By Oliver Wates, MediaTrain Director
It’s a familiar scenario. The conference is launched with an opening speech by the Minister, or other senior politician, invited because in Ruritania that’s the way it’s done – a gesture of support, and ownership, from the government. A throng of journalists listen and take notes as the Minister declares the conference to be “an important stage in our national progress towards a stronger society” or “a powerful illustration of collaboration between the public and private sectors”. Then the Minister departs in a whirl of handshakes, embraces and flashbulbs.
And, to the despair of the organisers, the journalists all go too, taking their notebooks, their laptops, their microphones and their television cameras with them. And all the public will learn of the event, on the afternoon radio bulletins, the evening television news, or tomorrow’s newspapers, will be the political platitudes. Left unheard will be the real theme of the conference – the importance of action to help chicken-farmers improve marketing techniques, the need for teaching schoolchildren basic handwashing, the urgency of funding for research into a new strain of river-blindness.
It’s hard to blame the journalists. Quoting the Minister is cheap, simple and required. And in today’s cash-starved media world, you can be back in your office for lunch, ready to cover another story in the afternoon. Getting to grips with an “issue” needs a much bigger investment in time and energy and, far too often, a leap of faith, because few organisations, businesses or NGOs know how to present their wares in a way attractive to the news media.
“Leaving with the Minister” is just one of the trials faced by media relations practitioners seeking to get their messages to the public in many developing countries. With forethought and a little training, there are things you can do to improve the odds.
- Polish your messages to make them more newsworthy, and “sell” them to the journalists in advance. Brief the key reporters over lunch, or if you have a camera-friendly venue, invite them on a visit.
- Immediately after the ceremonial opening, persuade the Minister to give a joint news conference with the chief “expert”, or the president of your association, where the real issues can be properly aired.
- Separate the practical/technical aspect from the protocol. Get the serious work out of the way before the Minister appears so there will be some actual results for him or her to give ministerial endorsement to.
It won’t be easy. But then the lot of the Media Relations practitioner is seldom easy in the developing world. Here are some of the other hazards you have to negotiate:
- “Brown envelope” journalism – no coverage without a healthy wodge of cash up front.
- “Press Pass Freeloading” – journalists who get instant access to any publicity reception, with no intention of ever writing a word on the subject.
- Polarisation between pro- and anti-government media; every issue has to be seen through the party-political prism.
- News organisations so poor they cannot afford to send reporters across town to your press conferences – unless you pay the bus fares up front.
- Journalists unable to comprehend the difference between reporting objectively on a successful business and giving it free advertising.
- A public so cynical they imagine every “positive” story must have been paid for, so journalists are unwilling to write them.
- Executives or spokespeople so nervous about offending the powers that be that they constantly prefer blandness over impact, and ambiguity over clarity.
It’s enough to make a media professional despair. But in the age of the internet and mobile phone, no Media Relations policy is not an option.
Let MediaTrain help you make the most out of these events. We are experienced journalists ourselves, and we know what gets attention and how to package it.