgeon in charge of the Trauma unit, became well-recognized during the press conferences held starting on the day of the January 8 shootings.

At least the reporter attempted to get the other side of the story. Representing the Second Amendment argument was a dishelved, dirty man wearing an NRA cap. He had missing teeth and used poor grammar. C'mon, was this the best you could find in conservative Arizona? His credibility was no match for the anti-gun side.

This may be a lesson as much to reporters as to those trying to get coverage. And it's a lesson for those of us who watch news. Analyze reports carefully. Are you swayed because one spokeswoman is prettier than another? Do you consider one side's argument "better" for reasons that don't make sense?

It's stories like these that begin to convince me that perhaps all reporters are not fair and balanced after all.

Still More Soundbite Coach Tweet Tips

1. If you are short of breath while being interviewed, could be nerves. Ramp up your cardio exercise to help lungs: jogging is a great tool.

2. Clients asking more + more how to publicize on social media. Newspapers may by dying, but not dead yet! Headline ink still great promotion for your websites and packets.

3. A pet peeve: guest didn't even look to see what time our show started + kept calling to get "prepped" while we were already on air.

4. Twice already this week, 2 guests asked for ongoing segments on our show. Awkward spot-If a network wants you to be a regular, it will ask.

5. If you are on a media tour or a regular, consider having your own IFB (ear piece) made... it's not too expensive + you'll always know whose ear it's been in!

6. If your interview is bumped by breaking news, be gracious and you may get rescheduled on a slower news cycle.

7. For laryngitis before an interview, take Ricola-no alcohol-or Fisherman's Friend. Don't whisper, do drink warm water, and do consider a cortisone shot.

These are concise tips, since Twitter only gives you 140 characters. I've added some information to some of these, but if you have questions, please post them.

Common Sense Media Advice

DO NOT conduct an interview and say insulting remarks about your boss and expect those remarks not to be published. The more you insult, the more headlines you will generate. If a news outlet knows it has a juicy story, it's going to pre-release the compelling material to other media outlets, so that it will get more buyers or viewers.

This applies to anyone: If you cannot say something nice, don't say it at all.

This applies to people in high-profile positions: If you say something not nice, it's a news story.

Twitter

Clients are asking me about using news media principles to take advantage of grass roots exposure on social networking. We are in exciting times... times when we can all be reporters and publicists. While for the forseeable future we will continue to get news in traditional ways... economic pressures, technology and creativity are changing the nature of news gathering and news reporting.

Be on the forefront of this cultural shift by getting a Twitter account to publicize your book, your services or products. It's easy: go to www.Twitter.com and sign up for a free account.

You are welcome to follow me! I will give short "tweets" on news and soundbites. Click here and follow the instructions.

Details that Derail

When you're trying to get publicity, pay attention to the details. Here are a few turn-offs that immediately tell producers you're not ready for prime-time:

1. Mistakes in your emails or press releases. Proof-read. If you can't get it right on a document that you've had time to work on, why should producers take a chance on you to get it right on live TV or radio?

2. Low energy telephone call. When you call to pitch, be just as high-energy, fun and peppy as you will be during an interview. If you speak too slowly and sound bored, the producer figures that's how you will sound for the guest spot and be afraid to book you.

3. Guest does not fit the format of the show. Do your research. A publicist pitched me for a book last week saying it was like "Sex and the City." When I laughed politely and said then it wouldn't be a good fit since a Baptist pastor owned our TV station, she replied, "Oh, I'm so embarrassed." I'll be very careful about taking her pitches in the future, since I realize she doesn't know who our audience is.

4. Distracted or disorganized. Be on point when you call a reporter or producer. They work in minutes and seconds for a living and will only give you a few seconds before losing patience. Talk quickly and tell them immediately why you are a good fit for their program.

Take care of the details and get positive publicity!

A Whole Lotta Apologizin' Going On

From former Senator Tom Daschle to Olympic Champ Michael Phelps, the phrase of the week seems to be "mea culpa." Did it help?

Yes, it will help both men in the long run, their supporters in the short term, and more importantly, it was the right thing to do. When a newsmaker commits an error in judgement, the public -- and the press -- want accountability. That's what's made the Rod Blajojevich story so confounding. He hasn't apologized.

Tom Daschle lost his chance to be in the Cabinet, and Michael Phelps lost an endorsement or two. We hold lawmakers and athletic heroes to high standards, but most of us realize they are human. So when they apologize, we forgive them. We have short memories. If you would've asked me a couple of years ago, I would've said Senator Joe Biden would never be elected to higher office because of the plagiarism incident that clouded his career. And now, he's a heartbeat away from the highest office in the United States.

We will probably hear from Tom Daschle again. And Michael Phelps may be back on a cereal box in 2012.

Learn from them. If you goof up, be ready to say, "My bad."

The Tylenol Test

Dateline: Illinois. In 1982, the makers of Tylenol spent $100 million to rehab the brand when seven people died in Chicagoland after tampering. Despite the tragedy, Tylenol survived and the incident is a case study for public relations students. The spin doctors, Hill & Knowlton offered this advice: "Tell the truth. Tell it all. Tell it now." It's terrific advice for any person or corporation facing a crisis. Think of the newsmakers who would have not gone to court or prison if they had told the truth early on in a scandal.

Now, the governor of Illinois is facing impeachment. He's also a master manipulator of the media. In America, he's innocent until proven guilty. But in the jury of the press, if I were his Soundbite Coach, I'd ask him to quit creating news diversions and learn the lesson from the event that happened in his neighborhood 27 years ago: tell the truth.

Are you a News Hound or a News Junkie?

Thanks to my friend, Ned Steele, for this. It hits a little close to home.

News is Not Depressing

I cringe when someone tells me, "I never watch the news any more. It's just too depressing."

It may be a matter of semantics, but it's how the station presents the news that depresses you. The news itself informs you, keeps you current, warns you of hazards and provides conversational fodder--what a great deal!

Would you ever say to someone, "I never read any more. It's just too informative." No, you wouldn't want to sound ignorant.

But in defense of the people that are turned off or tuned out, when a TV or radio station presents too many bad news stories in a row, it can have a demoralizing effect. That's one reason journalists are now encouraged to create "trend" or "issues" stories. This means instead of just reporting murder after murder, crime after crime, the reporter analyzes the causes behind the higher death rate or looks at different solutions for preventing crime.

If you are not watching or listening news because it's too depressing, please try another channel before you quit on the medium. Many people have died to protect our First Amendement rights, so we need to cherish them. Another channel might present the news differently--in a less tabloid style, for instance, or you might find you like that weather forecaster who wears a bowtie!

What is News? Part 2

It makes me crazy that celebrity weirdness is so much a part of the news cycle. Yes, it's interesting that Britney Spears shaved her head, but is it really worth spending so much time on? And today seems like the first day we haven't been bombarded with Anna Nicole Smith updates.

You do have a choice in the matter. Get your news from many sources. Learn which sources are more sensational than others. Some television markets are worse than others, so if you live in a city where the local news is lurid and embarrassing, decide to watch national broadcasts.

Try to get a little newspaper, a little radio, a little magazine and a little TV news. Even your favorite sources won't give you the total picture all the time.

With so many cable and Internet choices, you do not have to watch or read news that aims more to entertain than to inform you.


Here are a few online places to look for your news, if you're tired of the same old rut:

http://online.wsj.com/public/us

http://www.assignmenteditor.com/

http://npr.org

http://www.pbs.org

http://www.cnn.com

http://www.foxnews.com

http://www.news.com

Happy headline hunting!