A recent article in the Chicago Tribune profiled people who use part of their summer vacations for volunteer humanitarian service (link below). Among those interviewed was Paula Amenta, who had worked as a counselor at a camp for at-risk kids.
What country had Paula stated that she visited? Zambia.
What did the paper report? Zaire.
Ouch!
OK, it’s easy enough to bring this to the reporter’s attention and ask for a correction to be published in the next edition. However, papers usually publish corrections in some obscure corner of an inside page.
As a best practice, I write my own summary notes memo, either before or following an interview, and submit it to the reporter. If someone else is the designated interviewee, I am always present during the interview – whether it’s in person or by phone.
Before the interview, I ask the reporter for a preliminary list of questions or, at least, a topic outline. This enables me to gather internal information and prepare talking points for myself or the designated interviewee. I prepare talking points regardless of the level of the level of expertise. Those talking points then become the post-interview summary notes — attached, of course, to your friendly “thank you” note to the reporter.
It’s a supplement to the reporter’s own note-taking and helps prevent misspelled names, misstated job titles, fact-flipping, and other inaccuracies.
Is it spoon-feeding? Do reporters balk? Sure, initially. I’ve found, however, that this practice can foster better relationships with reporters, even entice them to become beat reporters on your organization. Providing your summary notes can make reporters perceive you as helpful, responsive, and especially resourceful on sensitive issues or technically complex topics.
My memo also goes to the organization’s board members as well as cross-departmental/divisional managers and executives, who may decide to share it with their staff members. This way, I am the first and best news source. No need for them to turn on the news or open the paper and go, “What the…?” or, “I didn’t know….!”
Preferably, by the time it hits print, broadcast or online media, it’s old news. Beyond the headline and a lead sentence, there’s little or no need for busy people in my organization to invest much time digesting the media’s take on something I’ve already fed through my internal memo.
What do you think?
Oh, and by the way, Chicago Tribune: Zaire was the former name of the African nation known today as Democratic Republic of the Congo. The name was officially reverted in 1997.
Ouch again!
LINK:
“For more vacationers, getaways are a chance to give,” by Andrea L. Brown, Chicago Tribune, August 28, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-vacation-volunteer-nzone-28-aug28,0,6706831.story
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