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During a campaign, candidates and others work to make sure they have good relationships with the press. Candidates can have a much easier time, though, if the party organization or leadership within the party keeps those relationships open and friendly.
Today, we’re going to talk about the importance of building good press relationships.
Get to know the reporters in your state house.
Every state house in America has a press office. In many state houses, it is in the basement and out of the way. Despite the rise of online media, it is truly your print media, newspapers and periodicals who do the heavy lifting on reporting in your state government. The vast majority of the time, when you see a news report on TV or a national about your state, it is because a state house reporter for a local paper chased the story down and did the leg work to give them a starting point.
Knowing who your state house reporters are is important in order to make sure your side of an issue gets heard. If state house reporters have a good idea of the leaders within your party and organization who can speak on specific issues or political points, you are far more likely to get the right quotes in papers to tell your narrative.
Reporters live on deadlines and details. Be aware of both of these factors. Make it easy for them to do their job. They will appreciate it.
Don’t Waste Their Time
One of the biggest mistakes parties and candidates make with regards to the press is wasting their time. If you are planning an aggressive schedule of sending out tons of press releases and papering their walls over every issue, they will eventually ignore you. Remember: they are on deadlines and cannot cover everything.
If you respect the time of the press around you and provide them with the important information in a concise format, they are far more likely to follow up and handle any story. Making their job difficult doesn’t get you what you want.
Keep Track!
Finally, keep track of the reporting style and content of your reporters. You may notice reporters over a time favor a certain story type. Or, they prefer to quote certain politicians over others. Maybe they are reporters who are interested in a cause or specific issue. Their organization might also be committed to a specific topic or cause.
If you have a good idea of what your reporters write about, you are less likely to waste their time, and more likely to maximize yours. Be efficient with your time and theirs.
You are NOT Donald J. Trump!
President-Elect Donald Trump can bash the press and call everything fake news or make other outrageous claims. No matter what your standing is within the party, you cannot go on the attack against the press. If a story isn’t friendly to you or your candidate or even your party, you cannot afford to hold a grudge. Dust yourself off, read it critically, and assess if their article makes a valid point or not.
Waging a war against the press within your state house will not help you or any future candidate who runs.
Final Thoughts
There is a false assumption by many in both parties that the press favors the other party. I hear from Republicans how biased the press is against them. From Democratic party members, I hear about how the press in a state is notoriously conservative. For the most part, many reporters just want a story and to do their job. While some have natural biases, they will try to report the information given as best they can. Assume the press within your county or state are trying to be nonbiased and treat them well.
If, however, you do not have enough coverage of the press within your county or state, consider becoming the reporter that your state or county may need. If you begin to write about and document the procedures in your own state house or county offices, you can help circulate the information that may be lacking.
And we definitely need more individuals willing to do exactly that.
Next Week on Nuts & Bolts: So ... you want to talk to your Republican representative
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Nuts & Bolts: Building Democratic Campaigns
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Every Saturday this group will chronicle the ins and outs of campaigns, small and large. Issues to be covered: Campaign Staffing, Fundraising, Canvass, Field Work, Data Services, Earned Media, Spending and Budget Practices, How to Keep Your Mental Health, and on the last Saturday of the month: “Don’t Do This!” a diary on how you can learn from the mistakes of campaigns in the past.
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