This informal CPD article To see or not to see… was provided by Brian Weatherley at B2B Media Training, an award-winning trade journalist, video presenter, business-to-business magazine editor and media trainer.
Whenever I do media training, I’m invariably asked: ‘After you’ve finished an interview with a journalist is it OK to ask to see their copy before it’s published?’ I always give the same response: ‘You can ask, but don’t be surprised if they say no.’
Indeed, it reminds me of the humorous notice you occasionally see pinned behind the bar in pubs: ‘Please don’t ask for credit as refusal often offends.’ Nevertheless, there’s clearly a serious side to the enquiry, not least as it begs the question as to why you would want to see a journalist’s story in advance of publication.
Is it because you don’t trust the journalist to get the story right…or at least ‘right’ from your perspective? Will the interview involve lots of facts and figures they might get wrong? Maybe you’re worried you might say something in an unguarded moment that could appear in print or on-line with negative consequences? And what if the journalist writes something you disagree with, or worse completely misses the point you’re trying to make? They’re all valid concerns.
If you want a journalist to get things right, it’s your job to ensure the messages you give them are clear, unequivocal, and easy to grasp. If you’re delivering detailed information like financials, production figures, or market stats, give the journalist a hard copy of everything that they can see without having to reference their notes, so there’s no misunderstanding. Then stick to the messages you want and need to deliver. Don’t speculate or guess, or be distracted by irrelevant questions, no matter how ‘interesting,’ and don’t try and answer questions that are outside your competency or authority. In short, you’d better be properly prepared and do your homework beforehand.
It’s one thing asking a journalist to see their copy when an interview has finished. It’s another insisting to see it before they’ve even opened their notebook. It infers they’re incapable of doing a professional job and is unlikely to get things off to a good start. However, there’s a more fundamental-reason why journalists won’t want to show you copy in advance. It’s their story not yours. It’s their interpretation and contextualising of your comments and information. They’ll also be writing it in the house-style of their publication, in their own way, for their audience. Journalists are read, viewed, or listened to precisely for that reason, not because they recycle PR speak.
If you must ask to see advance copy wait till the interview is over then explain it’s ‘strictly for fact checking, and not to change style or substance.’ Only don’t be disappointed if the answer is an equally polite no thanks.
Above-all-else, if after the journalist leaves the room, you suddenly think ‘I should have answered that question differently,’ or ‘I shouldn’t have said that’ then it’s probably too late. The bottom-line ahead of any media encounter is to know exactly what you want to say…before you start saying it.
We hope this article was helpful. For more information from B2B Media Training, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively, please visit the CPD Industry Hubs for more CPD articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.
