Over a barrel
Apr. 15th, 2008 05:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penfield"The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously."
- Hubert H. Humphrey (U.S. Vice President and King of the Monograms)
Part of my job as grand pooh-bah of my employer's communications office is the responsibility for organizing media briefings, in which my bosses make full-throated proclamations, predictions and pontifications on issues of great interest to us (and, ostensibly, the public). We had one of these today.
There are always a number of difficulties with this kind of production, particularly for an office in which the communications director constitutes at least 75 percent of the entire communications department. Today's briefing was particularly problematic, from lining up a keynote speaker to wrangling actual reporters to the event.
I spent most of my Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning going through my rolodex and begging reporters to attend, going so far as to promise them cookies and soda. I may have even offered to wash somebody's car at one point -- I can't remember because I was just trying to finish my spiel before they hung up on me.
After a few years as a college journalist, I mostly rejected the idea of reporting as a career because I hated the idea of asking people obnoxious or obvious questions all the time. Public Relations seemed like an avocation that included writing without reliance on uncooperative subjects. What I didn't realize is that as a PR flack, I'm dealing with two uncooperative audiences: my staff, which generally looks upon media interrogations with such enthusiasm as they would regard a rectal probe, and the media, which is convinced before I even pick up the phone that I am full of shit but nevertheless believes that I should give them whatever answer they want with all deliberate speed.
Reporters have apparently realized that they hold all the power in this relationship. I don't regret my decision to go "pro" and foresake journalism for public relations, because I appreciate the certainty and security my job provides. And I don't begrudge reporters their power, since it is such a critical if intangible element of their compensation. But would it be too much to ask for them to dial in to my stupid media briefing, just so that my bosses know I'm trying?
- Hubert H. Humphrey (U.S. Vice President and King of the Monograms)
Part of my job as grand pooh-bah of my employer's communications office is the responsibility for organizing media briefings, in which my bosses make full-throated proclamations, predictions and pontifications on issues of great interest to us (and, ostensibly, the public). We had one of these today.
There are always a number of difficulties with this kind of production, particularly for an office in which the communications director constitutes at least 75 percent of the entire communications department. Today's briefing was particularly problematic, from lining up a keynote speaker to wrangling actual reporters to the event.
I spent most of my Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning going through my rolodex and begging reporters to attend, going so far as to promise them cookies and soda. I may have even offered to wash somebody's car at one point -- I can't remember because I was just trying to finish my spiel before they hung up on me.
After a few years as a college journalist, I mostly rejected the idea of reporting as a career because I hated the idea of asking people obnoxious or obvious questions all the time. Public Relations seemed like an avocation that included writing without reliance on uncooperative subjects. What I didn't realize is that as a PR flack, I'm dealing with two uncooperative audiences: my staff, which generally looks upon media interrogations with such enthusiasm as they would regard a rectal probe, and the media, which is convinced before I even pick up the phone that I am full of shit but nevertheless believes that I should give them whatever answer they want with all deliberate speed.
Reporters have apparently realized that they hold all the power in this relationship. I don't regret my decision to go "pro" and foresake journalism for public relations, because I appreciate the certainty and security my job provides. And I don't begrudge reporters their power, since it is such a critical if intangible element of their compensation. But would it be too much to ask for them to dial in to my stupid media briefing, just so that my bosses know I'm trying?
no subject
Date: 2008-04-17 02:25 am (UTC)-GDM
no subject
Date: 2008-04-17 01:51 pm (UTC)When I first started working here, there was a communications director (my former boss) and a communications associate (me). We each did about 50% of the work, with me taking on maybe a little more than that over the years.
There was a staff reorganization in the past year that dramatically changed the "communications office," as it were. My former boss was shifted over to "membership director" and I was slotted in as communications director, effectively leaving me as the only remaining member of the communications office.
However, this reorganization was enacted with the understanding that my former boss would provide communications support as needed, which I am guesstimating at no more than 25 percent of labor, and realistically much less.
Make sense?