No need for “no, no, no”
By Stephanie Greenwood
The recent TV interview with a St. Louis reporter and city comptroller (as her spokesperson intervened) has been the source of much scrutiny among PR professionals. Though I am not privy to the details of this situation, there are clearly many missteps (which have been covered ad nauseum by others). But for me, it serves as a good reminder about the need to prepare for difficult media questions and/or unexpected situations.
PR professionals should know their media contacts well and understand when a “no comment” statement will not be accepted. If you are asked about a situation in which an in-depth response isn’t appropriate, it is likely that a short written statement acknowledging the issue, providing brief context and/or correcting an inaccuracy would meet the reporter’s need versus saying that no comment will be given about the topic.
Communication with a client (internal or external) is critical. PR professionals should share when a media inquiry is received and provide guidance about what response should be given. Then talk through and agree on the approach. If the client is not willing to respond, draft a short media statement (see above). If they can respond but are not available to do so for a few days, tell the reporter and book the interview for the first mutually agreeable time. Then keep your client updated … let them know how the reporter reacts and prepare your client for what might happen next.
Media training internal and/or external clients is also critical; and they need to understand the media policy (and if there isn’t a policy, create one). Help them be prepared to work with reporters when they are approached directly. The policy may be that they need to tell reporters to contact the PR team first to schedule the interview at a mutually agreeable time. It may be that a member of the PR teams needs to be present during the interview.
Or it may be that they can quickly answer a few questions on their own … but train them in advance so they are well prepared to handle any situation.
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