One of the first ever posts I wrote for this website was a reprimand to experts bemoaning the lack of media cooperation in the spreading of their message. You might be clever, I observed, and you might have the right answers, but the onus is on you to engage with the media in the right way.
It never occurred to me that politicians, normally savvy media players, may need their own version of that message. But as Westminster returns to work this week it seems that some have forgotten the basics in the long summer break.
I'm referring of course to the slow-motion catastrophe that was the messaging around the (possibly) crumbling school infrastructure by the ministers involved. I will not bore readers with a blow-by-blow summary of who said what when but here is a Comms 101 summary of what politicians ought to bear in mind before engaging with the media:
1) Assume that every mic is live, and that the camera is always running.
2) If you're talking to a print reporter assume you're on the record.
3) The interviewer is not your friend and it's not his or her job to commiserate with you or award you brownie points for doing your job.
4) Whatever you're announcing expect blow back - see point 3.
5) If the timing of the announcement or the story breaking is particularly unfortunate and likely to put ordinary people at even greater inconvenience that would normally be the case the blowback will be more severe. That should not come as a suprise to you and you should have a plausible narrative explaining why things developed as they did and what you're doing about it.
6) Withholding information is the worst thing you can do once a story has broken. It's also incredibly stupid if you are breaking the story yourself. You must have 'the list of schools' or whatever the crux of the matter might be in your case, by the time you engage with the media.
7) Never forget you are not the story. 'Kids risking their lives in unsafe schools' (insert issue of choice) is the story.
8) Rushing out poorly thought-out social media messages can and will backfire
Holding elected power is a privilege. Face the media well prepared, engage with the scrutiny with good grace and ride the storm. While you should never expect praise for doing your job if you are consistently effective, humble and engaging the media will amplify that too, enhancing your reputation over the long run.
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