Shoving reporters is not a great media strategy

Shoving reporters is not a great media strategy

Another day, another media circus around Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. CBC reporter Steven D'Souza just posted this Vine video of one of the Mayor's aides physically shoving reporters out of the way. As you can see from the video, this is pretty aggressive stuff. D'Souza said in a later tweet that the shoving was much worse inside the office area.

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How big is the Rob Ford story? Let's ask Google Trends

How big is the Rob Ford story? Let's ask Google Trends

Mayor Rob Ford is (once again) dominating news headlines after Toronto Police announced they have a copy of the infamous cellphone video from last May. But just how big is the Rob Ford story? To give you an idea, here's a Google Trends comparison of worldwide news search volumes over the past 30 days. To put the media attention around the Rob Ford story in context, I wanted to compare search volumes around other big names in the news this month...

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Stonewalling the media only delays the inevitable

Stonewalling the media only delays the inevitable

 A little over five months. In the end, that's how much time Toronto Mayor was able to buy himself by stonewalling the media when faced with accusations of appearing in a video smoking a crack pipe. 

Ford was swarmed relentlessly by the media for weeks last spring. At his home. At his office. At official events. His response was to ignore their questions. His most fulsome statement, made on May 24, 2013, one week after the allegations first surfaced, included the following quote: "Number one, there's no video, so that's all I can say. I can't comment on something that doesn't exist." 

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"Should I ask the reporter for their questions in advance?"

"Should I ask the reporter for their questions in advance?"

"Is it okay to ask the reporter to send me their list of questions before the interview?"

I get this question at least once a week. And the answer I give is a qualified "no". 

I get the impulse to want to ask the reporter for a nice list of all the questions they're going to ask you. After all, you want the interview (and resulting story) to be a success. You want to give yourself an edge. To have an early warning system for any potential surprises. Here's the problem: Getting the reporter's questions in advance is really a false security blanket that can cause more problems than it solves...

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Jaymes Diaz's 'deer-in-the-headlights' TV interview

Jaymes Diaz's 'deer-in-the-headlights' TV interview

It's a textbook example of the importance of making time to prepare for your media interviews. Australian politician Jaymes Diaz was recently being interviewed by TV reporter John Hill when he was asked about his plan for addressing illegal migrants entering Australia by boat. Diaz cites his party's "...six point plan to make sure that we do stop the  boats". When the journalist prompts Diaz for details, however, the politician is unable to recall even a single point.

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Burkhardt's poor media relations skills making bad situation worse

Burkhardt's poor media relations skills making bad situation worse

It's been nearly a month since the deadly train disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, which claimed the lives of 47 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Several days after the deadly derailment occurred, Edward Burkhardt, chairman of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic, the train company involved in the crash, held an impromptu press conference in the town. Burkhardt was widely criticized by communicators, the media and the public for what appeared to be a completely tone deaf and insensitive response to the unfolding crisis. So when the CBC interviewed Burkhardt on July 31, listeners might have assumed the railway executive would have undergone extensive media training and that he be able to demonstrate some level of sympathy, regret and a commitment to get to the bottom of what caused the disaster to help prevent something like this from happening in the future. 

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The perils of 'off the record'

The perils of 'off the record'

As communications director to Anthony Weiner, Barbara Morgan was probably secretly awaiting some controversial gaffe by a public figure that would distract the media's attention from her serial sexting employer. Well, mission accomplished. The problem (for Morgan, at least) was that she, herself, was the source of the controversial distraction. While reacting to news that a former intern had written a disparaging article about Weiner and his mayoral campaign in the New York Daily News, Morgan launched into a hard-core, foul-mouthed tirade about the former intern while speaking to a reporter...

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Twitter metrics show extent of backlash against Weiner

Twitter metrics show extent of backlash against Weiner

For the second time in just over two years, Anthony Weiner, the former New York congressman and NYC mayoral hopeful, held a press conference apologizing for sending explicit photos to women over the Internet. In 2011, his indiscretions forced him to resign from Congress. This time, however, Weiner says he isn't going anywhere and will remain in the race for mayor of New York City. But will the voting public let Weiner (and his alter-ego, 'Carlos Danger') off the hook yet again? Using Twitter as a barometer to gauge the public's reaction to Weinergate-2, early indications suggest the serial sexter's luck may be running out... 

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Marketing to #RoyalBaby: Clever or overkill?

Marketing to #RoyalBaby: Clever or overkill?

News of Tuesday's royal birth sparked millions of tweets from around the world. Minutes after the official announcement that William and Kate's first child had been born, Twitter activity peaked at 25,300 tweets per minute. Many of the messages were from well-wishers, those questioning the amount of hype surrounding the birth, and others trying to inject some humour into the occasion...

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Quebec mayor by day, kitten killer by night

Quebec mayor by day, kitten killer by night

What is the deal with Canada's mayors? There's the crack video allegations swirling about Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. The resignation of Laval Mayor Alexandre Duplessis after being linked to a sex scandal. (Oh, and Mr. Duplessis was appointed after Laval's former mayor was forced out of office because of corruption allegations). Then there's the resignation of Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum, who faces charges involving fraud, conspiracy and corruption... 

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You can run, but you can't hide (from reporters)

You can run, but you can't hide (from reporters)

You've been ignoring their calls and interview requests for two days, but here they are, a throng of reporters, in person, demanding your company's side of the story.They're shouting questions at you, following you as you walk down the street. You can feel the giant TV camera lenses focused on you. The bright lights are searing your retinas. Your heart feels like it's in your throat. Your mind is racing as you search your memory banks for the right thing to do or say -- but to no avail. You feel like a caged animal. Your 'fight or flight' instinct kicks in. You need to make a split second decision:

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Three steps to better media pitches

Three steps to better media pitches

The Internet has brought the world many wonderful things: the ability to instantly share a photo of your dinner with everyone you know, viral cat videos and never-ending news about celebrity antics. One downside? Way too much information. Now, imagine being a reporter...

 

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Media relations is like a BBQ

Media relations is like a BBQ

Who doesn't love a good barbecue? The sizzle and smoke-infused goodness of your favorite meat on the grill. The tantalizing texture and flavor of grilled peppers, onions and buttered asparagus. And, of course, the palpable anticipation of family and friends as they await a meal, expertly cooked under the open sky. Few summer activities can rival the awesomeness of a barbecue that goes according to plan. But you might be surprised at how often things don't go according to plan...

 

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50 great gifts Canada gave the world

50 great gifts Canada gave the world

Canada Day is here!

The greatest country in the world is turning 146. And while Canadians are generally considered to be polite, under-the-radar type folks, Canada has given the world some of its greatest inventions. In honour of Canada Day, here are 50 of Canada's greatest gifts to the world:

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Media interview pitfall: The awkward pause

Media interview pitfall: The awkward pause

When preparing for a media interview, most people will spend at least a few minutes trying to predict the questions the reporter might ask. It's a great exercise to try and get inside the journalist's head and stress test your messages and point of view before the interview. Far fewer people, however, take the time to plan what they'll say or do in the absence of a question...

 

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Preventing the on-air F-bomb

Preventing the on-air F-bomb

Fox reporter Lindsay Nadrich isn't having the best week. Nadrich, a TV journalist in Spokane, Washington, recently did a segment about picking strawberries in the rain. What the viewers at home saw was the reporter speaking on camera, stumbling over a few words and then making light of the flub by dropping a few f-bombs...

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A lesson in how not to handle a crisis

A lesson in how not to handle a crisis

She was once the queen of greased up, fat-friendly, calorific Southern cooking on the Food Network. But after a bizarre few days that included an admission she once used horribly racist language  and ended with her blowing off a previously scheduled, heavily promoted Today Show interview , Ms. Deen has been unceremoniously booted from her throne as food television royalty. There are a few lessons observers can take away from the way Ms. Deen and her representatives handled this mess... 

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How to handle a media scrum during a crisis

How to handle a media scrum during a crisis

When it comes to media scrums, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that the vast majority of people will make it through their entire careers without finding themselves at the center of one of these stressful, impromptu press conferences. The bad news is that if you do find yourself suddenly surrounded by a circle of clamoring reporters during a crisis, you will have likely had very little time to prepare...  

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Does your website use pop-ups? Really?

Does your website use pop-ups? Really?

You're scrolling through your Twitter feed. You're intrigued by a headline. You click and get redirected to the website. You get about two words into the content and suddenly the screen is overtaken by an annoying pop-up. "Download our free e-book!" "Learn how to get more leads!" "Register for our conference!"  To many, a website pop-up can be as irritating as a door-to-door salesman and a telemarketing call during dinner happening at the same time. It's jarring. It's obtrusive. And after you've convinced me to click on your link, it's like a broken promise...

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