NO QUESTIONS PLEASE

Shouting reporters push back at Pearson plane presser

If you caught the end of last Monday night’s news conference at Pearson Airport following the Delta plane crash, you might have caught the shouting reporters at the end of it (scroll to the end of the video above).  After officials wrapped their statements and told reporters when and where to expect updates, they politely thanked the media and left the microphone – without taking questions.  Reporters were not happy and let it be known!  Officials not taking questions became a short, fleeting storyline for some news outlets.

I have no idea whether no questions was a deliberate decision or strategy in this case, and questions were taken at other airport news conferences, but I’m of two minds on what I saw at Monday night’s presser:

As someone who spent two decades in news, I understand the reporters’ frustration.  This is a major story and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.  Q&A’s at news conferences are common, traditionally expected, and are about openness and accountability.  There’s often not a lot that an official can say in the early stages of such a major incident, but they’re usually trained in how to respond to questions they can’t answer while avoiding speculation.

On the other hand, the media world has changed, and communications experts know that.  Engaging in a Q&A adds an element of risk that most organizations would prefer to avoid.  Organizations know they can distribute a controlled message directly to audiences through different platforms, and most traditional news organizations will also still pick up those messages word-for-word.  While the reporters in the room were not happy, the general public is likely not putting much thought into the issue of reporters not getting to ask their questions.

🔵 The takeaway:  So, should you take questions or not in a presser where you worry about risk and speculation?  Mitigating risk is always a goal, and just because something’s traditionally been done a certain way — like taking questions — doesn’t mean it needs to continue.  But, when doing media training, I encourage clients to always take the high road and consider the long-term relationship with journalists. Avoiding questions isn’t going to help. As the media landscape further fragments and the relative importance of old vs new media shifts, organizations need to ask themselves how much those relationships still matter, especially when they’ve got other options for getting their message out.

All that said, journalists also need to realise they’re just one way for organizations to get their message out (unlike 15-20 years ago), and they too need to think about relationships with the people they cover.  Shouting at them likely isn’t all that helpful.

ABOUT STRATOAK & MICHAEL MELLING

StratOak is an advisory firm focusing on media training, content creation, and strategic communications.  Michael Melling is the Principal & Founder and works directly with all StratOak clients.  An award-winning journalist and business executive who has run the top newsrooms in Canada, he brings decades of experience in news, content, communications, and strategic decision making to help drive your objectives forward.

GO LOCAL

Focus where trust is high

Media bias and trust is a hot topic, but the Poynter Institute finds: “Distrust of media tends to refer to the polarized environment of the national discourse. Large segments of communities do trust their local news media.”

If you’re not familiar with Poynter, it’s a well-regarded U.S. non-profit institute focused on fact-checking, media literacy & training.

It bases its findings on research by Pew Research Centre that found 85% of Americans say, “local news outlets are at least somewhat important to the well-being of their local community” with 71% saying local journalists are reporting the news accurately.  Further, most Republican and Democrat voters both believe that “local journalists are in touch with their community.”

The high degree of trust in local media stands out when you look at overall total media trust numbers (local + national news) from Statista (February 2024) that show that only 39% of Canadians, 32% of Americans, and 36% of Brits “trust news media most of the time”.

🔵 The takeaway:  While this research is U.S.-based, there are insights for Canadian communicators.  Keep local top of mind for your outreach & networking strategies.  While there are an increasing number of news deserts across local markets and local resources are thin, these sources are still massively popular and trusted by audiences.  Their real problem is revenue & business sustainability, not trust.

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CRYSTAL BALL

Expert predictions for News in 2025

Nieman Lab is out with its Predictions for Journalism in 2025, and here are some of the top ones:

Successful content will be short or long, not in the middle – Millie Tran, the Chief Digital Content Officer at the Council on Foreign Relations says it’s time for news organizations to dump mid-length “middling” stories.  Audiences want extremes – either quick, short-form posts they can scroll through, or long and deep pieces that truly interest a reader.  It comes down to “immediate information” vs “deep, authoritative reporting”.

The rise of “informal news networks” – While Heather Chaplin, Director of Journalism + Design at The New School sees traditional news structures continuing to decline, she sees no decline in the circulation of news and information and neighbours talking about “thorny topics”.  She sees News “products” of the future taking the form of local discussion groups, newsletters, podcasts and YouTube channels.  She wonders whether traditional journalists will “look down on these networks, ignore them, or join them?”  (Hint:  She thinks joining them is the right call.)

AI deals will disappoint – Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Professor at the University of Copenhagen predicts it’ll mainly be large English-language publishers that land meaningful content licensing deals with AI companies, and they’ll likely only get a relatively small amount of extra revenue.  Others will be left on the sidelines, meaning no help for their financial struggles.

🔵 The takeaway:  Keep an eye out for “informal news networks” that might be a good spot for a smart conversation about the things you want to talk about.  Also, get comfortable going both short and long.  Keeping it tight is usually harder, but once you master that you can quickly build on your key message in a longer format interview.

REACH OUT!

If you’d like to discuss your needs for media training, content creation, or strategic communications, please get in touch anytime: [email protected]