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Learn to Professionally Deal with Media Mistakes

October 13th, 2008 at 02:05pm Rebecca Kopf

One of the questions we are asked most frequently during Q&A sessions following presentations at conferences, is how do we handle instances in which we, or our clients, are misquoted or the information reported is inaccurate.

Of course, there are numerous options to respond and we’ve witnessed many of them – from a screaming retort to the threat of pulling advertising to publicly condemning the reporter or the media. None of these actions will benefit you or your story.

We recommend that you first determine how important the error is to your organization. Is it something that is detrimental to your business or is the story as reported just an irritation? If it’s an error or misquote that you can live with, let it go.

But if not, contact the reporter directly via email or phone and calmly explain the mistake. If it’s important enough and easily correctable, ask for a retraction or correction.

It’s obviously harder to confirm misquotations in print than it is the broadcast media so don’t try unless you have absolute confirmation that you’ve been misquoted.

Mistakes do happen, but it’s how you deal with errors that can possibly take a very negative situation and help you build a relationship with the media. Remember, the media want to be as accurate and complete in their reporting as you want them to be.

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1 Comment Add your own

  • 1. Linda Grist Cunningham  |  October 13th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

    Good advice. I would add a couple of additional suggestions that apply specifically to the Register Star, and most likely to other news organizations, too. Definitely start with the reporter. If you don’t get satisfaction there, contact the editor of the department. Starting at the top with the publisher is likely to create more challenges than it’s worth, and most journalists I work with are good about making corrections. None of us set about to make deliberate mistakes.

    Be sure to have your information in order when you call. We often find when there is specific information in question that folks don’t have the correct info handy. It’s difficult to deal with “I didn’t say that.” Most of us don’t remember what we did say, or we misunderstand how a quote is going to sound when it’s in print. But if a story is opposite what it is supposed to be saying, then, please do contact us.

    Don’t wait. We would much rather you contact us quickly even on little things. We are committed to accuracy and our readers, like you, help us meet that commitment. Honestly, sometimes we actually don’t know we made the mistake.

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