The number one rule in PR? Never attack the media. Rephrase a question. Rebut assumptions. But never attack the media.
The advice I always give is that when dealing with an unprofessional journalist who is trying to provoke an emotional response from you, is to imagine that it's a child asking you the question. How would you respond to a child? Odds are you would smile and then calmly explain why their question is inappropriate.
Attacking the media in an aggressive fashion almost always results in a negative outcome. I can't think of a single instance where doing so has resulted in a positive outcome.
Yet despite this truism, Conrad Black just tore into a journalist and I have to say, whether you agree or disagree with Black and his positions, as far as breaking the number one rule in PR goes, he did so successfully.
A lot of this comes down to Black's ability to be more articulate than the journalist. The other thing that works for Black here is that he comes across as wholly authentic. The number two rule in PR is to be genuine. When something comes across as 100 per cent genuine you can break a lot of PR rules and still have a successful interview (although very few people are prepared to be 100 authentic and often mistake being 90 per cent authentic as being enough, but it never is!)
Interview starts at 4:12 mark
The advice I always give is that when dealing with an unprofessional journalist who is trying to provoke an emotional response from you, is to imagine that it's a child asking you the question. How would you respond to a child? Odds are you would smile and then calmly explain why their question is inappropriate.
Attacking the media in an aggressive fashion almost always results in a negative outcome. I can't think of a single instance where doing so has resulted in a positive outcome.
Yet despite this truism, Conrad Black just tore into a journalist and I have to say, whether you agree or disagree with Black and his positions, as far as breaking the number one rule in PR goes, he did so successfully.
A lot of this comes down to Black's ability to be more articulate than the journalist. The other thing that works for Black here is that he comes across as wholly authentic. The number two rule in PR is to be genuine. When something comes across as 100 per cent genuine you can break a lot of PR rules and still have a successful interview (although very few people are prepared to be 100 authentic and often mistake being 90 per cent authentic as being enough, but it never is!)
Interview starts at 4:12 mark
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