Everybody has a boss: Good journalists follow the rules, too

Friday, May 16th, 2008

I recently blogged about some basic media training tips to which everyone should adhere. A colleague who is on the other side of the interview said it would be nice if reporters had some rules to follow, too.

Hey, they do! Don’t be afraid to be a good source that isn’t a push-over.

1. Reporters know a little bit about a lot of things; it’s the nature of the work to  know about subjects a mile wide and an inch deep. Remember, they are calling you for the news – so don’t assume they already know every important detail. Share with them what you can so they truly understand the issue from your perspective. If they refuse to listen and it shows in their story, well, everybody has a boss.
 
2. Journalists are powerful, and I’ve said before it’s a tough fight to win when someone buys ink by the gallon. But there are limits and you as a source should never be bullied into doing or saying something you don’t agree with. Remember, everybody has a boss.

3. Journalists are busy in offices that are understaffed and they have too much work to get done on too tight of a deadline. Sound familiar? If I just described your job, then you get my point. Journalists have a deadline and we should work with them as best we can. If it’s impossible to get them the information before their deadline, you need to be up front with them. Tell them you need more time to collect that kind of data or your boss simply isn’t available to drop everything to come running to talk to them. After awhile, good reporters learn not to leave things to deadline unless it’s an emergency, and then you’re usually more willing to help anyway. And what about those reporters who don’t get good interviews because they wait until the last minute for all their stories? Well, everybody has a boss.

 4. Journalists may call looking for your boss as the know-it-all in the office, but don’t be afraid to help them out, even if it’s not for attribution. (And often, that’s the only way you can talk to them.) It will save them and you a headache if they don’t end up on the phone asking mundane background questions that they could have gotten answered at a Web site you directed them to. Reporters who insist on talking only the top person in an organization won’t land good stories. And when you don’t land good stories often enough, well, everybody has a boss.

5. And, finally for this shortened list of rules – it’s ok to say “I don’t know.” And it’s ok to keep saying “I don’t know,” even when the reporter asks the same question in 10 different ways. If you don’t know the answer and you can’t find it out, say that. Be honest! If you don’t know and you can find out, then do so. Good reporters will understand that if the answer is complicated it may take some time. Because you’re working on your own deadline headaches – and everybody has a boss.

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