SNOW IN NYC AND THE STATE OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
Here are some random musings of a PR firm owner:
· Every year, I say the same thing right about now – as long as newspapers are published, TV stations are airing, and news is being reported, we as a PR agency will work during the holiday season. In fact, with snow causing extensive flight cancellations, there are now many more opportunities available for guests who would not otherwise be booked.
· The beauty of working in Public Relations is you really wont know what your day looks like until you arrive—this is even more true at a PR agency.
· There is a consensus amongst reporters that they have the right to inquire about whatever they want. I agree, they do. But, on the other hand, people/companies have the right to push back and say “No, we will not allow you access to this information.” Here at 5WPR, we do a tremendous amount of crisis communications work for companies, brands and individuals. Most of these clients we cannot name and we often turndown requests from reporters, knowing they will run negative stories…
For example:
To assume, as this article does, that allowing a reporter access to privileged information will result in a positive outcome is not only inaccurate, it’s naive. It seems more likely that the organization mentioned in the article realizes they are doomed to negative coverage, and therefore they see little value in disclosing more information to an individual with malintentions. Oftentimes, I agree with this approach.
As an example: There is a producer who has hounded a client of mine 3 years or so in an effort to get an interview. Finally, 3 months ago, he called me and said, “If you don’t give me this interview, I will never contact you again regarding this client”….and my response was, “Promise?” We all understand that reporters have to try and secure the story. But, why doesn’t the media understand that PR people have to serve and protect our clients in times of crisis?
It’s a real winter day here in NYC…. And we toil away at our desks here at this PR firm.
Tags: NYC, Public Relations
