Do you know when a reporter crosses the line? Let me explain a bit about the unsaid rules of the press. You have two types of journalists to pitch to. The ones that can be bought and the ones that can't. Of course, the ones that can't be bought have more power as far as reach is concerned and people tend to trust them more. Anderson Cooper is one of these journalists.
The other type, the ones that can be bought, care about pushing the interest of their advertisers and typically will ask soft questions or deter away from hot button issues. You will work with both types of reporters within your PR career. Therefore, it is very important to know which types of clients to push to the different types of reporters.
For example, if you have a client who is always in trouble and can't handle himself well in-front of the media, putting him on Anderson Cooper's show is a bad idea- even if you vet the questions. This said, you could put that same client on any major network daytime TV show where vetting the questions is possible and you can brief the interviewers.
All this said, there is no safe bet. You may run across a reporter who crosses the line with your client. What do you do in this case? Do you pull the interview on live TV? This can make things worse for your client. Do you try to recover with follow up press releases and interviews? I wish I had the answers. You see, this subject has to be deal with on a case-by-case basis. There is no across the board answer.
When a reporter crosses the line, have a prepared plan read to be put into action for your client. Make sure you have a different plan for each client and you will be as prepared as you possibly can in this scenario. Remember, your a publicist - or at least trying to navigate your own PR efforts- and the current situation with your overall branding goals have to be the first thing you consider when responding to any reporter who crossed the line.
Until tomorrow,
Coco the CEO
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