Retiring British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has blasted the media on the eve of his retirement. Pulling no punches he said the fierce competition for stories meant the modern media now hunted in a pack. "In these modes, it is like a feral beast, just tearing people and reputation to bits, but no one dares miss out", he said. And I agree with him. I've been media training for 20 years now and have seen the terror on the faces of so many executives, and that's just in a training environment. I've also heard their horrifying stories of either them being bitten by the media personally or the fear they felt when a colleague came off second best with the fourth estate. In that time I've worked out what causes this terror. Firstly, it's fear of saying the wrong thing and that having an impact on their career (what I call, in media training, a career altering moment!) Secondly, it's fear of derision by their peer group and a loss of standing in that group. Thirdly, it's fear of being laughed at by family members. Notice that the word fear pops up a lot in this paragraph. If we go back for a minute to Tony Blair's speech to Reuters in London on June 13th 2007, he too spoke of fear. "I am going to say something few people in public life will say but most know is absolutely true. A vast aspect of our jobs today is coping with the media - its sheer scale, weight and constant hyperactivity. At points, it literally overwhelms. People don't speak about it because, in the main, they are afraid to." Now, this fear is palpable but it can be controlled. As Mr Blair said, it is rare today to find balance in the media but it's up to you to try and ensure such balance. When Henry Kissinger was U.S. Secretary of State long before Tony Blair became British P.M. he used to stride into media conferences and announce:"Has anyone here got any questions to go with my answers?" That's the mindset you need when dealing with the media. Facing a journalist's tough questioning can be very daunting but if you prepare your material, have two or three main points to fall back on and remember your audience at all times, you will give a better interview and, dare I say it, one that has more balance than if you let the reporter concentrate purely on their negative line. Tony Blair said the media is "increasingly and to a dangerous degree driven by impact. It is this devotion to impact that is unravelling standards, driving them down, making the diversity of the media not the strength it should be but an impulsion towards sensation above all else."
It's up to the interviewee to make sure the journalist doesn't get away with just impact but has a story with some balance in it. Like everything in life, this will become easier with practice. Media training is an obvious help.