How to Escape “Gotcha” Questions
Our research of more than 3,000 media interviews and stories shows that nearly 20% of the time a reporter will ask a hypothetical question designed to put you on the spot. In this editi...
Great Example of How to Set the Tone of an Interview
The first question is the most important part of a media interview and Russ Rhea with Hahn Public's media training partner Predictive Media Network explains how to set the tone off the ...
Chasing VW’s Goats – Part 3
This is my third in what is turning out to be a series of posts regarding Volkswagen and its emissions defeat device scandal. I've been focusing my analysis...
Getting VW’s Goat – Part 2
I thought a short update on the continuing VW's crisis was in order in the wake of CEO Martin Winterkorn's resignation. In my opening note on the subject, I used Dr. Keith Hearit's apol...
Analyzing VW’s Endless Apology
Volkswagen's CEO, Martin Winterkorn, has the attention of the New York Times. That'll happen when your company admits that 11 million or so of its cars around the world contain software...
The End of Media Relations – Part 3
Part 3: Vice Vice, Baby – 5 Facts Squeezing the Media Remember the song, Under Pressure, by Queen? It’s got that syncopated bass intro that sticks in yo...
The End of Media Relations – Part 2
Part 2: The New Middle of the Newsroom In Part 1 of this discussion, I talked about how the Associated Press’ decision to sell content to America Online, Yahoo! an...
Repeating Negatives Can Doom Media Interviews
In a media interview, you always need to be prepared to not bring up a negative or repeat a negative when a reporter asks a negative question. It is always possible to deliver a positiv...