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August 14, 2005
Understand the nuances
People who don’t do well as government media professionals handle press calls as if they were staffing a consumer hotline:
a) Take down the reporter’s inquiry.
b) Go to the appropriate wonk and get the “correct” answer.
c) Call the reporter back and parrot what the wonk said.
This approach is fine when the reporter is asking for something simple, like the number of people who visit the department of motor vehicles on a monthly basis. But if it’s something more complex that may involve the expenditure of large sums of taxpayers’ money—not to mention the reputations and careers of many individuals whose names are attached to it—don’t settle for the “correct” answer from one source. Remember, the wonk may have his own agenda.
Like a good journalist, confirm and corroborate. Seek to understand “what’s been going on.” Find out who the key players are (I hate the word “stakeholders”). Political people—including city, county, state, or federal officials—may have very strong positions that may impact the issue. Ask your government affairs or legal person to review your proposed answer and give you some input.
If you still don’t feel confident, elevate the matter—to the head of your agency, if necessary. But don’t settle for the “correct” answer. You’re paid to understand the nuances.
Posted by dbauthor at August 14, 2005 7:03 PM
Comments
I'd hope that any government flack would actually know enough about the state of play in their files to only have to confirm details and test the waters for recent political shifts, rather than launch an informal survey to cya.
And if you have to raise a call to the head of the agency because you don't trust what your wonks are telling you, I'd be tempted to suggest looking for another gig.
Posted by: Colin McKay at August 15, 2005 1:21 PM
I would agree with your first statement if we're talking about a local government agency. But for those at the state and fed level, it's impossible to know about everything that's going on in many regions.
Posted by: db at August 15, 2005 6:53 PM
Ah - up in Canada, we don't have the same problem. Not the same quantity of
activity across the jurisdictions, although we cover virtually all the same
issues and hot topics.
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