Pesky questions: Dealing with journalists “Now, you and me, we’re on the same side. Let me tell you what you need to write.”
He was a state university vice president. I was on the college paper staff, working on my first serious investigation. I may have been new, but I knew we weren’t on the same side and he didn’t understand that he was only making me more skeptical.
Now, years later, I’ve been on both sides. I can tell you that no, we weren’t on the same side. But we didn’t have to be opponents.
Journalists and government officials have different motives and goals. These won’t always align. But that doesn’t mean they’re always hostile either. The overarching goal of both is to serve the public, though in different ways.
You can’t control what reporters will say or write, but you can earn their trust and respect by being forthright and responsive
Journalists may – indeed, will probably – ask questions you really don’t want to answer, or just don’t think are important. Nevertheless, it’s vital to respond in some way. Silence, denial or evasion won’t make a dedicated reporter give up. Those only make the reporter dig harder, on the working assumption that something is being deliberately hidden.
When you’re dealing with journalists, it’s essential to have an understanding of what they want and need. You can’t control what reporters will say or write, but you can earn their trust and respect by being forthright and responsive – and when you want something covered, knowing what information will pique their interest.
What journalists are interested in is not necessarily what government officials find fascinating, especially if it’s couched in deadly dull officialese. Journalists want to cover things that are of interest or use to their readers, listeners and viewers, so news releases need to state up front why a particular thing is important.
What do news consumers find useful? That varies by news outlet – a business magazine will have a different audience from a local TV newscast – but for general publications the basic list is pretty clear:
• Your money
• Affecting your neighborhood, job, shopping or commute
• Affecting your family – particularly children and elderly
• Things to do
If you can relate your information to those general subjects, you’re more likely to get a journalist’s attention. Explain why, from your perspective, something is or isn’t significant enough to warrant coverage – but don’t be offended if they disagree.
From the government side, I can see there is often considerable public confusion about exactly what government does. Many services provided by local government fly under the radar, operating so routinely and smoothly that their existence is taken for granted.
New reporters may not realize this. Experienced reporters are aware of these complex essential functions, but like government workers themselves, reporters can be so close to the details that the big picture escapes them. Governments have an opportunity, indeed a responsibility, to explain those hidden stories.
Propose or produce explainers on how things work. Walk people through the processes. Even better, give the stories a human face by featuring “unsung” employees who perform those functions, explaining their jobs in the process.
You may find journalists are “pushy.” But remember they’re working under tight deadlines, and they usually don’t set those deadlines themselves. There is an editor (or more than one!) quizzing them just as they’re quizzing you: asking when they can have a story finished, asking for more details or a relevant quote, asking if they can confirm a rumor or match what another outlet is reporting.
In these days of 24-hour news cycles, those deadlines are constant: the next broadcast, the next print edition, the next hourly update to the website.
That’s why responsiveness is essential. Even if you can’t say anything, or don’t have any information yet, acknowledge a request. Even if it’s an issue you really don’t want to talk about, a polite response will mean the difference between a report saying “Officials declined to comment at this time due to (legal reason)” and “Officials ignored or refused repeated requests for comment.”
Jim Gaines is a public affairs manager for Fulton County, Georgia’s largest county by population and home to Atlanta. He previously worked in the communications division of the Kentucky Department of Education and spent more than 20 years covering government as a reporter or editor. He has worked for nine newspapers in seven states, most recently at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
