4 Ways to Kill a Story

     Many organizations with a good story to tell never make it into print because they find a way to shoot themselves in the foot. Here are common situations in which promoters kill their own stories:

• Uninformed spokesperson. Even if a spokesperson has a good relationship with the media, they will soon turn their backs on the organization if that person fails to provide the answers they seek. Case in point: A spokesperson for a non-profit being unable to divulge the source of its funding.
• The only organization expert. This is where a spokesperson has an encyclopedic knowledge of everything a reporter ever wanted to know about the organization and the industry, but when that person is away, no one else is allowed to speak.
• The censored president. This is when a reporter has gotten a good quote from the president and later is told that it may not be used because the chief was not authorized to talk about it.
• Non-news news break. This is a case of unsubstantiated facts, of the announced medical breakthrough that is unsupported by hard research. Avoid the “all-talk-no-backup” syndrome.