In the old days, if a journalist wrote a news article or opinion column that you believed was inaccurate or unfair, you had only three options:
Write a letter to the editor or column responding to it, and hope they print it. Ask for a face-to-face meeting with an editor and the writer. Cancel your subscription, an option that does … [Read more...]Meet editorial board members of 3 Chicago newspapers at Publicity Club July 9
Many business owners and PR people spend so much time pitching reporters and section editors at newspapers that they often forget about another important consideration: the newspaper's editorial board. That's the group of top editors who meet daily to decide the position that the newspaper will take on its editorials and set other newsroom … [Read more...]
PR pros, how would you deal with an editor on a power-trip?
Ivy Mendoza of Manila, Philippines writes:
"My small PR firm just got an account that needs a lot of exposure in the lifestyle sections. The previous PR person had been sacked due to some anomalies which she was supposed to have committed while conniving with the client's marketing department.
"To neutralize the situation, the … [Read more...]
Palin daughter’s pregnancy: Fair game for Publicity Hounds
When the news of GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's pregnant 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, broke over the weekend, Barack Obama was quick to issue [Read more...]
Media bias helped Spitzer’s rise to power
I wish journalists everywhere would read the column headlined "Spitzer's Media Enablers" in yesterday's Wall Street Journal. It was written by Kimberley A. Strassel, who covered the well-publicized … [Read more...]
Media interviews frightening? This card deck will help
At times, I dislike doing media interviews, particularly with reporters at top-tier publications whose interview style makes me feel rushed, or I suspect the journalist is either dense or biased. Crisis counselor Lou Hampton of the [Read more...]
Media interviews: Balance of power has shifted to sources
If you're involved in a news story and you're afraid the media will misrepresent you, slant the news, or write it according to their own agenda, don't refuse comment, thinking they'll just go away and leave you alone.
As I've said so many times before, refusing an interview is … [Read more...]
Media bias: God isn’t welcome in the newsroom
As I've mentioned here before, and in the column about media bias that I wrote recently for Bulldog Reporter, I'm sick to death of journalists proclaiming they're "fair and impartial," and that there's absolutely no media bias … [Read more...]
What you can do to fight bias in the media
I just finished reading the book "Bias---A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News," written by former CBS correspondent Bernard Goldberg and published about five years ago. It hit No. 1 on the New York … [Read more...]
How to complain if you suspect media bias
What should you do if you suspect that a journalist is giving your story unfair or biased treatment?
If you think a reporter is ignoring your story or giving it unfair treatment because it appeals to a conservative audience, and the reporter is a liberal, or vice versa, don't just sit by and accept it. Here are five ways to … [Read more...]