Barracuda Journalism

Get with the Program! Be part of the Team!

Reporters are not team players.

The caribou feeds the wolf, but the wolf keeps the caribou strong.

   When candidates meet the press, they should be knowledgeable and prepared. If not, they may arouse the barracuda instinct among reporters. It's also known as wolf pack journalism, where the subject -- a member of the herd -- shows a weakness, and the pack moves in.
   It's important that candidates and corporate executives remember, however, that reporters and TV interviewers represent the general public as well as their journalistic employers, and their primary directive is to elicit information and truth. So to reach the undecided general public, candidates and corporate executives must deal with intermediaries; that is, journalists. In news terms, the word "media" is well chosen.
   Granted, some reporters and cable TV personalities are sympathetic to an executive's views or a candidate's principles and goals, but most mainstream media reporters are not. Nor should they be.
   But do we need more barracudas? To the extent that the barracuda instinct ensures alert reporters and warns candidates to know their topic, the answer is yes. Courtesy, however, is always appropriate.

   True story: A corporate executive was prepped before an interview with a list of questions that a public relations coach said would likely be asked. The list included one that the exec believed would not be asked. As it turned out, that question was the first one posed, followed by all the others on the list. That's the work of a good PR advisor.
   On another occasion, an exec previewed a list of possible questions, and crossed off several that he did not like and did not want to deal with. The PR advisor's response: You may not like it, but I can guarantee that a certain reporter will ask at least that one specific question.
   Right again.

   Moral: Know the issues and the likely questions, and be prepared to answer them clearly and confidently. Else the barracudas will swarm.
   This does not excuse rudeness or unwarranted swarming. To repeat, courtesy is always appropriate. Even when, or especially when, the candidate is unprepared and backs herself into a corner or displays ignorance of the subject. Remember Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin.

   The lesson here for political candidates as well as corporate executives presenting their views or plans to reporters is this: Know your topic. Anticipate the questions. Listen to PR advisors, who can coach you on what to expect. Expect the unexpected.

   Second lesson, for journalism professionals: Be courteous. We know what fun it can be to back a candidate into a corner and watch him or her squirm. But your job is to elicit information and truth, not to unnecessarily harass the subject. (Note the qualifier.)

   Granted, the reaction is often one of anger, resentment and accusations of bias because the report or interview did not hew to the party line or the corporate marketing plan. Not to worry. Reporters should have thicker skins. So should candidates, and they should not expect everyone to always agree wholeheartedly with everything they say.

   Some believe that if a reporter is not an advocate, he or she is an adversary. Good reporters are neither. They ask the tough questions because they need to be asked.