Video Interview with Michael Urwin – Principal, Brighton Grammar School
Media Manoeuvres Managing Director, Sam Elam, talks to the principal of Brighton Grammar School, Michael Urwin, about his recent 'trial by media' experiences. In this interview, Michael provides tips on…
Managing your company's reputation in a legal battle
With a mix of fascination and horror, we watch the media circus that accompanies sensational courtroom stories on the television news.
Thank god it’s not me, we all think. However, increased regulation and litigation mean more and more organisations are likely to find themselves embroiled in a court case.
In this article, we look at the best ways to manage the opportunities and risks of courtroom communications.
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maintain a positive reputation for your school with careful communications planning.
In this competitive world, it’s vital that you establish and maintain a positive reputation for your school with careful communications planning. Sam Elam and Katrina Byers explain how. The launch…
“Journalists just make it up : I didn’t say that!” – How to avoid being misquoted
Many people, experienced and inexperienced, speak of times when they believe they have been ‘misquoted’ by print journalists – usually when the words attributed to them cause, rather than solve,…
Declining Media Requests – How to minimise the damage
This article was first published on Dec 27, 2010, and revised on Nov 24, 2017. One of the hardest parts of the job for media spokespeople and their communications gatekeepers is being…
"Off The Record" – What Does It Really Mean?
It has got to be the most frequent question asked in media training: “Should I ever go off the record?” There appears to be a huge amount of confusion about…
The Credit Crunch: Tough Calls, New Opportunities
When recession starts to bite, does your organisation see communication as an essential or a luxury? In hard times, should you shun the spotlight or stay visible and on message?…
How to pitch to the news media
During a Media Matters editorial meeting, we discussed angles for this lead article and how to pitch a story to media was one idea. We thought it may have been too basic because surely professional PR/media practitioners know this stuff? We decided to do some frontline research and were surprised to find that the majority of people pitching stories are doing it the wrong way. We know this because we decided to ask the only people qualified to answer that question – we asked the gatekeepers of Australia’s news – the radio and television producers, influential freelance journalists and news desk editors – how to pitch a story. Their full and frank comments have given Media Manoeuvres the latest guide to pitching a story. Ignore it at your peril.
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Do you know what salubrious means?
salubrious suh-LOO-bree-us, adjective: Salubrious is from Latin salubris, "healthful," from salus, "health." Favourable to health; promoting health; healthful. A physician warned him his health was precarious, so he shelved his…
Books: December 2009
This award-winning journalist well known as the face of The Midday Show, A Current Affair, 60 Minutes and Carols by Candlelight has written every word of this autobiography. A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the machinations of big TV corporations, such as ABC and Channel 9. (more…)
Allan Craig on New Media
Watch this short video and hear Allan Craig talk about the role and value of new media in corporate communications. Allan Craig joined the Media Manoeuvres team earlier this year.…
Media Bloopers
Not strictly a blooper but watch what happens when this journalist reports on the burning of illegal marijuana crops. For your chance to win a Gold Class movie voucher, please submit your favourite media blooper or interview from YouTube, your organisation or other source to Michelle Adams on madams@www.commsmanoeuvres.com.au. (more…)
The Dreaded Follow Up Call
“Hi this is Janey from AcmePR. I was just wondering if you received the press release on our new product.”
This type of phone call is the bane of every journalist, editor, reporter and producer working in the media.
“I really hate the follow up call,” said a leading Australian magazine editor.
“Ninety-nine times out of one hundred it is from a poor PR lackey that has been told to ring you and ask you this banal question and whether you are going to do a story on it.”
The follow up call that has no value, does nothing except interrupt someone and ask him or her if they have received something they are likely to have received.
Not all media releases go out to the media never to be heard of again. They can be a valid source of news ideas. “If I see something in a media release that I think has value, then I will ring,” said one Fairfax reporter. “In fact, I have rung several people today on the back of media releases.” (more…)
