Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapters
01 - The Candidate
02 - The Staff

Chapter 10

Dealing with the media

Birds will fly, fish will swim and the liberal media will try and screw you. Bill Sherman once said, “If I killed all the reporters we would have the news from hell before breakfast.” If you are able to attract reporters to a press conference, do not let them dictate your schedule or control the format with a barrage of questions. ANSWER NO QUESTIONS UNTIL YOU HAVE READ YOUR ENTIRE STATEMENT!

Your Media Director should record every interview to prevent the media vermin from misquoting you or just flat making things up. Most journalism students claim they chose reporting to “make a difference”, not to report impartially. Their stories are often that; Just stories. Reporters are agenda driven tools for the secular, progressive movement. Of course there are exceptions to this statement, but not enough to bother mentioning.

Because you must deal with the mainstream media to run a successful campaign, it is very important to hire the most experienced Media Director you can find. Incompetent Media Directors have been responsible for thousands of failed campaigns and organizations that otherwise would have succeeded. Choose your campaign staff carefully!

Interviews: It will be almost impossible in the beginning for your media team to get quality interviews. Most talk shows and news rooms don’t care about unknown candidates unless their opponent is embroiled in a national scandal. The media team should be looking for college radio shows and public access panel discussions to give the candidate some practice. Attend and speak at city council meetings, school board meetings and local Republican club events. When it comes to interviews and public speaking, practice as much as you can; you will notice the improvement after each event.

Confidence and the ability to relax are the keys to good public speaking and handling interviews, but it is more important to know the issues better than your interviewer and audience. It is the responsibility of the Research Director to keep the candidate thoroughly informed on his key issues and the Media Director to prepare the candidate before interviews. Getting your staff to play reporters in a mock press conference is a good way to practice and receive instant feedback.

When on a talk show or “one on one” interview, maintain control of the message; do not allow the interviewer to twist your words or put you on the defensive. Say what you came to say and answer the questions to the best of your ability. Despite popular belief, it’s OK to say “I don’t know” if you really don’t.

You must always listen carefully to the questions and be more careful how you answer them. If the reporter is overly aggressive, only asks partisan questions or tries to paint you into a corner, you must retake control of the interview or put an end to it. Remember that you can stand up and walk out any time you want.

While doing a television interview, it is important to be mindful of your body language. The way you sit, your facial expressions and nervous habits will be amplified on the small screen. This is also why a candidate should have their makeup done by a trusted professional, not the studio artist that could intentionally sabotage your appearance.

Talk Radio: Radio interviews are a little different and usually a lot easier. Conservative friendly media is most often found on talk radio, but these shows preach to the choir rather than informing the people. These shows can, however, increase your volunteer base and financial contributions. You should ask the listeners for support at the beginning and end of the interview.

Drive time shows are often hosted by pseudo-comedians that are only interested in ratings. Although they may be sympathetic to your campaign, they can also cause you a lot of trouble if you’re not careful. Don’t sink to their level at the cost of your dignity; a joke or sarcastic comment can be taken out of context and used against you. You can be serious and charming without resorting to cheap antics.

Depending on the size of your district and the location of the radio station, you may want to run a few ads on some of the more popular shows to generate buzz. This often leads to increased interviews and favorable comments by the show hosts. Make sure your Media Director makes wise advertising purchases at peak times; avoid overnights, mid-mornings and mid- evening blocks. Try to stick to drive times and the 10pm to midnight slot.

Press Conferences: The best way to deal with reporters is all at once. Before you can have a successful press conference, you must generate name recognition and have something to say that is news worthy. Coming out for or against a controversial ballot measure can be a good reason to have a press conference. Be sure to contact the propositions campaign (or its opposition) to invite them to speak at the press conference. If you plan to use the “Democracy Project” idea, this in its self is revolutionary enough to warrant a press conference.

The first step is to find a location and get the proper permits. Some locations may require you to carry your own insurance, so make sure to allow yourself enough time to acquire the proper paperwork. Your Media Director is responsible for finding a good location for the press conference; historic locations, Presidential libraries and the lawn of the state Capital are good places to consider. A location pertinent to your platform (school, factory, ect) is a good idea, but you might want to avoid dumps and toxic sights. The location should have an electric outlet available for the public address system and lights.

The next step is to write and send out a press release. The press release should cover the who, what where how and why. The Media Director should also prepare a press kit to include a bio and detailed points of your platform as well as key endorsements. Do not send the press kit out as a press release.

Your Media Director must find a lectern, riser, microphone stand, a digital recorder, a long table and between fifty and sixty chairs. You should invite supporters to fill in chairs and “crowd around”, but be sure to reserve the front row for members of the press with credentials. The Media Director should record and post on the website an mp3 or movie of the entire press conference. This will serve as a complete record, in case of misquotes or comments taken out of context.

You should invite Bloggers, internet radio hosts and college newspaper reports as well as mainstream media. Do not make the mistake so many do; do not treat small media outlets as if they don’t matter. Of course, you will want to reserve the first row of seats for reporters with media credentials, but you should also take questions from small media and audience members. You may want some of your volunteers to act as “plants” to feed you a few soft ball questions in case the mainstream media people begin to hammer you with unfair questions and comments.

Start the press conference with a guest Master of Ceremonies (MC). Your MC should be a well known and respected person in the community that supports your platform and candidacy. If all else fails, your Media Director should be prepared to be the MC and should have a short speech written just in case. Have no more than two guest speakers and limit them to tem minutes each. The focus of their comments should be on the subject of the press conference, but they should also mention how electing you will make a difference.

When you are announced to speak, thank your guests for coming out and supporting your election bid and thank your audience for attending. Your speech should cover all the questions the media might have; do not answer any questions until you have finished your entire speech. If the mainstream reporters become hostile, take a few predetermined questions from the “plants”. Do not allow the press conference to get out of your control. If this begins to happen, ask for one last question, call upon a plant and end the conference by thanking the audience again for attending.

Dealing with a hit piece: When running a campaign against a Democrat, expect them to make unfair attacks and sling mud. They like to use 527’s and special interest groups to make their attacks; don’t expect your opponent to have the nerve to attack you directly. In fact, they will often order the hit piece and condemn it a week later, after the damage is done.

Attacks must be countered immediately; do not allow more than 24 hours to pass before you answer a personal attack. If the accusation is true, or based on misleading facts, post your version of the story on your website. When asked about it by the media, refer them to your website for the truth and comment on how you must be ahead in the polls for them to make such an attack. Make sure to slip in the phrase, “typical Democrat hypocrisy”.

You do not need to make a counter attack. Republicans know your opponent is corrupt by the “D” next to their name, Democrats will not listen to reason and independents rarely pay attention. However, do not try to stop others that may wish to attack your opponent independently. If a separate organization or political service club makes an attack on your opponent, tell the media you wish the “mud slinging” would end so that we can all get back to focusing on the issues. This may be a good time to call for a debate to “clear the air”.

As parting advice to on media to a potential candidate, I have prepared a few points you should keep in mind when dealing with reporters.

• Never trust what a reporter tells you.
• Nothing you say in front of a reporter is “off the record”.
• Reporters almost never get the whole story correct.
• Retractions will never get the same coverage as the original article.
• The best and brightest students become doctors, while narcissistic jackasses with an axe to grind become reporters.

Many people that have read this chapter claim that I am too hard on the press. I think I did rather well by not using foul language or questioning whether or not their parents were ever married. I have been on the inside of many stories in the last three years and I have never seen a reporter be completely fair or honest; they will always slant or fabricate their report to their own bias. These hypocritical, flaming jackasses have a lot of nerve calling politicians liars.