Don't Get 'Mooched

Recent political theater aside, it's not uncommon for the uninitiated to think communication is more art than science. Using the Gift of Gab or a cleverly-turned phrase are just tactics and in the intense heat of a story burning out of control, that can be like spitting into a hurricane. 

Having a solid communication strategy as critical support for messaging an initiative, campaign or crisis, dates back to somewhere between 15,000 and 13,000 B.C., with the Lascaux Caves cave paintings in the Pyrenees Mountains in southern France. Those paintings, with the depictions of a few people and an animal of some sort, were probably as newsy then, as the back page of a local newspaper on a slow news day is today. 

If you’ve ever heard the Jewish saying, “Man plans and God laughs,” that’s a communication strategy.

Meaning, even with the best laid plans on how to get the message out, things can go awry. But you can mitigate some risk and keep your message on track by establishing rules of engagement before you give an interview or comment to the media.

Whether ‘Mooch established rules of engagement with New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza before the R-rated interview, is largely known only to ‘Mooch and Lizza. As a journalist, I have heard the F-bomb from news sources many times, but it has always been off the record, which means I could not and would not use it. 

So you don't get caught sideways with an unintended headline, or in the relevant parlance of the day - you don't mooch yourself, here are the long-established rules when engaging with media, using the widely accepted Associated Press’ definitions. 

        On the record. The information can be used with no caveats, quoting you by name.

        Off the record. The information cannot be used for publication. No exceptions. No expiration date.

        Background. The information can be published but only under conditions negotiated ahead of time. Generally, you do not want your name published but may agree to a description of your position. Think, “a senior administration official close to the Teapot Dome investigation…”  Also known as, not for attribution.

        Deep background. The information can be used but without attribution. Under this scenario, you do not want to be identified in any way, even on condition of anonymity. Something like, “The meeting turned tense when Madison complained about Hamilton’s idea for the nation’s first national bank…”

Warning: Any information given to an experienced reporter under any of these scenarios can be pursued with other sources to go on the record. This is an age-old tactic perfected by the good ones like the late Tim Russert. During my time as an NBC producer, Tim once explained to me how he captured off the record information. Armed with information from one source, he would then call other sources with a non-aggressive, “What a shame to hear about what happened to so-and-so...” and then wait for a voice on the other end of the phone to willingly fill in the blanks.

Non-traditional or self-described journalists who have their own site or blog may shoot first and ask questions later, but the overwhelming majority of traditional local, regional and national media follow these rules because they know that informing the public is still one of the most important endeavors in civilized society today. And one that is built on trust.

Engaging with the media is not for the faint of heart. They prepare so you have to prepare. 

Most reporters come prepared knowing about you, your issue, and they will structure their questions to get you to answer difficult questions. So, don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.  Your job is to know the reporter, their outlet, know how they cover news, and establish the rules of engagement before you agree to chat. Even then, there is still a level of risk. To further mitigate risk, don’t answer questions when you don’t know the answer. Get to your point quickly. In a video interview, don’t ever assume you are off the record when you are waiting for the camera to get set up. Anything that gets recorded is fair game. And the microphone is always hot. Always.

With preparation and a healthy, albeit small dose of paranoia, you have the best chance of getting your message across without bad quotes going into the annals of history. Your quotes in the media on the internet will last at least as long as the cave drawings in the Lascaux Caves.