Story Pitches: Some Are Over the Plate, Some Not

Between hundreds of emails clogging my in-box every day, countless telephone pitches and personal interactions over the course of a career, I've had all kinds of experiences with professional communicators. Most have been positive, but a few stand out as remarkable, and not in a good way. We're glad to hear story ideas, or pitches, but some left something to be desired. This is about process, not particular stories.

One should be quick to add that there are excellent actors and poor performers in every profession, including journalism. So, this isn't an exercise in bashing. People of all experience levels and capabilities are trying to get stories in front of journalists.

A few of the "greatest misses” since these were definitely not “greatest hits":

1) "Your competitor is reporting"... or "a newspaper is running a story today that"...

This is almost always a non-starter. If one of our rivals has gotten an exclusive or has done an enterprise story, more often than not we're going to pass. Some entities think it is worth the risk to hand a story to another shop. If that happens, we don't want to be eating news leftovers.  We want the exclusive. If that isn't possible, we want to get it first.

2) "You guys ran a story"... If we already have the story, why are you pitching us? Now, it could be that there's another angle that advances or, or adds a broadcast element to a story running in print. But that's not what people are typically offering.

3) "I have a guest idea for your show", or a possible "article". We don't expect that everyone understands exactly what we do, but a minimal amount of research or use of that “Internet” search thing can provide a lot of useful information. Fact is, I don't have a "show" and my work primarily shows up on broadcast/online platforms, such as radio or video. Starting a conversation based on a faulty premise isn't helpful.  If you need to talk with a colleague elsewhere in the organization, we can help get you to that person.

4)“Hi, Mark, how was your weekend. Is it hot there?” Answering my phone, someone I don't know starts off failing to identify themselves or asks a personal question. Since I don't work at a call center, I will often stop them and ask who is calling. We usually can tell within 10 to 20 seconds whether a pitch is worth pursuing. Since time is usually precious, is it best for us to work through the pitch ASAP. Some folks will be argumentative once we've figured the story isn't a good fit.  Not productive.

5) You'll need to register on our website before we tell you who to contact in our organization. Please don't require us to create a username and password on your Internet site to allow us get a media contact. We often need quick access to information and to get to the people who can facilitate it. There are few things more frustrating than organizations that refuse to put their media contacts on the public or newsroom side of their site. So, we're not enthusiastic about trying to remember yet another username/password combination. Basic contact information, including name, email and cell phone number, should be part of any news release.

6) We sent you a news release, but we're not available to respond to any possible follow-up. Any number of times we've been sent news releases with contact information that isn't relevant when the release goes live. The person is on vacation or their voice mail is full.What's the use in sending the release out then?

7) We won't be able to connect you with an example of a person cited in the news release. We were told that a majority of members of a trade organization shared a specific concern about the economic outlook. Being in broadcast news, I followed up to ask if they could connect us with one of those people to go on camera. Amazingly, they told us several times in the following days that no one could be provided. It is counterproductive to put out a release stating something supposedly widely believed and then being unable to provide a single person who can stand behind or verify the claim. How about anticipating that broadcast and other journalism organizations will naturally ask for an individual example and have people ready to go at a reasonable time? 

Finally, there are many, many examples of stellar communications professionals, some of whom I count among my very good friends. They don't need to be told about any of this. 

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm blessed to have been married for more than 20 years to a professional communicator. So, I raise these examples with the goal of engaging in a discussion how the process can work better.

A Hot Pepper (and Garlic) Epiphany: Pan Roasting

Recipes for salsa, pesto and bruschetta get a new twist thanks to a technique I learned about recently for pan roasting peppers and garlic in a small cast iron pan on the range-top.

Credit for this goes to Rick Bayless, as mentioned in his book "Mexican Everyday"

The first question you might ask is "why?" What's the benefit? It both adds something and takes something away. Pan-roasting takes some of the heat out of the chili and some of the bitterness out of the garlic.  What you gain is a bit of smoke, color and texture.

It is pretty simple and quick.  Simply put, take a small pan, place it on medium or hotter heat on top of the stove.  I use a spray or paper towel to apply the smallest amount of oil to the pan.  Then, place whole jalapeno or Serrano chiles along side unpeeled individual garlic cloves in the pan.  Heat the garlic for about 10 minutes and the chillies for about 15 minutes, or until they are black and blistered on all sides. The garlic cloves can then be peeled after they've been seared and the stems should be removed before use. The peppers can be frozen and used later. 

The recipe I really liked was for fire-roasted salsa, including cilantro, diced fire-roasted tomatoes (I bought a 15 ounce can), a bit of lime juice, a small diced onion, salt, ground pepper, three pan-roasted garlic cloves and two (or even one) roasted Serrano chili.  By using a food processor to combine the items to the desired consistency, you get salsa that's much better than what you get in a jar.  Be careful with the amount of chili-induced heat.  I love spicy food but have found that other folks aren't as tolerant of too many Scoville units.  One to two roasted Serranos were enough. And if you find you need to add heat, you can always turn to your favorite hot sauce to season to taste.

Of course, you can always heat to the grill to do the pan roasting, but this method is quick and easy and only takes a small amount of space on the range-top. And given our recent heat wave, standing in the sun was not on the top of my to-do list.

Since my initial trial, I've used one or two of these pan roasted items for Huevos Rancheros,  Bruschetta (with roasted tomatoes and garlic) and pesto (roasted garlic).

Since the Rick Bayless cookbook was the inspiration for this, I'd obviously recommend you pick up a copy.

What Really Happened When The Supreme Court Decision On Health Care Was Announced and How Journalists Responded

The Supreme Court's 2012 decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred as "Obamacare", will be studied by historians and legal experts for years.  Not only was it a watershed moment in politics and for the law as well, it turned out to be a dramatic day for the practice of journalism.  The latter is worth investigating, particularly for those of us either working in news, or those who are interested in knowing more about what happens behind-the-scenes.

As is widely known by now, there were some notable mistakes made in the initial reporting of the complicated decision. 

One of the best, in-depth treatments of how the coverage was managed has been produced by the respected SCOTUSblog. The blog was followed closely for its own coverage of the decision, as you can see from the following link. The account runs more than 7,000 words.

Not only does this very well-detailed account go into what was happening with reporters and others working the story, it looks inside the inner workings of the White House and the court itself.  The event may also have been important to affirming the value of Internet-only journalism at a time when newspapers and other outlets are continuing to struggle with the business challenges of the digital transition. 

Here's the detailed entry, titled "We're getting wildly differing assessments".

A Forrest Gump Moment During Iran Contra in 1986

As a reporter, you never know how things are going to turn out when covering an event or story.

From time to time, you get a front row seat to history, or a small piece of it. That's what happened in 1986 when President Reagan tapped then Senator John Tower of Texas to be among those investigating the Iran Contra Affair through the Tower Commission.

This was the story of the day, at the time. And once he was named, journalists needed to gather reaction from Tower himself. That day, Tower was in Dallas and I was sent out with an AP photographer.  He gave a brief statement and I filed for radio and print. The way it worked out, that photographer got this shot of Tower, and I just happened to be in it.  The photo was on the front page of The New York Times, one of the Dallas papers and, I suspect, a number of others.  I'm the guy in the trench coat to the right. (click photo at the left to enlarge New York Times photo).

Tower himself would die in a plane crash in 1991.

As if to bring this full-circle, I hosted another then-member of the Tower Commission, former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft for a National Press Club Luncheon in 2011.  By that time, Iran Contra didn't come up, but we had a full discussion of issues involving Pakistan, Afghanistan and terrorism.  (Photo below courtesy of Noel St. John)

Here's a link to the video of the NPC Luncheon.

Talking Heads and Soundbites -- 26 Years and Still Going Strong

Years ago, in the midst of the punk and alternative rock eras, one had no idea that some of the lyrics splashing around would find resonance a generation or two later. 

"You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?"

So a few grey hairs later, I'm reminded of the song "Once In A Lifetime" by the Talking Heads, which referred to the notion that one could essentially wake up realizing that a lot of time had passed.
Such is the case as I reflect on the fact that it was 26 years ago that I reported for work for the first time at the AP Radio outpost in Dallas. I had packed all I owned into a two-seater Ford EXP with no air conditioning for the move from Buffalo. (Air conditioning wasn't a must in Buffalo, New York). I drove to stay with my mother for a few days in my hometown of Coffeyville, Kansas, before making the sharp turn south to the "Big D".

It was an exciting time. I truly appreciated the tremendous opportunity I was given, although sad to leave my friends behind in Buffalo, where I'd worked for the previous four years for WEBR and WBEN. In Dallas, I was anchoring for the Texas AP Radio Network and providing reports for the national network.  I would work with tremendously talented and kind colleagues led by the late Brad Krohn, as well as Amanda Barnett and Jim Ribble.  They helped me to embrace the technology and demanding work flow. Amanda and Jim are still in the industry doing great things in Atlanta.

Back then, we were using reel-to-reel tape, cart machines and a proprietary computer workstation to get our work done. That was as the digital transition was just beginning, before most people were using personal computers and cellular phones were heavy lunch bucket devices with no Internet connection.

A year later I would be moving to Washington, where I've continued to work for the AP, mostly focused on business and the economy.  Since then, I've been blessed in more ways than I could have ever expected, thanks to my wife Jeanne and son Christopher, other family members as well as my friends and colleagues.   Alongside radio and video, social media has been added to the media mix I  think about.  And users of media have sat down at the table to help decide what we'll be working on during any given day.

By the way, I didn't replace that small car with no air conditioning until immediately after my arrival in Washington.  That was a lot of driving to afternoon news conferences with the windows down around the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  

So, as I listen to the music of the day, admittedly less now than back in the Talking Heads era, I can't help but wonder what pithy lyric might find predictive resonance down the road.

Better Words Needed!

Back when I was a kid my grandmother referred to every refrigerator as a "Frigidaire". I didn't understand it because the impact of the brand name was lost on me. In this way, she was a creature of habit. Her usage of the term reflected the fact the brand was the first major commercially available product, which was widely used.  Of course, competition including other brand names eventually overtook the marketplace, but she and many other Americans never quite got around to updating their vocabulary.

We find ourselves similarly challenged now during a time of rapid technological change, and it may not occur to us that we use terms that are literally outdated.  The problem is that we have trouble coming up with better replacements.

Examples? Do you say you "type" on a keyboard?  But, in fact, you haven't used a typewriter in decades, if ever.  Similarly, some of my colleagues in journalism will continue to refer to "taping" an interview, even though the analog tape-based technology hasn't been used for some time. Is that a "film" you are watching? Well, maybe it is, but it might be all digital.

As a half-hearted attempt to get it right, I might be guilty myself and have heard other folks say they "DVR'd" something, or used the recording capability of their cable set-top box to capture a program for later viewing.  Seems like we should be able to do better than that with the word selection. But we're still working on it.

Can you think of other examples?  What other terms might be at risk?
Language tends to be a living and breathing entity. But there are cases where the words fail to keep pace with the evolving times because we are thinking about our past habits.