How to Stop Being Afraid and Interact With the Press

"One of the painful aspects of this otherwise very agreeable profession is that you sometimes have to deal with people in the government. They get the raw end of the deal, though: Sometimes they have to deal with you. The sad truth of it is that Republicans especially tend to be terrified of journos, and the more conservative they are, the less likely it is that they know how to deal with them."

"This is a bit of a structural weakness. What's the point of talking to the press? The prima facie purpose is to make sure your line gets out there. This use case doesn't require a lot of analysis. In a non-adversarial story, refusing to talk to the writer is letting the chips fall where they may on angle and framing; in an adversarial story, it can seem tantamount to an admission."

"One currently popular theory of press relations is that complete refusal to cooperate with the media will allow you to circumvent journalists' wiles. You can put everything out by your own channels, whether social media or press releases. The problem is that the press is in fact still an important publicity tool, and almost everyone in the world has a smaller platform at his disposal than that of a publication or media outlet;"

Many Republican officials are uncomfortable and often terrified of journalists, and greater conservatism correlates with poorer press skills. Engaging the press primarily serves to ensure a preferred line reaches the public. Refusing to speak can leave framing to journalists in non-adversarial stories and read as an admission in adversarial coverage. Context matters because communication choices affect angle and perception, and officials sometimes need more control over what goes out. A strategy of complete noncooperation relies on distributing messages through owned channels, but mainstream outlets still have far larger reach. PR firms spend heavily to reach journalists, and press remains useful for unofficial messaging.

Read at The American Conservative