If there’s one aspect that all PR practitioners should be aware of, it’s that when arranging an interview for a client there is only one certainty: Until the story appears, you’ll never know if it will be what you hoped for.
Experience shows that the resulting story is hardly ever all that a PR person and client wanted. But in some cases client comments can make a PR crisis worse, like when Boeing’s CEO Dennis Muilenburg originally attempted to blame the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash in March 2019 on pilot error. Or when after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, BP CEO Tony Heyward said, “There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do. You know, I’d like my life back!”
I’m a believer that all clients who have a high media profile should undergo basic media training because calls from the media about a situation can occur anytime. I also believe that these media training sessions should be supervised by an individual who has had substantial experience doing media interviews. That means someone who has been a reporter, not a person who follows what was taught in communications schools. I’m also a believer that all media training sessions should be tailored to meet situations that a client is most likely to be asked about and “from the shelve” media training techniques should be shelved. (The media is not interested in how an interviewee is dressed or if the person sits upright or slouches; they are interested in the answers to questions.)
Here are several rules that I practiced regarding dealing with the media, some for a client in crisis, some for planned interviews and some for an unexpected call from a reporter.
- Know your media before arranging interviews.
- Correct a reporter’s or your client’s errors immediately.
- Tell your client not to free-lance. If he/she doesn’t know the answers to a question say so.
- It’s okay to tell a reporter information is proprietary. (An interview is not a legal proceeding.)
- Don’t fall for the, “I’m on deadline routine and need an immediate answer.” It’s okay to say, “I’ll get back to you.”
- Don’t let an interviewer interrupt an answer. Insist on completing it.
- Nothing is ever off-the-record.
- Even when the notebook is put away and the tape recorder or video camera is turned off, what is said is on-the-record.
- Prepare a list of tough questions that may be asked; have members of your team play reporters interviewing the client. After the mock interview, write three stories to demonstrate how the same story can be written differently. Use the mock interviews to refine the client’s answers.
- Critique each actual interview so your client can be better during the next one.
- Monitor the websites of the major dailies several times a day, also the business magazines and trade pubs sites. Notify a client immediately if there is a story that may result in questions from media.
- Preparing a client for an interview should always include deciding on at least three message points.
- If you’re aware of a flash-point that may attract media attention, prepare several statements in advance that can easily be modified and used if needed.
- For foreign clients coming to the U.S., prepare a briefing book containing possible tough questions and suggested answers; also, for U.S. clients, if the interview subject is controversial.
- When an unsolicited media call is received, the recipient should ask the nature of the call and say, “I’ll try to find the proper person and get back to you.”
- After speaking to a reporter, e-mail the answers provided, thus having a written record of what you said.
- Clients don’t have to give in to the media pressure of telling all immediately.” But never lie to or mislead a reporter.
- Always have preliminary prepared crisis communication plans, covering different possible situations that may affect a client so you don’t have to start from scratch if you need one. But remember, each crisis deserves different and original thinking, so these plans have to be updated according to the situation.
- Always clear media statements with the corporate attorney.
- And remember: Even your best media friend can’t protect you if a big name client messes up during an interview. Too many eyes are watching.
In my opinion, even if it means delaying a statement for a day or two, or sometimes three during a crisis, until facts are substantiated, a statement like, “We are still investigating the situation and at this time anything we say would be conjecture. Thus, at this time we have nothing new to disclose and will release all information as soon as we establish the reason for the situation.” That’s because rushing out a statement that will later have to be corrected leads to additional negative media coverage. If the crisis has resulted in deaths or injury, statements should also include a line conveying sympathy.
The are six take-a-ways from every crisis media training session that always should be remembered:
- Initial responses should always be empathetic.
- Do not try to avoid accepting responsibility.
- Do not rush out a statement.
- Do not be pressured by the media.
- Never lie or mislead the media.
- And most important: Protecting the client is always at the top of the “to do” list, so always clear everything with the corporate attorney.
Also, remember the maxim I originated many decades ago, which still makes sense today and has been co-opted by others without giving credit to the originator: “Unlike clothing, there is no one size fits all PR crisis plan; every crisis situation deserves original thinking.”
