Charleston|Orwig

Rules
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8. Media should be the last to know.

One manages issues in the media less by managing media than by managing
those the media will quote.

Whether relocating a business or mounting a major public policy initiative, the media should be the last to learn the nitty-gritty. At first that seems counterintuitive, given that we often aggressively pursue media coverage, and we all know not to miss a deadline or allow “… could not be reached for comment” to appear in any news report, especially a negative one.

No one is arguing that.

But the pursuit of media coverage, or the need to respond to an impending deadline, must not preclude securing crucial third-party support, or neutrality, for our initiative or our problem. There are two points that, in our rush to manage the media, we must remember but often do not:

1. The most effective way to manage the tone and content of media coverage is to manage the third parties the media will quote, and none of those independent sources is employed by our client company.
2. There are supporters of our company and our position who should never learn of our actions through anyone but us; we forgo their help as allies or ambassadors by keeping them on the outside. They should be moved to the “inside,” tipped off as to what is about to occur and not first hear of developments through the evening newscast or the morning paper as if they mean nothing to us or are powerless to shape opinions among key constituencies.

The media are a filter, as we know. The story and headline will seldom, if ever, be all we want them to be. Why would we not want to improve our chances of shaping the story, on the one hand, and immediately be able to counter a story that spins negative, on the other?

Keep a checklist
Preparedness is the only way to knock down the ambassador objective and still meet the media deadline. We may not always have the luxury of time to inform key stakeholders should the media become privy to our plans. We may have only a couple of hours to make all our media and non-media contacts.

Every company should keep a checklist right next to the fire extinguishers in the Media Relations Department, the Public Affairs Department and in Corporate Affairs (by whatever names these functions are known). It should include, but not be limited to:

• Congressional delegation
• Governor’s office
• State legislative representative and senator
• Key state legislative committee chairs, other legislative leadership
• Key trade editors
• Labor leaders
• Our own workforce in entirety or by function or title
• Municipal officials
• Securities analysts
• Industry experts, especially those likely to be quoted by media, by issue
• Our sales force, distributors, wholesalers, dealerships, independent reps, retailers
• Key accounts
• Key suppliers and other business partners
• State and federal regulators
• Reasonable activist groups with which we have dialogue

It should be possible to write and disseminate a news release, or to respond to a media inquiry, within an hour and still inform “family” (a) simultaneously and (b) in the time between distribution and the news broadcast itself. Obviously, priority among “family” goes first to those most likely to be sought for quotation and to those who can impact business directly. But seldom should we stop there.

Depending on the size and nature of the news—and whether we are distributing it or it is coming to us—some on the ambassadors checklist will deserve a personal phone call from management, and others can receive e-mails or faxes of the release itself or a personalized summary of it.

This means that much coordinated, behind-the-scenes work must be accomplished first before stepping into the glare of media attention. And that work must proceed with the precision of a crisis communications plan, each actor having his or her rehearsed role. Media relations impact the entire company and its brands; senior management, marketing and sales should have a direct, personal role in securing market understanding of this news and should be educated in the importance of those roles as a routine part of their responsibilities. Putting the Media Relations Department in a silo forgoes huge opportunities both within the media and outside the media.

Others manage for us
If we get it right, our key constituencies will manage the media with us and, to an extent, for us. If we treat our friends like family, they will be much more inclined to repeat our key messages. Certainly, the outcome will be vastly better than if they were blindsided.

The list of people who need to know first can vary from issue to issue, and it will certainly vary by the size of the news. But the bigger the news, the more important it is to include people who help shape public opinion, even if they are without titles.

For example, prior to a series of media events to announce a food industry client’s plans to expand production operations in three states, we shared the confidential plans with local elected officials and civic leaders. We also invited them to attend the media events and provided them with key messages in support of our client’s plans. Our client’s constituents did all the heavy lifting, helping to shape subsequent media coverage in support of the company’s objectives.

Aside from the importance of “taking care of the family” to manage the ramifications of media coverage, the media always should be the last to know because early media exposure of a public policy debate can polarize constituencies. People tend to remember, and believe, the first report they hear. Once they have heard one side of an argument, it can take at least twice as much effort to get them to consider the other side, and persuasion to our point of view could be problematic.

That makes it all the more difficult to negotiate a successful outcome. A stakeholder whose public stance on an issue has been duly reported by the media will find it difficult later to backtrack or redefine his or her position publicly. It’s the fear of losing face or appearing to cave in.

By establishing early support, we minimize the media’s polarizing effect and adversarial role. They are left with having to balance opposing views with our carefully crafted third-party support for our position.

Finally, if we do not regularly and proactively take our issues stances to these kinds of key stakeholders—be it through environmental reports or annual visits by appropriate management—then shame on us. We have built no relationship upon which to stand.

The astute company today is out front in stating what it stands for and why on all potentially controversial issues, and woe to the company that is asked by its major customer to come in and explain itself. These are not activities any longer to be left only for the annual report, the annual shareholder’s meeting, the Media Relations Department or to the assumed protective hand of an industry association.