In this video, I’m going to share with you the best media training story I’ve ever heard.
It involves a famous news anchor, a red-faced rant, and people getting screwed. Enjoy!
This story (and a lot more) is featured in my new book, The Media Training Bible: 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview, available from Amazon here and for the Kindle here.
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The Mr. Media Training Blog offers daily tips to help readers become better media spokespersons and public speakers. It also examines how well (or poorly) public figures are communicating through the media.
Brad Phillips is the author of the Mr. Media Training Blog. He is the president of Phillips Media Relations, a media and presentation training firm with offices in NYC and DC.
Before founding Phillips Media Relations in 2004, Brad worked as a journalist with ABC's Nightline with Ted Koppel and CNN's Reliable Sources and The Capital Gang.
Follow us on Twitter at @MrMediaTraining.
June 28th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Awesome and engaging story! I happen to know how true it is because, in a former life, I worked with John Stossel on several shoots in the Midwest. I have seen him do this kind of thing, and others as well. Correspondents have had to become more creative over time in order to get the “money bite” out of those they interview. We all need to politely and professionally resist the urge to make them happy, because that is not our job. Our job is to be a non-speculating, professional communicator who stays on message. It certainly helps if we can be interesting, but within some well-defined boundaries. Thanks!
June 28th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Ken – Thank you for your comment. I’m so glad to have a second source on the Stossel story! Thanks for visiting the blog, and please don’t be a stranger.
Best wishes,
Brad
February 29th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
Great tips, and great story! We always need to remember the difference between our goals representing the organization and the goals of the media. I’ll share your tips as helpful reminders the next time I prepare a company spokespeople for a media interview!
February 29th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
Thanks for your nice words and for visiting the blog, Anne. Please don’t be a stranger.
September 3rd, 2012 at 7:33 am
I’m a college student studying media, and found this to be an interesting video. Of course, I’m pursuing journalism, meaning I’d benefit far more from watching videos teaching good journalistic tactics, rather than how to defend against them, but it was interesting to see things from the other side. Reporters can be annoying and intrusive, which is their job, to squeeze as much out of you as possible, and thus spokepersons must be well prepared for any tricks they may have up their sleeve.