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To order Winning with the News Media:
Below are excerpts from the News Conferences chapter of
Winning with the News Media
2005 Edition
Copyright © 2005, 2001, 1999, 1996
By Clarence Jones
News Conferences
Stage
Productions
That Sing and Dance
News conferences are a necessary evil. Good reporters don't like them. Everybody will come away with the same story. Most reporters need to win. To beat the competition. Stand out from the pack.
But news conferences are efficient. It would take all day to give individual interviews to a dozen news outlets. So you do them all at once at a news conference.
News conferences are also a way for you to take advantage of the fierce competition between the media. If the story is marginal, they may all use it to prevent their competitors from having a story they don’t have.
Neat, Convenient Packages
News conferences offer some real advantages. You can provide, in one, convenient place, the people that reporters would like to talk to. Properly produced, a news conference provides all the elements needed for a story in one neat, convenient package.
News conferences, when done right, give reporters everything they need to write the story you want. They inspire them to write the story from your point of view.
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The chapter continues with the advantages and disadvantages of news conferences, compared to other techniques for giving the media information
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A Theatrical Production
You should think of a news conference as a theatrical production. It needs:
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A stage (the place to hold it) |
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A script (the information you'll distribute) |
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A cast (who will be on stage) |
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Costumes (what to wear) |
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A director (usually the PR Director/PIO) |
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A program (press packages for reporters) |
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Props (what to show while you speak) |
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A rehearsal (absolute necessity) |
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An audience (how to get the media there) and |
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A final curtain (how to end it gracefully) |
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The chapter discusses each of these concepts, with examples and suggestions for optimizing each one; continues with the ideal physical setup for the room; the time of day to hold it; maintaining control if reporters become too aggressive; and tips for the cast to improve their performances.
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Don't Leave Too Soon
Good reporters who know a lot about the subject of the news conference may want to interview you privately after you finish. They don’t want to disclose their exclusive by asking key questions that would tip their competitors.
So don’t leave too soon, before those more knowledgeable reporters have a chance to buttonhole you, one-on-one.
Again, the theater analogy. It’s nice to go backstage and talk to the actors after the play.