Approving No Quote Approvals

Last week, The New York Times drew “a clear line” against the practice of allowing sources to approve quotes after an interview takes place and before the story goes to print.

During my many years as a public relations professional, I have worked with corporate clients who have made the review process a key part of their media policy before allowing an executive to be interviewed by a journalist. This is a huge ask of any reporter.  It can also be insulting to the interviewer as this request implies that you don’t trust the reporter’s ability to get it right.

Proactively pitching an executive to the press is not an easy job.  Then adding the caveat of requiring a quote check is simply disingenuous.  When you are on the defense, asking for a quote approval seems like your executive or firm may be hiding something.  Mostly, it can give the appearance that the executive cannot be trusted with speaking on the record about a business line or particular issue. None of these perceptions is ideal.

Of course there are rare times when asking for quote approvals may be necessary.  For example, if a topic is particularly complicated and a quote check can ensure accuracy on verbiage.  The New York Times will allow quote checks with the proper editorial approvals.  Likely they won’t grant permission if it’s simply because the executive is inexperienced or unprepared.

Over the years, the practice of quote approvals has become more common. I have asked some reporters why they so easily give in to agreeing to do quote checks. Mostly it boils down to access and in some cases, it’s a corporate-wide policy.  Reporters can’t thoroughly report if no one will talk to them.

How can pr professionals deal with the practice of no longer being allowed to review quotes? Prepare. Before the interview, prepare the reporter with the appropriate background information, which includes facts and figures on the business, and relevant information on the person being interviewed. Then make sure that whomever is being interviewed is well versed on the subject matter and has prepared appropriate answers to anticipated easy and difficult questions. And then do a run-through or mock interview.

Press interviews are like a chess game with a bit of a dance jammed between the moves. One must anticipate the next play but the participants need to work together a little bit for both sides to engage with each other on a long-term basis. The right preparation and practice will make executives and their bosses more comfortable with being interviewed on the record.

Melissa Daly has worked in media relations and financial communications for nearly 20 years. Melissa formed MFD Communications, a strategic consulting firm, after spending three years at Goldman Sachs as Vice President, Corporate Communications. Prior to that, Melissa was a Director at Brunswick Group, a London-based financial and business communications firm. There, she spearheaded its financial services business in the US, managing communications for hedge fund, private equity, insurance and traditional asset management firms. Melissa also worked at Fred Alger Management, The Hartford and Lipper in communications and media relations roles and has frequently appeared on CNBC and CNN as an industry commentator.   Her experience spans across business sectors and continents. 

A Lesson From #MittRomney and #ParisHilton

Last week Mitt Romney and Paris Hilton were each defending private exchanges that were made public by others.  Let’s review. While at a fundraiser earlier this year, Mr. Romney made comments about the segment of the population that he will never convince to vote for him. Thus, he doesn’t care as much about this group for campaigning purposes.  A video recording of this  was recently brought to light.  And last week, while Ms. Hilton was in a NYC taxi, the driver caught her on tape making an inflammatory statement about gay men and AIDS.  Both of these comments “were taken out of context,” according to the individuals.  I don’t know either of them well enough to guess what they actually meant. 

Here’s the lesson:  If you are the president, presidential candidate, average politician, CEO, CFO, business leader, or just famous for being wealthy, your comments are never private if there are people around who are not legally or morally obligated to keep your words a secret. No matter your professional title, if the public is generally interested in you as a person, anything that you say in front of others can make headlines.   

Whether you are in the broad public eye, or famous within your industry, you are living in a fishbowl.  So no matter the size of that fishbowl, when you are speaking to a colleague at a conference, someone may be listening. If you are at a restaurant, someone is taking note (and you should always tip well).  Any presentation you give, whether to a small or very large audience, may be caught on tape. Once you put your words out there, anyone can capture them and make them public.

But also consider with the permanent archive that is the World Wide Web, even if you are not a business leader, political candidate, well-known actor, or whatever, now, someday you may be. What you post, record, or say publicly today may someday come back to haunt you with a simple Google or Bing search.

Over the last several days, a lot of blame has been put on the person who recorded Romney and the cab driver who taped Hilton. But really, if Mitt and Paris gave some thought before they spoke, these comments wouldn’t be out in the public domain.  The blame lies solely on the people who made these remarks.   We’ve all said silly things in the past, but we don’t blame others for remembering them.

Simply, if you don’t want to see it in print, don’t say it.

Melissa Daly has worked in media relations and financial communications for nearly 20 years. Melissa formed MFD Communications, a strategic consulting firm, after spending three years at Goldman Sachs as Vice President, Corporate Communications. Prior to that, Melissa was a Director at Brunswick Group, a London-based financial and business communications firm. There, she spearheaded its financial services business in the US, managing communications for hedge fund, private equity, insurance and traditional asset management firms. Melissa also worked at Fred Alger Management, The Hartford and Lipper in communications and media relations roles and has frequently appeared on CNBC and CNN as an industry commentator.   Her experience spans across business sectors and continents. 

#RepClarke, No One got the Joke, Not Even #Colbert

As the funniest, and most sarcastic person I know, even I have the good sense to understand when to keep my humor at bay.   

While appearing on “The Colbert Report”, which aired earlier this week, Brooklyn Rep. Yvette Clarke offered a surprising glimpse into both her lack of historical knowledge of the borough she represents, as well as a current understanding of her own sense of humor.  In this interview, Clarke told Stephen Colbert that slavery persisted in Brooklyn until as late as 1898. However, slavery was legally abolished in New York in 1827. You can see the clip HERE. 

To be fair, this is not an easy show for a guest. Mr. Colbert is a genius with a staff of brilliant writers. It’s tough to compete with that. Clarke should not have tried.  But since she did, she had plenty of opportunity to lighten the moment by simply saying, “I was kidding.” Better yet, don’t joke about a topic that simply isn’t funny (i.e. slavery). Instead, she made Colbert, and the rest of the country, uncomfortable with her comments and poor delivery. 

I have never met Representative Clarke, nor do I pay much attention to her as I live on the Upper West Side and no one in public office tries to be funny up here.  Perhaps she has a great sense of humor and is always the funniest person in the room. Or her jokes are always met with uncomfortable laughter. One thing is certain; she was not funny in this spot.

Here’s my advice. Humor does not always work. Don’t try to be funny in situations when you are not 100% positive that your jokes won’t die on the vine.   In print interviews, sarcasm never works, as a journalist cannot put an emoticon after your quote. On television, it’s a bit easier, but jokes have to be clear. Not everyone gets sarcasm and if you are in a serious profession or senior role, the expectation is that everything you say should be taken seriously.

Sarcasm can be quite dangerous. Consider that your comments will be repeated verbatim without the wink and nod that you delivered with your statement.  Think about how those comments will resonate among a broader audience. Often, you will see that not everyone will get it and some might be offended. Worst case is that you may appear ignorant (see above).

As a result of this interview, Clarke's spokesperson’s response has been that the representative was simply joking with Colbert. "It's a comedy show -- it's meant to be light and meant to be funny. Unfortunately, it was a joke that some people understood and some people didn't understand," he said.  For the record, I did not understand it.

I’ve been a spokesperson for many people over many years, on a wide range of topics.  I’ve never had to publicly explain that my boss just simply isn’t funny.  That wouldn’t be uncomfortable at all.

Melissa Daly has worked in financial communications for nearly 20 years, with a special focus on media relations and key message development around critical issues. Melissa formed MFD Communications after spending three years at Goldman Sachs as Vice President, Corporate Communications. Prior to that, Melissa was a Director at Brunswick Group, a London-based financial and business communications firm. There, she spearheaded its financial services business in the US, managing communications for hedge fund, private equity, insurance and traditional asset management firms. Melissa also worked at Fred Alger Management, The Hartford and Lipper in communications and media relations roles and has frequently appeared on CNBC and CNN as an industry commentator.   Her experience spans across business sectors and continents.