Catering to the Press. Press Conferences

Jeff Greenfield, who covers politics and the media for ABC, suggested in one of his commentaries that the press must be treated as "a danger­ous, but potentially valuable, animal. You must house it, feed it, pet it once in a while. You must never show it fear, or it will turn on you. You must gently, but firmly, guide it in the way you want it to go."

Catering to the press—housing, feeding, and petting—is only an occasional task for most public relations departments. As a matter of course, both sides find it easier to depend on news releases for trans­mitting routine information.

In fact, public relations people today go out of their way to avoid dealing with press, preferring in­stead to let their infrequent and highly controlled news releases serve as their only contact with the public. Critics blame the lack of media relations on various phenomena, including:

1. Public relations people are trying to fill too many other roles and have put media relations on the back burner.

2. Corporate managers prefer people who understand business to those who understand communication.

3. CEOs, who wish to minimalize risk, have shied away from the media.

4. The understaffing of today's media means that reporters and editors have less time for attending press events set up by PR people.

Companies don't always cater to the press. In fact, sometimes they go out of their way to control the press and deny it access to information. Some examples:

• Once Chrysler offered photographers a "photo opportunity" with chairman Lee laccoca as he toured a stamping plant near Detroit. When radio reporters tried to interview the famous industrialist, their questions were drowned out by the noise of the plant and the chattering of employees. Said the PR peo­ple: "It was billed only as a photo opportunity—why would radio people show up?"

• United Technologies Corporation barred reporters from a meeting of its chairman and board of directors with security analysts. A separate meeting was scheduled with press after­wards. The company defended its action on the grounds that each of the groups complained that the others "hog the offi­cers" after the meetings.

• The public relations agency for NCR Corporation—realizing that its news releases were right for the trade press but too technical for the business press—drafted "plain language" versions. The company vetoed the move on the grounds that it might look like it was "talking down to" the regular press.

The press conference should be used when it is clear that giving the press an opportunity to question expert sources will result in more meaningful and effective news coverage.

The press party, festive cousin to the news conference, is appropri­ate when an organization has genuine reason to mark some sort of milestone, such as an anniversary, or when the attendance of celebrities is a cause for excitement, as when astronauts pay a visit to a govern­ment contractor.

The Bank of America, whose Broad Street offices are just around the corner from the New York Stock Exchange, regularly calls in the business press for briefings by company economists on topics ranging from interest rates to trends in banking methods. It's a low-key coffee-and-donuts affair, and the emphasis is on providing background infor­mation to the writers rather than providing a headline item.

There are many ways for a press event to turn into a disaster:

• The news value may be so weak that the reporters feel fooled.

• The release may contain all the information the press needs, so reporters don't show up, and the guest or interviewee is embarrassed.

• The guest or interviewee may not perform as expected, and the press wonders why it was summoned.

• The timing may be wrong, or a breaking news event may pre­empt the attention of the press.

• The broadcast press, with its lights and microphones, may sour the print press, resulting in negative publicity.

All of these potential mistakes should be weighed before making the de­cision to proceed with a press event.

It should be clear by now that PR professionals should invite the media to attend a news conference or a special event only if there is real news, not just because it "seems like a good thing to do."

If you do have an event of interest and news value, you are ready to address several logistical considerations: whom to invite, how to issue the invitation, where to hold the event, what amenities to offer, and how to assure that the members of the press are able to gather and transmit the information with the greatest possible ease.

Two years after it acquired a large insurance holding firm, Xerox de­cided to consolidate management by replacing the acquired firm's leadership with Xerox managers. It was not an unusual business move, but one that called for great sensitivity toward all involved. As is usual in business, the announcement—both to employees and to the press—was scheduled for 4 P. M. Friday. That allows the financial press two days before the market reopens to assess the impact of the story. It also gives the fired officers the weekend to clean out their desks with­out facing other employees.

Public relations people for Xerox and the subsidiary developed a Question-and-Answer script, had it approved by management, and practiced its use before the 4 P M announcement. Several staff mem­bers would be on the phone simultaneously with members of the busi­ness press; the synchronization assured that all reporters would hear the same story.

Sample:

Q. Was the resignation of Mr. A and the retirement of Mr. B requested?

A. The A. decision was a mutual decision that flowed from an understanding of what had to be done. Mr. B. felt he had accomplished all his objectives and that this was a good time to retire.

Whom Shall We Invite?

At first, it might seem easy. But deciding whom to invite to a press conference isn't automatic. If we send an invitation or release to the managing editor or the city editor, a general-assignment reporter might be sent to the event—that is, a less experienced writer who just happens to be available. It's far wiser to invite business editors if our story involves economics, political writers if we are involved in a leg­islative matter, the entertainment columnist if we are sponsoring a cul­tural event, or a member of the "lifestyle" staff if our organization is running a summer camp for underprivileged children.

Shall we invite bona fide reporters only, or a wider list of journal­ists? If the story has legitimate spot news interest, the presence of press hangers-on may interfere with reporters who must meet a deadline. On the other hand, if our news conference is intended to suggest a continu­ing story that deserves prolonged coverage, it may be wise to invite managing editors and editorial writers, who have the responsibility of planning long-range news policy.

Should print and broadcast press be invited to the same confer­ence? If so, how can we assure that both are adequately served? Early morning and late afternoon are good times for the print press, but mid­day usually is better for television. Moreover, if television crews arrive in full force with their lights and microphones, the print press may be pushed to the side. The television reporters may want only a crisp, concise one-minute statement, preferably with visual interest, while the print reporters may prefer to probe for the in-depth stories the have the time and space to cover.

One solution to the dilemma posed by the different needs of the various media may be to hold a split conference, with the television cameras invited for one segment, and the print people given exclusive access to another segment.