Working with the Media: Media Mistakes

Reading1
Originally uploaded by Ughman.

From time to time we have a client who is annoyed that the media has gotten something wrong about them in a story. Typically, the error is something like giving someone a wrong title or paraphrasing a quote. Sometimes it’s factual (do you mean the error?) in nature.

Although your boss may be hacked off that something is wrong, this situation begs the question of whether the error is important enough to correct or if asking for a correction would basically amount to nit-picking.

To make this determination, take a step back and assess just how damaging the error is. Is it worth jeopardizing future coverage from the publication?

In most cases, it’s not.

Although the error may cause an internal political issue - such as your CEO being referred to as president - most readers won’t even notice or remember the individual’s title in the article.

Demanding a retraction or correction for something that is primarily creates internal upheaval is a bad idea. Ditto when the “error” involves the misuse of industry jargon or terminology.

Instead, be sure to clarify any confusion upfront the next time you work with that same publication. In addition, work between stories to cultivate a better relationship with individual reporters.

Comments

[eschipul]

Putting your ego aside and being grateful for earned media is a challenge.

I hear your advice about "letting it go". Just curious - do you have a guideline of when to seek a correction?

I ask because I frequently see letters to the editor in vertical mags that are full of compliments and ONE minor correction. These seem to be run in the name of extending coverage and not necessarily to correct the actual error.

PS - love the flickr image. CC licenses are cool.

[Danielle Ezell]

The only time I would ask for a correction is when critical numbers are involved – revenue figures, dividends, losses, etc.

If left uncorrected, the next reporter who writes about your organization will inevitably reference the incorrect figure again.

A good example of this happened in 2005 to Acousticadia, a music festival held in Edmond, Okla. One of the local newspapers misreported the amount of money lost by the event. The wrong dollar amount was then included in every Acousticadia story written by the paper for many months afterwards.

[Leo]

Thanks for the post.
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