my point of view…

Meet the Press

There are very few things that strike fear in the heart of an aggregate producer—flyrock, unexpected equipment failure, an MSHA inspection. But even more scary than all of these is the dreaded phone call from a local reporter. Okay, that may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but I’m willing to bet my steel-toed boots that even the most seasoned veteran would rather spend hours in the dentist’s chair than talk to a reporter.
Fear of the media is not without cause. Every month, numerous stories about the aggregate industry appear in print or on the evening news. Some of those articles are the result of straight reporting, but others are thinly disguised editorials masquerading as news. When interviewed, your goal is to have your company’s interests portrayed in the best possible light.
So, how best do you handle the phone call from the local reporter? Here are a few simple guidelines.
• Take a few minutes to prepare. When you receive an unanticipated phone call from a reporter, it’s okay to say that you are in the middle of something. Ask the reporter what the call is about and offer to call back or to schedule an interview later that day. The caveat here is to follow through. If you don’t return the call promptly or evade a follow-up call, the reporter is liable to adopt a less-than-favorable disposition with you and your operation.
• Notify the right people. As soon as a reporter calls, the first people you should talk to are the plant superintendent and the company’s public relations expert. The superintendent needs to know what is happening at the operation. The public relations person can help you prepare for the interview or help direct the reporter to someone better qualified to handle it.
• Know the reporter’s point of view. It is extremely helpful to know who the local reporters are and understand what type of bias they may bring to an interview. Is it a business reporter, a community reporter, an environmental reporter, etc.? Unless you’re talking about a reclamation project, you would probably plan differently for a call from AggMan than for a call from Earth First! Journal. The differences on the local scale may be more subtle, but no less important.
• Plan your message. Before the interview begins, you should have a list of talking points. For example, if a reporter calls to ask about dust, talk about your wheel-washing program. If he calls about a neighbor’s complaint, talk about the neighborhood action group you’ve established to work with your neighbors on a proactive basis.
• Repeat your message. Think of the interview like a paper you had to prepare in high school English class. Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them. It may sound like overkill, but the reporter will eventually get it.
• Speak in sound bites. Short and sweet is usually the best response. While on vacation last summer, my family was approached by a news crew from a local television station. When asked why we chose that particular vacation destination, my husband waxed nostalgic about similar vacations from his childhood. I gave a 10-second response on the practicalities of traveling with three small children. Guess whose response appeared on the evening news and whose ended up on the cutting room floor?
If you follow these points, I can’t guarantee positive press, but it should make the end result less painful than a root canal.

June 2002 my point of view... Meet the Press				my point of view… Meet the Press There are very few things that strike fear in the heart of an aggregate producer—flyrock, unexpected equipment failure, an MSHA inspection. But even more scary than all of these is the dreaded phone call from a local reporter. Okay, that may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but I’m willing to bet my steel-toed boots that even the most seasoned veteran would rather spend hours in the dentist’s chair than talk to a reporter. Fear of the media is not without cause. Every month, numerous stories about the aggregate industry appear in print or on the evening news. Some of those articles are the result of straight reporting, but others are thinly disguised editorials masquerading as news. When interviewed, your goal is to have your company’s interests portrayed in the best possible light. So, how best do you handle the phone call from the local reporter? Here are a few simple guidelines. • Take a few minutes to prepare. When you receive an unanticipated phone call from a reporter, it’s okay to say that you are in the middle of something. Ask the reporter what the call is about and offer to call back or to schedule an interview later that day. The caveat here is to follow through. If you don’t return the call promptly or evade a follow-up call, the reporter is liable to adopt a less-than-favorable disposition with you and your operation. • Notify the right people. As soon as a reporter calls, the first people you should talk to are the plant superintendent and the company’s public relations expert. The superintendent needs to know what is happening at the operation. The public relations person can help you prepare for the interview or help direct the reporter to someone better qualified to handle it. • Know the reporter’s point of view. It is extremely helpful to know who the local reporters are and understand what type of bias they may bring to an interview. Is it a business reporter, a community reporter, an environmental reporter, etc.? Unless you’re talking about a reclamation project, you would probably plan differently for a call from AggMan than for a call from Earth First! Journal. The differences on the local scale may be more subtle, but no less important. • Plan your message. Before the interview begins, you should have a list of talking points. For example, if a reporter calls to ask about dust, talk about your wheel-washing program. If he calls about a neighbor’s complaint, talk about the neighborhood action group you’ve established to work with your neighbors on a proactive basis. • Repeat your message. Think of the interview like a paper you had to prepare in high school English class. Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them. It may sound like overkill, but the reporter will eventually get it. • Speak in sound bites. Short and sweet is usually the best response. While on vacation last summer, my family was approached by a news crew from a local television station. When asked why we chose that particular vacation destination, my husband waxed nostalgic about similar vacations from his childhood. I gave a 10-second response on the practicalities of traveling with three small children. Guess whose response appeared on the evening news and whose ended up on the cutting room floor? If you follow these points, I can’t guarantee positive press, but it should make the end result less painful than a root canal.