Like in the movie Groundhog Day I have a situation that happens over and over again, in the same manner each June. My department hands out a number of scholarships to deserving students at the high school, I take pictures, submit them to the local paper and they never get printed.
Everything I normally send to this newspaper gets printed, I have a great relationship with the paper, its employees and editor but each year for some unknown reason the scholarship story and photos never makes it to print.
This lack of coverage brings consternation to the folks in the firehouse who work on this program. Unfortunately magic wands are only in fairy tales and I do not try to usurp the press. I cannot tell them what to print and what not to print.
I can tell them if a story, quote, photo caption or fact is inaccurate, but I can’t tell them what to place in an edition. I don’t know their reasoning behind this one or if it is just a coincidence, but scholarship photos and the paper haven’t seemed to mix.
Have any of my fellow PIO’s had a similar situation? Are we crossing the editorial line by asking why a story is not being printed?
I’m probably standing too much on journalistic formality.
Also on The Fire PIO…
- Even the Walls have Ears – November 24, 2010
- A PIO Social Media Christmas – December 22, 2010
- Looks like we are getting some Respect – December 7, 2010
- How do I Address a Judge? – November 18, 2010
As the “de facto” PIO in our department and a long time public relations consultant, I understand your frustration. Gone are the days when a good story could tell itself. These days there are so many good stories (and so much competition for news space) that they tend to cancel each other out. In this particular situation perhaps a slightly different approach might help. Tactics like issuing a joint release with the involved school district(s) can be reinforced by both entities reaching out to the editor / reporter responsible for community or education news. The more community touch points a potential story has the more interest the media has in covering it.
In regards to asking a media outlet why they didn’t run a story, why not? I have found that the probability of them responding is largely dependent on how you ask. A frustrated “This is a good story. Why didn’t you run it?” will put them on the defensive. An inquiry as to how you might have packaged it better for them says you are trying to help them do their job.
I agree with John -
1. It doesn’t hurt to ask, as long as it’s asking and not whining, and as long as you don’t ask EVERY time a piece doesn’t get printed.
2. I think partnering with another entity adds punch. You never know what name or angle might “inspire” an editor to push your piece to the public.
3. They suffer from information overload probably more than anyone. It doesn’t hurt to drop a personal phone call to capture some “top of mind” real estate once in a while. It’s also an opportunity to gain insight on their needs and wants, and an opportunity to just say thanks.
Stay safe. Train often.