On his blog, Fleet Street PR, Dave Fleet blogged on December 20 about how not to deal with the media. He featured an email trail between Newfoundland journalist Craig Westcott and Elizabeth Matthews, the Director of Communications for Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams. The back and forth between the director and the Telegraph reporter is very revealing and shows how getting into an email battle with a reporter does not pay off. There is no winning at all in these cases. I would also add the getting involved in an email war with anyone is never a good idea. You never know where emails like this will show up and it’s better to deal with arguments in person or at least over the phone. It’s not as easy as to argue a point in person as by email but it is not the right way to deal with a sensitive issue ever.
Dave’s posting made me think of a video that I had seen a little while ago. It features a Missouri politician named Joe Ortwerth who came up with a very unusual way of avoiding a question from KTVI reporter Elliot Davis in October 2002. Mr. Ortwerth is still in political office it appears but his reputation must have suffered at least somewhat from this interaction. It really speaks to how media training is a must for any public figure. Have a look: http://www.myragantv.com/video/?d=299
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Tags: media relations, media training, reporters
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joshturner[at]rogers.com
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Bad idea to put stuff in e-mail. You never know where it will show up. But I have some heart for Elizabeth Mathews here. I’ve been in that situation before, though not in the political sphere. Sometimes you’d rather have nothing written by someone than further attacks, hyperbole and over-the-top opinions.