I was on the phone yesterday with a college president I know who asked me if I or anyone in my Fire Department ever encountered an “Ambush” journalist at the firehouse front door. She had been confronted by a TV consumer complaint investigative reporter who does a segment a few times a week about viewer problems. The reporter and camera crew were waiting for the president to arrive at work.
A student had contacted the segment about a perceived injustice that he thought the college was responsible for. My friend remained calm upon confrontation and the segment ended up being a non segment because her demeanor and well timed answers defused the situation. While one can argue that this is shoddy journalism, the truth is that this tactic could have given the consumer reporter exactly what he was after – a juicy story.
I’ve scoured the internet to try to find a definitive example of Ambush Journalism. It took a while to land one but I hooked a whopper! Here in my mind is a St. Patrick’s Day fiasco that involved a County Clerk’s office, a lot of green, a slot machine and a staff totally ill prepared to handle the confrontation.
So obviously the Clerk’s office did everything wrong. How do we do it right?
Here are some tips to do everything right if a reporter is waiting outside of the firehouse to ask the Chief a hot button question as he enters the building.
As an example, the Chief is confronted at the firehouse door by a reporter who states that “the homeowner says your response time in his estimation was extremely slow to the fire. Isn’t it true his house would have been saved if you got their faster?”
Some ways to handle the encounter -
Be prepared. Although ambush interviews are quite rare, it is important to prepare for such occasions. Be aware of potential issues that the media might want to pursue and develop potential responses should the media come calling unexpectedly.
Develop protocol. Make sure that your Department and its members know what to do should a reporter show up at the door to confront. It is our responsibility to inform our members and officers how to respond in this type of situation. Since this issue was brought to my attention by the college president, it is something I will review on the floor at the next Department meeting.
Return phone calls. Reporters sometimes resort to ambush interviews if they are unable to get information or if people don’t return calls. Ambush interviews are used to force the person’s hand. Don’t let it come to this. Even if you don’t want to do an interview, return the reporter’s call. By being responsive, you may prevent an ambush interview later.
Don’t run. Reporters love to get footage of someone dodging a camera or putting their hand in front of the lens. Avoidance tactics only make the situation worse. It is much better to stop and address the reporter.
Try rescheduling. Instead of answering questions right then and there, tell the reporter that you would be happy to sit down and talk at a time that would be more convenient. This accomplishes two things – you give the reporter the opportunity to ask questions and it allows you to prepare and respond in a more controlled environment.
Answer the questions (or state why you can’t). If the reporter insists on continuing right then and there, calmly answer his or her questions if you can. It is better to say “I’ll look into that homeowners concern” than to avoid the questions or run away from the reporter.
Remain calm. It’s easier said than done, but perhaps the most important tip for handling an ambush interview is to remain calm like my friend at the college did. Reporters create these situations to invoke your temper or take advantage of your nerves. Don’t let them.
Also on The Fire PIO…
- How do I Address a Judge? – November 18, 2010
- Even the Walls have Ears – November 24, 2010
You are writing about one of my favorite topics. Thanks to 60 Minutes, ambush interviews became standard in TV news. They became such a cliche that 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt backed away from them. I am not a fan of the tactic unless there are no other options. Too much theater in it for me.
Here is my personal philosophy on the subject. I am a local TV reporter. I must deal with you tomorrow and the next day. My job isn’t to make you look good or bad but to get the news and information we think is important. I need to do my job with fairness and respect. That doesn’t mean I can’t be tough and ask difficult questions (and be a royal pain when I think we are not getting the information or access we should be getting.)
I almost always look at an ambush interview as a last resort. If you are a public figure and you don’t take my calls, or avoid sitting down for an interview on something we think is newsworthy, you will force my hand to chase you down. It is rare that it gets to that point, because I usually warn the subject or the PIO that I will soon be staking them out. They usually get the hint and find a way to do an interview.
One of the more infamous fire related ones I did was a suburban Maryland fire chief who just wouldn’t talk to us about some very controversial issues that had a direct impact on public safety. I am sure that the still employed PIO will vouch for me when I say I tried numerous times to get an interview. When it didn’t happen, I took the only opportunity I had and followed the chief across the ballroom of where the department’s annual awards banquet was beind held (as it was breaking up). That may have been the last time I saw that chief in person until the day he was fired (not too long after that).
As for classics in this field, here is one from February in the Atlanta area. I think you will see the PIO didn’t handle it as well as her boss did. My impression is that the police security for the DeKalb County CEO did a remarkable job of being restrained. The officer used his head much more than the PIO did. I have seen police make this type of situation much worse (as the PIO did).
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video/22603563/index.html
I think you can also find this on YouTube.
Statter