In 1984 the small village of Barneveld, Wis. was almost destroyed by a tornado. Nine people were killed as the monster storm swept most of the village away. It looked as if someone had a taken a giant sponge and wiped away 80 percent of the houses and businesses. This was crisis of major proportions.

What does this have to do with your company? How the people of the village, and all the various emergency personnel, dealt with the dozens of reporters and cameras that descended on their community is the best example of I have ever seen of crisis communications. Did they have a crisis communications plan? I am sure some of the emergency responders – the Red Cross, the Wisconsin National Guard, and other agencies did. I am just as sure that Barneveld’s residents – and the hundreds of their neighbors who rushed to help – did not. Yet, they did a masterful job.

By the way, it is still better to have a plan. It is even better to rehearse that plan at least once a quarter. The people of Barneveld were extraordinary under pressure. Don’t ever count on that. Be ready instead.

I speak from personal experience. I was one of the first reporters on the scene. I spent almost week there, doing story after story.

I learned a lot there about dealing with a crisis. The things I saw put into action apply to how your company should deal with a natural disaster or some other crisis caused by an outside agent. The people who dealt with us media types did a fantastic job under the worse of conditions. As a result, the story turned from a village destroyed to a village rebuilding. It went from a negative to a positive.

That’s the goal in a crisis. This is your chance to show how your company functions in extreme conditions. It’s simple really: anyone can function when things are easy. The real test comes when things are tough. That’s the true measure of a company.

 A side note: when I was in Barneveld, I had no thought that one day I would be doing public relations and marketing. But, for some reason, I kept some of my notes from that story. There’s a lesson in that for all of us – you never know when a piece of knowledge will be useful.

Remember, crisis communications is like a battlefield. A badly handled crisis can severely wound, even kill a company. There are no do-overs – you have one chance to get it right. Get it wrong, and if you’re lucky, you might restore a reputation in a decade or so.

As I said last week, the overriding rule in any crisis is to immediately communicate your concern – for the stock price, the injured people, the effect on the environment, whatever. It is also important to communicate as fast and as accurately as possible.

I saw that those two rules put into action in Barneveld. A command post/media center was set up in one of the few buildings left standing – a farm implement dealer’s storage shed. The various agencies coordinated their press relations so they spoke as one. The information was always timely and accurate. Besides regular press briefings, there was always someone on hand to provide whatever information the press needed.

That is key. Make sure everyone is informed, especially your employees. If there’s an accident in a factory, make sure your employees have the full story. They should because they are most affected. Your employees should always be the first one told about what’s going to happen next. They are going to be understandably concerned about their injured friends and the company’s future. Make sure you do everything possible to quell their fears.

Also, it is inevitable the media will interview some of your employees. That cannot be prevented. So, it’s better they have the entire story.

A note about that: the media demands first person accounts of any disaster. Their viewers or readers expect it. It adds immediacy to the story. So, they are going to try and talk to employees. If the company has done its job in taking care of those employees, those interviewed will say so. That kind of third party endorsement of the company is the best kind of public relations.

Do not try to control an employee interview. If you feel the interview should be done in a controlled circumstance, such as the company’s offices, go ahead. If you want a public relations person in the room, that’s fine also. But, let the employee talk. The public relations person should be there as a resource, not a controller. The media is very suspicious of anyone who appears coached or appears not to be saying anything. It will look like you have something to hide.

As for empathy – every leader from the governor and a U.S. Senator down to Barneveld Village President did two things: walked around the village to talk and hear stories; and saw to it every kind of assistance needed was provided. All those leaders demonstrated something else: actions speak louder than words. Yes, it is a cliché, but it’s true. They were not there just for photo opportunities; they were there to offer genuine assistance. That made a big impression on those directly affected.

Here are other lessons I learned:

• Be as open as possible with the media. Do not hold anything back. Of course, you do not want a victim’s family to find out from a news report that a family member is dead. But as soon as possible after the family has been informed, release the names. The media will find out eventually anyway.
• Give the media has much access as possible. Provide updates as soon as you have new information. It is human nature to try and fill a vacuum. That’s how rumors start and spread. The media can be your ally. If they are reporting the facts, rumors will get quashed.

Next week, I will be discussing what happens when crisis is caused by something a company does. That’s the most difficult of all crisis communications.

My background: I worked as a reporter for 25 years in central Illinois, upstate New York, suburban Detroit and Milwaukee. I now help companies with marketing communications through my company – JJC Communications LLC. If you want to know more about my company, and myself, click the link.

I am available for speaking on media relations, or counseling your company on that or on your other public relations needs. I can be reached at 414-763-8310 or jjccomm@wi.twcbc.com.

Crises are the toughest of all public relations situations. There is no time to do anything but respond at top speed. If building a brand platform using regular public relations is a marathon, crises communications is a sprint.  

Because this is a complex subject, I will be doing a series within my series on media relations.

The overriding rule in any crisis is to immediately communicate your concern – for the stock price, the injured people, the effect on the environment, whatever. It is important in any crisis to communicate as fast and as accurately as possible.

Crisis communications is like a battlefield. A badly handled crisis can severely wound, even kill a company. There are no do-overs – you have one chance to get it right. Get it wrong, and if you’re lucky, you might restore a reputation in a decade or so.

An example I still use for how to manage a crisis happened about 25 years ago. It was so long ago that I cannot find the story stored anywhere on the Internet, so the details are somewhat hazy.

A small boy shoved his arm inside an unlocked box protecting high voltage lines. The utility chairman didn’t waste a minute. By the end of the day, the company was paying for the boy’s medical bills and a host of other things. The chairman took a negative and turned it into a positive enhancing his company’s reputation.

 That should be always the goal. Don’t think about just containing the damage – think about turning the situation on its head. Your goal in a crisis situation is emerging from it with your reputation intact. Handled correctly, you can improve that reputation.

 The key element in handling a crisis is to be ready. No, you cannot anticipate the exact shape a crisis will take anymore than a firefighter can anticipate how a fire will burn. How firefighters deal with that is to plan and practice. You and your company should be doing the same.

A lot of companies have crisis communications plans. However, it is usually tucked away in a dust-covered file. Often the people who wrote it, and the management who approved it, are gone If you’re lucky, somebody with an institutional memory will remember that the company has a plan. If you’re really lucky, they will remember where it is. And, if you go three-for-three, they will remember what it says.

 I wouldn’t count on any of that actually happening.

Writing A Plan

Let’s start with creating a crisis communications plan. As I said, it is impossible to know the shape a crisis is going to take. So, the plan has to provide a framework for dealing with a crisis.

Here are the steps you should use to create a plan.

Develop and write the plan

A working group should be created to develop the plan. The group should be made of senior people familiar with all aspects of a company’s operations. The working group should meet with each department head to gather information on possible crises.

 The plan should include:

• The primary members of the crisis communications team. It can include: the CEO, the chief of public relations, outside public relations counsel corporate counsel, the safety and/or security officer, other employees who would be relevant to the situation.
• A media point person and a spokesman: One team member, usually the public relations person, should be designated as the primary media contact. This person should be the conduit for all media inquiries. One team member, preferably the CEO or another high-ranking executive, should be the designated media spokesman. It is important to have as high a ranking person as possible as the spokesperson. The higher the rank, the more integrity in the eyes of the media and public.
• A crisis communications team roster with each member’s contact information. This should include cell phone, home phone office phone and email addresses. Each team member should have a copy.
• An initial contact. This is the person at headquarters who will get the call that there’s a problem. This can be done on a rotating, on call basis
• A chain of command – who reports to who.
• Who will be collecting information on what is happening. This should be a team. One of the team’s key roles will be dealing with rumors.
• Who determines what resources are needed to deal with the issue.
• The names and contact information for the spokespeople for area emergency personnel, or any other outsider who might be involved, should included on the list. If possible, at least one member of the crisis team should meet with the spokesperson for the emergency personnel to get acquainted.
• A method for continual reassessment of how things are going and what additional resources are needed.

Once completed, the plan should disseminated to all department heads and their key people. They should review plan. Senior management should follow up with them to ensure they have done their homework. Each of those department heads should also have of the phone list. They should always know who is on call in the event of an emergency.

Practice

 Those are the basics of a crisis communications plan. Writing it is only the first step. The next is to rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse. I always recommend practicing at least one a quarter, more if your company is in an industry where incidents occur often.

 Set up a “practice” crisis and run through your plan. This will tell you what works and what doesn’t work. It will also ensure everyone knows their places when the real things happens. The plan should be second nature to everyone involved long before it has to be put into action.

 As I said in the beginning, there is no point in having a plan if no one knows were it is, what it says, or how to execute it. It would be akin to not recharging your sprinkler system or checking your alarms.

 Next week, I will discuss how to deal with an external crisis. 

 My background: I worked as a reporter for 25 years in central Illinois, upstate New York, suburban Detroit and Milwaukee. I now help companies with marketing communications through my company - JJC Communications LLC. If you want to know more about my company, and myself, click the link.

 I am available for speaking on media relations, or counseling your company on that or on your other public relations needs. I can be reached at 414-763-8310 or jjccomm@wi.twcbc.com.

You’re sitting at your desk, thinking about those 18 holes of golf you will soon be playing. The phone rings. You pick it up to hear: “hello, this is Bernie Woodstein from Truth & Intelligencer. Got a minute? I have some questions.”

So, what do you do? I am a former reporter who used to make those calls. It usually resulted in great quotes. I will tell you how to avoid being tripped up.

 For the person being interviewed, the surprise interview is usually the toughest, most dangerous kind. It is also an opportunity. Handled correctly, the surprise interview can establish credibility, demonstrate mastery of the subject, and show coolness under fire. Those are key aspects of brand building.

As I say in every blog, the interviewer is neither your friend nor your enemy. They have a job to do, that’s all. 

A note about television.

Television loves the ambush interview. They love to catch somebody completely unexpectedly with that “deer in the headlights” look. I have issues with that kind of interview. I think it borders on unethical. When a reporter calls, you have some time to think about your answers. Most people don’t do well when a camera is shoved in their face. Television is as much about getting dramatic video as getting your side.

 Still, do the interview. Saying nothing or no comment looks worse than just about anything you will do. Do the interview, but the way I suggest.

Handling the Unexpected Interview

Okay, so what do you do?

First, take a deep breath and calm down. Then it is important that you take control of the interview right away. How is this done? Ask the interviewer what’s the story’s subject. Try not to let that person start asking questions until you know where the interview is going. As I have said: a good interview is akin to paddling down a river. You don’t want to be paddling blindfolded.

 A good interviewer will give you an idea of what they want. But it’s a poker game – they are not going to show all their cards. It is your job to figure out what they want. This will give you ways to move the interview in the correct direction, i.e. – the one that puts you in the best light possible under the circumstances.

First Steps

So you have an idea of what’s wanted. There are two things you can do and one that should always be done.

You should always have someone else in the room. Put the caller on hold and summon your most senior public relations person. Have someone take notes.

You are under no obligation to tell the interviewer others are listening.  It is helpful to have others there for two reasons: they can provide information you might need; and they can be witnesses to the interview. If there is a mistake in the article, they can back you up when you contact the interviewer.

Make sure you ask if the interview is for a piece running the next day or if it isn’t yet on the schedule. Editors are often waiting to see what you say before making a decision on airing or publication.

Your optional choices are:

• You can begin the interview immediately. Do this if you feel comfortable with the subject.
• The second option is to tell the interviewer that you need to do some quick research and you will call back as soon as possible. Call back within the hour. Do not wait. I cannot speak to bloggers’ writing schedules, but television stations and newspapers do most of their serious work for the evening broadcast and tomorrow’s paper in the morning. You need to get back well before their deadline. The last thing you want is for someone to intone: “Joseph Crater did not return our calls for comment.”

Recorded Interviews

If the interview is being recorded – such as the ambush television interview – speak in short sentences. It makes it more difficult for your answer to be edited in a way that changes the meaning of what you’re saying. Again, think before you answer. This is hard, but look into the camera and speak clearly and concisely. People form impressions by how you look and act as much by what you say.

Doing the Interview

Unless you do this every day, you are most likely not going to do as well in this interview as in one you in which had to prepare. So, it is important to take your time and think about each answer. Be very careful. Interviewers are often waiting for that mistake so they can use that to lead their story.

While it is never okay to say “no comment”, go-off-the-record, or lie, it is fine to say, “I don’t know.” That’s assuming you really don’t. As I said, don’t lie. But if you really don’t have the information, say so. Suggest someone who does whom the interviewer can call.

If you have documentation to back your position up, offer to provide it. Documents are always helpful.

Also, use ju-jitsu in the interview. The core principle of ju-jitsu is turning your opponent’s strength and momentum against them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions back. Don’t say, “why do want to know that?” That sounds defensive. But ask about the story, who else they’ve talked to, when it might appear, and what the gist is.

As you answer the questions, you can move the interview in a different direction. It has to be done subtly. Each answer should move the topic about an inch – to use a bad analogy. Eventually, you will be guiding the interview’s direction.

One caution – this is difficult. Good interviewers will often realize what you are doing. This is where media training is very important. 

Conclusion

When the interview is over and you have hung up, go over what you said. If you forgot to say something you feel is important, call the interviewer. It’s acceptable to do that. Just do it fast and only do it once. More than that and you sound desperate.

After that, all you can so is wait for the article. If you’ve done what I suggested, it should be okay.

My background: I worked as a reporter for 25 years in central Illinois, upstate New York, suburban Detroit and Milwaukee. I now help companies with marketing communications through my company - JJC Communications LLC. If you want to know more about my company, and myself, click the link.

 I am available for speaking on media relations, or counseling your company on that or on your other public relations needs. I can be reached at 414-763-8310 or jjccomm@wi.twcbc.com.

Five years ago, my son was headed for college. We were seated around the table, eating dinner and discussing his upcoming freshman year. My wife and I are both college graduates. We were giving my son what we thought was sage advice about what to do and what not to do.

I think it took us about 30 minutes to impart our wisdom. When we were done, we turned to my daughter, who was about to start her senior year in college. We asked for her input.

She leaned forward, put her elbows on the table and said: “Don’t do anything stupid. And you will know when you do.” Then she sat back.

I realized she had summed up better in 11 words than my wife and I had in 30 minutes.

The same advice holds for when you are interviewed: “Don’t do anything stupid. And you will know when you do.”

An interview is successful when the person being interviewed comes off is as a credible spokesman for their position or company. It means getting your point into print or onto the airwaves or the Internet. That’s what I am trying to help you do.

Okay, so you’ve received a phone call from a journalist, broadcaster or blogger. They want to schedule an interview. So, what to do you?

First, don’t panic. Even if the reporter is calling about layoffs or the IRS is investigating your company, don’t panic. I will cover more of how to deal with that in blog on crisis communications. But, don’t panic. People do the wrong thing out of sense of panic. No matter whether the interview subject is good or bad, stay calm.

Do not turn down the interview. If you cannot do it, find someone who is able. You are either missing a chance for good publicity, or you are going to look bad.  No one wants to see his or her competitor get the publicity that could have been his or hers. No one wants to see the phrase: “(fill in the name) refused to comment.” People assume you had something to hide. There’s goes your credibility.

I will repeat what I say in every blog on media relations: a reporter is neither your friend nor your enemy. They just have a job to do. They have no antipathy for you. As a reporter I said that I will give you the rope, but what you do with it is entirely your business. I hope this series of blogs keep you from hanging yourself.

As a beginning, there are two kinds of interviews – the scheduled one and he unscheduled one. There are permeations of each, but those are the two overriding categories.

This blog will cover a scheduled interview. I will cover the surprise interview in next week’s piece.

So, a reporter or blogger calls and asks to interview you about a subject that person feels you know something about. Make sure you get as much information as possible from that person about what they want to talk about. Do as much as you can to pin them down. They will not give you every detail, but you should come away with an outline. But be careful; don’t let them start interviewing you. If they start, be polite, but say you are too busy or need some time to gather information.

Getting that outline is important, because you want to be able to prepare. You want to be able to answer every question you think you might be asked. In addition, prepare background material you can give to the reporter. Include all information you think might be relevant. Reporters usually appreciate that. The packet can include sales figures, charts, pictures, graphs, whatever you think might help.

I strongly advise that anyone dealing with the media go through media training. (Shameless plug – I do media training as part of my agency.) It is important to be able to handle an interview. A good interviewer will throw some curve balls. You need to be ready to handle them. Also, anyone who appears on television or in an Internet video needs to look and sound natural.

If at all possible, do the interview on yours or neutral ground. Usually reporters won’t ask you to come to a newsroom. But it does happen. You will do much better in surroundings where you are comfortable. I am not saying you will relax, but things will generally go better.

Second, do not be alone in the room with the blogger or reporter. I know this not always possible, but having someone else there can come in handy if there is a misquote or mistake in the story. Someone from your public relations staff is the ideal choice. They should know the local media and the subject of the interview.

A note about public relations people – listen to them. They are your experts. An experienced public person knows how to work with the media. They can tell when the reporter is hostile and they will know what to do. They can also keep the interviewee on point.

 A second note, this one about lawyers. I am always wary of allowing attorneys to take part in interviews. Why? Well, lawyers tend to wear blinders. All they see is possible liability. It’s their job, I understand. But, many lawyers tend to be to overprotective. They don’t think long term, how saying something might help the brand and increase the customer base. All they see is “oh my lord, we could get sued.”

Okay, so you are in the interview. You know already you shouldn’t say lie, or say no comment, or go off the record.  What should you do? Here is a short list:

• Answer all questions using short, declarative sentences. This will lower the chance, especially in a broadcast interview, of being misquoted. It is harder for a video editor to change what you say if the sentence is short.
•  Relax. An interviewer will pick up on nervousness. It makes them suspicious, especially if you react to a particular question. That’s where the interview will go.
•  Only answer the question asked – don’t go off on tangents. You might say something you will regret. You can use anecdotes to make your point, though.
• A good interview is a like taking a canoe down a lazy river. It flows from point to point. You can control the flow of the interview by how you answer.

So, the interviewer finishes up and turns the microphone off or puts the notebook away. Do not assume you are done. Anything you say is fair game. I used to get a lot of great stuff when the interview subject thought we were “just talking.” You are never “just talking” to an interviewer. Assume anything you say might be used. Always be on your guard.

Finally, you will not be allowed to see the finished piece before it’s published or aired. Outlets have strict rules against that. The feeling is that you will try to influence the story to make yourself look better. A good writer will check quotes with you, but that’s all.

 Okay, that’s it. In a later blog, I will talk about how to handle errors in the piece in another blog.

My background: I worked as a reporter for 25 years in central Illinois, upstate New York, suburban Detroit and Milwaukee. I now help companies with marketing communications through my company – JJC Communications LLC. If you want to know more about my company, and me click the link.

 I am available for speaking on media relations, or counseling your company on that or other public relations needs. I can be reached at 414-763-8310 or jjccomm@wi.twcbc.com.

Last week I covered two of the cardinal rules of being interviewed: don’t lie and never say no comment. 

In this lesson, we are going to talk about going off the record. Same rule as the first two – don’t do it. The corollary is there is no such thing as off the record.

I will repeat this in every lesson. Reporters are not your friend or your enemy. They have a job to do, that’s all. When I was a working reporter, I used to say I will hand you the rope, but what you do with it is entirely your business. I hope these blogs keep you from hanging your self.

Okay, let’s talk about off and on the record. A reporter or blogger is interviewing you. That person asks a question you don’t want to answer. You don’t want to lie or say “no comment.” But, you also don’t want the answer to be made public. 

So you think, “I know, I will answer the question, but I will say it’s off the record, so the answer can’t be used.”  Well, you just stepped on a land mine and it’s about to blow.

To paraphrase the late Ohio State Coach Woody Hayes: three things can happen when you go off the record and two of them are bad. 

Let’s talk about them in order. First, the good thing:

There is a chance, albeit very, very slim, that the reporter will respect your request. It does happen. I can think of two times in my 25-year-career when I agreed to do that. Both times, the person requesting it was the relative of a murder victim who was grieving and traumatized. I always cut those people some slack. Plus, what they asked me not to report was not at all germane to the story. If it had been, I probably would have not honored the request. 

 One other thing if you think the blogger or reporter is going to honor your request to go off the record: the rule is that you must state that something is off the record before you rely information. You cannot request to go off the record after you make your statement. To use a playground statement, no take-backs.

Now, the bad things:

More often, I would ask the person telling me something was the off the record why they were telling me. What I would say went something like this: “I am a newspaper reporter. I am paid to put things in the paper so people can read it. Why are you telling me this? Here’s what I am going to do – I am going to start calling around until I find somebody who will say on the record what you just told me.” I always did. So all you have done has ensured that what you wanted kept secret is going to be made public.

I will give you an example. I apologize for not naming names, but I promised to honor these people’s request for to stay unidentified and I keep my promises. It doesn’t matter that it was 20 years.

At any rate, I was interviewing an attorney about a court matter. He went off the record to tell me about an upcoming bankruptcy of a Milwaukee-based retail chain.

Side note: It wasn’t the P.A. Bergner and Co. bankruptcy. I am going to blog later about how I broke that story.

 I looked at that attorney when he made that statement. I asked him if I could use the information. He said no. I said: “you know the drill. I am going to try and find out from somebody who will talk on the record.” I proceeded to do that. It was a good story about a large suburban company who unfortunately went out of business.  

Some reporters and bloggers will simply not honor an off-the-record request. They might tell you they will, but they won’t. They will put whatever you say in the paper or their blog no matter how you cast it when you make the statement.

 Something else to consider: often times a reporter will go back to their editor and tell them about what you said on an off-the-record basis. Don’t be angry, that reporter works for that editor, not you. The reporter is usually more concerned about keeping their boss calm than your happiness. The editor might order the reporter to put that off-the-record comment into the story. Again, the editor is the boss.

If the reporter and editor have a good relationship, the reporter might be able to negotiate something – such as calling you to give you a chance to rephrase what you said. But, don’t always count on it. The reporter might argue to the editor that using the information means losing a valuable source. Editors sometimes understand, but not always. There is just no sure thing in this.

Veteran reporters have learned not to tell their editors anything more than they think the editor should know, including off the record comments. Now I can hear my former colleagues sputter that isn’t true, but it is. But, don’t count on that either.

As for bloggers, most are not professional reporters. They often have never studied and practiced the rules of journalism. Whether that’s good or bad is argument for another blog. But, that means they might not have any understanding of such things as off-the-record. I would not chance it. 

My background: I worked as a reporter for 25 years in central Illinois, upstate New York, suburban Detroit and Milwaukee. I now help companies with marketing communications through my company – JJC Communications LLC. If you want to know more about my company, and me click the link.

• They panic and curl up in a fetal position under their desk.
• They get angry and decide to go on the attack
• Or they blithely think everything will be okay and do nothing to prepare.

I hope it’s obvious none of those approaches will work. All three will get you into trouble, leading to a variety of consequences, none of them good. Bad publicity can depress a company’s stock price, destroy its reputation, and drive customers away. Remember, perception is reality. If it is perceived in the press, blogosphere, and by the public, that your company is doing something wrong – even if you aren’t – it is difficult to turn that perception around.

The goal of this post, and the others that will follow, is to provide a primer on media relations. I am basing this on my 25 years as a journalist and my seven years in marketing communications. What I hope to do in this series of blogs is help you and your company develop a proactive strategy so you build and maintain a positive reputation. Being reactive after is never good. To quote Vince Lombardi’s, the best defense is a good offense.

Remember, there are no guarantees. Sometimes you can do everything right and still take a hit. I will deal with what to do with those cases in a later post.

By way of background, I worked as a reporter for 25 years in central Illinois, upstate New York, suburban Detroit and Milwaukee. I now help companies with marketing communications through my company –  JJC Communications LLC .If you want to know more about me and my company, click the link.

Okay, enough introduction. Let’s get to it. 

The thing to remember is that reporters are not your enemy or your friend. They have a job to do. That’s all. When I was a reporter I used to say that I will hand you the rope, but what you do with it is entirely your business. I hope these blogs will keep you from hanging yourself.

So, let’s discuss the overriding rule of marketing communications - Don’t Lie. If you do nothing else that I suggest, obey this rule. Do not deviate from it, ever. Why? Because you will get caught. And when you get caught, you have destroyed the most important thing your company has – its credibility. Once that’s gone, good luck in the marketplace.

How will you get caught? Well as Ben Franklin said: “three can keep a secret if two are dead.” Inevitably, somebody will talk about the lie. You think your employees and associates all love you? If you do, I have some land for sale in Louisiana I would like to discuss with you – it’s only underwater for 11 months. 

And if not one of your associates, it could be a competitor. Or, you might have left a paper trail. Or somebody with a big mouth might talk and be overheard. I will also discuss that in another blog.

Don’t think if you lie to just one reporter, you will be okay. Journalists are the biggest gossips – with each other – on the face of the earth. Word will quickly spread. No one will trust you. Yes, journalists compete, but its more akin to lawyers than sports teams. Like lawyers, journalists will try to tear each other’s throats out pursuing a story, then go have a beer together.

As importantly, catching a liar is a great story. Want a sure way to end up on Page 1, or be the lead item on the evening news, or become the subject of a hundred blogs? Lie. The public will soon know that your company cannot be trusted. Remember too, it is not like the old days when only the people in your city or state might find out. There is this thing called the Internet. Odds are the entire world will know within hours about your transgression.

Okay, so you’ve decided not to lie. You get asked a question you don’t want to answer, so you say “no comment.” This is rule 1A. Saying no comment is always wrong. I don’t care what your attorney told you. We will deal with the role of attorneys in reputation management later. Basically, consider any legal advice carefully. Attorneys think about only one thing – litigation. They too often don’t consider the long term effects of destroying a reputation and credibility.

Saying no comment to a journalist is waving a red flag. When I was reporter, if somebody said no comment, I immediately assumed they were hiding something. I would start digging to find what it was. I knew the general area, because I had asked the question. I usually found out.

I will give  you an example. Milwaukee used to host a very popular Circus Parade. Wisconsin is the original home of the Ringling Brothers Circus. There is a large circus museum in Baraboo, WI. The state has had a long love affair with the circus.

The parade was originally held in the 1950s with wagons and other things provided by the museum. The primary sponsor was the old Schlitz Brewing Company. The parade folded when the brewery closed. 

In 1985, a group decided to revive the parade. The backers had set up a huge press conference for a Monday morning to announce its return. The announcement was geared toward our rival Milwaukee paper, which was published in the afternoon. The parade organizers called our city desk on a Sunday afternoon to tell us to come to the press conference. We would have none of that. It meant we would be scooped on a large local story.

So, I was assigned to find out what was going on.  The first person I called, one I knew was probably part of the revival, lied to me. And I knew it. It was the way they acted. That made me angry. So, I called the next person, who also knew what was going on. He “no commented” me. Now frankly, I was pissed. I started really digging until I got the story. We beat every media outlet in town. I ruined their carefully planned media event. My editors were very pleased.

The organizers could have avoided the whole thing if they had just told us what was going on. They could have still found a way to have their big event. 

So, what do you do ? You say I cannot answer that question and here’s why. Give a viable explanation, such as it is a competitive area we don’t want to tell our rivals about. Be credible about your answer because it will be checked. If you tell the truth, and you can back it up, most reporters or bloggers will be okay.

Okay, that’s the first lesson.

There is no quiz, but I hoped you learned something. 

Please let me know what you think. I appreciate the feedback.

Next week we will talk about interviews and going off the record.

My background: I worked as a reporter for 25 years in central Illinois, upstate New York, suburban Detroit and Milwaukee. I now help companies with marketing communications through my company - JJC Communications LLC. If you want to know more about my company, and myself, click the link.

 I am available for speaking on media relations, or counseling your company on that or on your other public relations needs. I can be reached at 414-763-8310 or jjccomm@wi.twcbc.com.

Why become a writer? It is a thankless life. There is almost nothing harder than sitting down, starting at a blank screen and putting your thoughts down. I think it was the late, great Red Smith who said: “writing is easy. I just sit down at my typewriter, open a vein, and get to work.”

And the odds of anyone else ever seeing what you create is about the same as getting hit by a meteor. Actually, I think the meteor thing might have better odds.

So, why do it? Because I am addicted. I have been writing since kindergarten when my first effort – entitled “The Eagle Who Had Acrophobia” – was read aloud in class. I remember I got called up to Mrs. Whittle’s desk to define acrophobia. When I did, I was good to go.

I think I got hooked on the written word when I was about three. The first book I ever read was “The Little Engine That Could.” Family legend has it that I could read when I was three-and-a-half. I have no idea if that’s true. I just know I have always loved books and writing.

I became a journalist because of my sixth grade English teacher – Mr. Mulvey. I also love history. Mr. Mulvey told me, rightly so, that being either a professional historian or a professional writer would be a tough go. Not much demand for either, he said. However, he said I could satisfy my need to do one and observe the other by becoming a reporter.

That night, I watched an old movie on television. This was the time of only three channels, I should add. The movie was the original “The Front Page,” staring Adolph Menjou. Well, I was hooked. At the time when I first saw the movie, I thought it was a send up of journalism. I found out later it was thinly veiled account of how it really is.

I really enjoyed my years as a reporter, but I burned out in 2002 and switched professions. I went into public relations. It fit my skill set nicely. I still got right and tell stories – now the stories have a point of view.

During this whole time, I have been reading – both fiction and non-fiction. I make it a point to once a year read Huckleberry Finn, probably the greatest American novel ever written. Sam Clemens is one of heroes. I also read Hemingway, Updyke, Umberto Eco, Gunter Grass, and a lot of other authors. I make it a point to read as history as I can. Nothing angers me more than hearing some blowhard sound off about some issue and not have a clue how or why we got to that point. I also a lot of poetry – everything from Shakespeare to Bob Dylan.

The point I am making is any good writer has to be well grounded in the craft before doing it themselves.

I also have something to say. I am working on a novel about a 50ish man who loses almost everything. He loses his high powered job and cannot find another because of his age. This is a major problem in the U.S. right now. I admit I have some selfish reasons for this – I am over 50 and I have been rejected solely because of my age. How do I know? As I said, I was a reporter for 25 years. I can still find things out. Could I prove it, probably not. But, I believe it happened. 

So, the best thing to do was to write about it. I am five chapters in what to what I think will be a 10 chapter novel. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. If I wasn’t in a writing group at Redbird Studios in Milwaukee, I doubt I would ever get it done.  I hope I can get it published, but who knows. Remember, the meteor thing. 

Still, I am going to keep at it because I really cannot see any course for me life. I do public relations because I like really it and it pays the bills. But, my vocation is writing. I don’t intend to change.

Speaking of public relations, next week I will be blogging on what makes a successful public relations person from a reporter’s standpoint. It is going to be a series. I also intend to post some of pretty bad poetry and possibly some of my short stories. Stay tuned.

I could on for pages about wisdom of getting rid of marketing and public relations in this climate. Why C-suite people think those are two functions a company can do without, I will never understand. This is when people should be gearing up, not down.

But, not to bury my lead too deep, that’s not the theme of this entry . Rather it’s about age, or more accurately age discrimination. You see, all of my friends are over 50. The odds of them finding a similar job are very low.

“The biggest obstacle, experts say, is that most companies are reluctant to retain or hire older workers. ‘At the top of the corporate ladder, executive recruiters are routinely told not to seek anyone over 50,’ notes Peter Cappelli, director of the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School,” the New York Times noted in an article published June 22, 2oo8.

“Similar sentiments, Mr. Cappelli said, can be found across the job spectrum. He points to a batch of evidence. In one survey, one-fourth of companies said they were not inclined to hire older workers. In a research experiment a few years ago, thousands of made-up resumes were sent to employers; younger workers who had the same qualifications as older workers were more than 40 percent more likely to be called in for an interview than someone 50 or older. In an industry survey, a majority of technology companies candidly said they would not hire anyone over 40.”

Frankly, I don’t get it. U.S. companies are constantly screaming that there aren’t enough qualified workers. Yet, companies are ignoring an entire pool of workers who more than qualified and eager to work.

“The fact that you are a mature worker makes this process a little more complicated. In a good economy, it can take a professional mature worker six months or longer to find work. In a down economy – and this is certainly as down as we have seen in many years – it is possible that it might take a professional mature worker two or three times as long to find wor.,” a Boston Globe columnist said in a column a couple of weeks ago. 

So let me get this straight. Those of us who are over 50 are “professional mature” workers. It can take us up to 18 months to find a job. This is apparently not happening to those who are not classified as “professional mature.” It should take the average graduating college senior three to six months to find a job, according to the University of California, Santa Barbara Career Service.

In other words, if you are 22 and have no experience, you will have a job by the end of the year you graduated. And Mom and Dad will be supporting you until you find work.  If you are 55 and highly experienced, you might be out work for almost two years. And you are Mom or Dad. 

The reason companies will not higher older, more qualified workers, they say, boils down to health care costs. They claim older workers need more health care, hence affecting the bottom line.  ”… healthcare coverage is more expensive, up 6.3% to an average of $8,482 per worker this year (2008),“ according to a Los Angeles Time article published  Nov. 20, 2008. That’s expensive, no doubt. 

But, let’s look at it another way. Older employees tend to be more more loyal. You hire us, we aren’t going anywhere.We work hard. Since our families are usually grown, we don’t have to take time off to go a soccer game or recital. Plus, you don’t have to develop good work habits. We already have them.

Whereas, most younger workers don’t expect to stay at a company for very long. And, it requires a lot more expensive training.

And employee turnover costs money, more money than health insurance. 

“It should be noted that the costs of time and lost productivity are no less important or real than the costs associated with paying cash to vendors for services such as advertising or temporary staff. These are all very real costs to the employer,” according to the Advisor website.

“These calculations will easily reach 150% of the employees annual compensation figure. The cost will be significantly higher (200% to 250% of annual compensation) for managerial and sales positions.

“To put this into perspective, let’s assume the average salary of employees in a given company is $50,000 per year. Taking the cost of turnover at 150% of salary, the cost of turnover is then $75,000 per employee who leaves the company. For the mid-sized company of 1,000 employees who has a 10% annual rate of turnover, the annual cost of turnover is $7.5 million!”

So, I just don’t get it. What is the reason for not hiring an older worker. It can’t be money or maybe it’s because the average CEO just doesn’t get it.

The sad part is, they are cutting themselves off from a very qualified workforce – at a time when they need them the most.

That article generated over 500 comments, most of the them negative. Many of those commented seriously suggested lynchings or tar feathering. There was a lot of anger. But what struck me was those who rose in defense of the system.

Judging by the defenders’ comments, it seems most of them work on Wall Street. They are feeling quite put upon. One explained that the bonus is not really a bonus, it just deferred compensation. According to this person, for whatever reason, Wall Street chooses to pay it employees up to 90 percent of their salary at the end of the year. Another noted that those Wall Street drones provide much needed tax money to the city and state of New York. 

However, I think what these people view as reality is badly skewed. According to a Jan. 29th posting by  investmentbanking.jobsearchdigest.com  The average base salary for Associates at large investment banks is $90,000 – $100,000. The average bonus is sizable at over $100,000 which gets the Investment Banking Associate over the magic number of $200,000 per year.

So, the average Wall Street banker makes about $200,000 a year. Well, in 2008, median American household income for a family of four was just $67,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. So, the average Wall Street investment banker makes three times what a family of four makes. Even in the New York State, the median income was $72,120 for a family of four, the census bureau found.

I always a bonus was only given when the entire company had a good year. Making a $100,000 a year without any bonus looks pretty good to me. I have friends whose bonus this year was keeping their job.

And, I have many highly qualified friends who have lost their jobs and have no prospects. Or, they are working at Home Depot or for a car dealer. They need the money and the benefits.

Yes, I know other professions also pay very well. But, it takes physicians up to 15 years of training before they can practice. Even associates at law firms have to do a lot of grunt work before they make the big money.

I think the problem is that investment bankers have an outsized sense of their own importance. Look at in a simple way, money is the fuel of capitalism. It is supposed to generate economic activity, not be the goal. Investment banking was created as one way for companies to raise the necessary money to buy new equipment, open a new plant or hire more people. Investment bankers are working in the boiler room of capitalism, not the bridge. 

I think that is part of the problem most people in the real world have with investment bankers. They don’t appear to do anything. They don’t cure diseases, teach children, produce something, grow something, or make something – in short they don’t do much for all of the hours they claim they work.

And they live in a very insular world. These are people who think nothing of dropping $1,000 for a dinner at Per Se in New York, or spending $6 million for a condo. I doubt any of them have to think twice before making a big ticket purchase. They need a reality check.

I think one key to returning a sense of reality to Wall Street would be a new requirement to earn a Masters of Business Administration. Any candidate for that degree should have to spend at least two years working in some kind of real job – one where they break a sweat and get their hands dirty. They could teach, work in factory, join the Peace Corps – something that teaches them how the real world works and thinks.

Or, even better, they should work as service people in New York City – garbage people, cleaning people, waiters or waitresses for example. They would have to wait on the so-called “Masters of Universe.” Seeing how arrogant most of those people are would, I think, ensure a little humility.

Now I know most people under 35-years-old find newspapers soooo 20th Century. They find them inconvenient, way behind with the curve with information, and finally they don’t like getting newsprint on their hands. Instead, they graze the internet for their news and information. They rely on bloggers and social sights like Twitter and Utterli for their information. 

Incidentally, they don’t watch much television news either. Both newspapers and television have been largely left to people over 50. As a friend observed the other day, every time a person over 60 dies, newspapers lose another reader.

I have to admit two things right here:

• I left reporting six years ago because I saw the ship was sinking. I often tell people I felt like a blacksmith in about 1905. The horseless carriage had just rolled by and I realized my hammers and anvils are suddenly worthless. I went into public relations.
• As a public relations person, I usually advise my clients to place newspapers way down on the list of place for publicity. Social media is so much more effective. I feel bad about it, but as Michael Corelone said, it’s strictly business.

Now, I know newspapers are largely responsible for their own demise. Publishers got fat and happy and ignored what was happening outside their offices. The news business had existed largely unchanged for almost two centuries. Why would it change now? 

The odd thing is, newspapers were early adopters of what is now called social media. Ten years ago – when I was working print journalist – I was handed a tape recorder when I went for interviews. The taped interview was edited and posted on line. I had an editor who was sent to Atlanta to study how the Atlanta Constitution was integrating print, audio and video on their website. It was called convergence. 

The problem was that while publishers were painting the house, the foundation was crumbling. They never saw things likes Craigslist and Monster Jobs coming. Newspapers made most of their money from classified advertising. When that went away, so did the revenue stream. 

Plus, the big advertisers – realtors, car dealers, grocery stores and department stores – also got hit hard by the recession. They found it was cheaper and more effective to advertise on their own websites. 

Dave Morgan explains it quite will in Online Spin. He’s spot on.

 And with the failure to convert younger readers to newspapers subscribers, the revenue tripod collapsed. 

This is a tragedy. It might not seem like one now, but it will become evident.

Let me give you a bit of personal history to explain why:

When I was growing up in Upstate New York, my family subscribed to six newspapers, five of which delivered Sunday editions. We got each paper for a different reason: