Home
>
Public Relations
>
Media Training: When Reporters Lie

Media Training: When Reporters Lie

I recently worked with a group dealing with an unusual problem. It seems that a local television reporter in town known for his aggressive style of reporting has a nasty habit of lying. Let's call him Jack.

Whenever a sensitive issue arises, Jack requests an interview with a spokesperson for the group. The spokesperson knows that if he doesn't agree to the interview, Jack will ambush him ? in a parking lot, in a grocery store, or outside his home.

So before agreeing to the interview, the spokesperson asks Jack not to broach certain sensitive topics. Jack agrees. With the ground rules in place, the spokesperson consents to do the interview. The interview begins.

But the moment the cameras start rolling, Jack ignores the rules and asks the very questions he promised not to. Jack asks them in a way to make the spokesperson look as bad as possible. The spokesperson is caught off-guard and veers way off message. He looks bad and damages the reputation of his group.

Let's back up for a moment. Jack has every right to refuse conditions being placed on the questions he can ask during an interview. Further, if a spokesperson requests certain conditions, Jack has the right to report that request, whether or not he agrees to them. But if he agrees to those terms in advance and breaks them, well, Jack's just a liar.

Now, let's add one more element to this equation. The media in Jack's town are addicted to tabloid-style news. Sensationalism sells, and local reporters have a nasty habit of making innocuous stories appear as shocking as possible. Their goal is to attract an audience at any cost.

You might think a solution is just to avoid the reporter ? but remember ? Jack will show up when you don't expect him, and if you refuse to talk to him, he will play the videotape of your hand covering the camera for weeks.

So what should you do in the most egregious cases when a reporter lies? The following three tips may be helpful:

1. Get Media Training: Okay, so it may seem a bit self-serving for a media trainer to advocate media training. Still, media training, especially one-on-one training, is made for circumstances like these, and can help a spokesperson answer difficult questions with relative ease.

ABC News Reporter Sam Donaldson had it right when he quipped, "Questions don't do the damage. Only the answers do." Spokespersons shouldn't have to request that certain topics be off-limits. Instead, they should prepare in advance for the most challenging questions. Doing so will help them appear almost delighted that a reporter has finally given them the opportunity to speak about them.

2. Write a Letter to the Station Manager: It's possible that the station manager doesn't know just how much his or her reporters are breaking the rules to get a story. Here, you can use reporter codes of conduct to your advantage. For example, you may write:

In exchange for agreeing to an interview with Jack, several of our spokespersons have requested certain questions be kept off limits. Jack has agreed. Despite those agreements, Jack has consistently broken his word, asking those very questions the moment the camera starts rolling.

The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics says journalists should, "Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises."

In addition, Jack is treating his sources with blatant disrespect, in one case shouting after a senior official and calling her disgusting names. This is a violation of the Poynter Institute's Guiding Principles for the Journalist, which state: "Sources [are] human beings deserving of respect, not merely a means to your journalistic ends."

We are happy to cooperate with your station's future inquiries, even if they are unfavorable to our group. But in exchange for continued access, we request only that you comply with the basic rules of journalistic fairness in the future.

Will this help? Maybe, maybe not. But in desperate circumstances, it might be worth the shot.

3. Prepare a Canned Response: In the most desperate circumstances, you may blacklist a reporter entirely. This piece of heavy artillery should only be pulled out rarely ? in other words, if you're banning more than one reporter per decade, it's probably too many.

In the case of Jack, though, it might be warranted. That doesn't mean you ignore him when he ambushes you. Instead, prepare your spokespersons ? all of them ? for his ambush. They should stop before his camera. They should take his question seriously. And they should issue a response such as:

"Your question deserves a serious answer ? not one delivered in a parking lot. If one of your colleagues would like to schedule an interview with a member of our group, we would be happy to answer his or her questions. Thank you, and we look forward to the opportunity to express our point of view on this matter."

Then, with a small nod or smile, the ambushee should walk with a sense of purpose ? but without a hint of defensiveness ? to his or her destination.

One final point ? if a news organization is determined to write something unfavorable about you, there's little you can do to stop them. But you can control your response ? and a well planned media strategy can help neutralize a negative story.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information and to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training e-tips, visit http://www.phillipsmediarelations.com

move in cleaning service Mundelein ..

In The News:

Quick iPhone and Android battery optimization techniques help your device stay powered all day by turning off hidden features that secretly drain power in the background.

Kodiak Driver autonomous truck achieves perfect 98 safety score, matching top human fleets in groundbreaking AI evaluation by Nauto's VERA system.

New 401k catch-up contribution rules in 2026 will change taxes for high earners over 50. Learn how scammers exploit these changes and protect your retirement savings.

Kurt Knutsson's guide covers social media privacy protection through location settings, account privacy controls and two-factor authentication to prevent scams and data breaches.

Revolutionary retinal implant restores central vision in 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration, offering hope where treatments once only slowed blindness.

Learn how to use passkeys on Windows and Mac computers without cameras or fingerprint readers. Discover secure authentication methods that replace passwords.

Tesla's FSD v14.1.2 update reintroduces Mad Max mode, enabling higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than the standard Hurry profile setting.

A phishing email scam targeting American Express customers shows how cybercriminals use fake urgent messages to steal personal and financial information.

Facebook's new Meta AI feature analyzes your camera roll photos to create polished collages automatically, but requires cloud processing and raises privacy concerns.

A New Jersey teenager filed a major lawsuit against AI/Robotics Venture Strategy 3 Ltd. over ClothOff, an AI tool that created fake nude images from her social media photos.

Microsoft reports Storm-2657 cybercriminals sent phishing emails to 6,000 addresses at 25 universities to steal payroll credentials and redirect funds.

Astronomers have discovered asteroid 2025 SC79, a skyscraper-sized space rock orbiting the sun in just 128 days. the second-fastest known.

The Fox News AI Newsletter delivers the latest developments form the world of artificial intelligence, including the technology's challenges and opportunities.

A cyberattack on SimonMed Imaging exposed personal information of 1.2 million patients, including medical records, financial details and identity papers.

Spotify's managed accounts for kids under 13 now available in at least seven countries, allowing parents to filter and block explicit content and songs.

Friendly text conversations about BBQs and social events can lead to WEEX gold trading scams that target older adults with fake investment opportunities.

California company Skyeports creates self-healing glass spheres from Moon regolith that generate solar power and support plant growth for sustainable lunar living.

Cleafy researchers discover fake VPN streaming app Mobdro Pro that installs Klopatra banking Trojan, giving attackers full control over Android devices.

Police departments across the U.S. and Canada are adopting virtual reality training to better prepare officers for high-pressure, real-world situations.

House Bill 469 would prevent AI systems from owning property, serving as executives, or gaining legal personhood in Ohio under Representative Thaddeus Claggett's proposal.

Public voter records expose retirees' personal details to election scammers who create targeted cons using names, addresses, and voting history data.

Instead of fearing what comes next with artificial intelligence, think outside the box. Here are high-earning AI jobs that don't require a computer science degree.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says polite words like "please" and "thank you" cost millions annually, while direct prompts may improve ChatGPT accuracy by several points.

Chattee Chat and GiMe Chat exposed intimate conversations and photos, revealing users spent up to $18,000 on AI companions before the breach.

New Instagram parental controls allow families to manage teen screen time and content limits through the Family Center with stricter safety settings.

Media Training: When Reporters Lie

Public Relations