Press coverage. A double-edged sword?

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: treewind
Date: 14 Jul 07 - 09:23 AM

"The trick is simply to give them the sort of stuff they use, all layed out, cut and dried"

I've occasionally sent stuff to the press to publicise things and that approach has worked for me. You need to aim at a reading age of about 12, and write the second half of your article in short sentences sequenced so the article can be cut to any desired length by simple truncation and still make sense.

Result: no-brainer: they print what you write.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: M.Ted
Date: 13 Jul 07 - 06:33 PM

The trick is simply to give them the sort of stuff they use, all layed out, cut and dried,as mentioned above, so they don't have to even think--when they have to think, there is always trouble--

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 12 Jul 07 - 05:28 PM

How true. When Hazlitt Folk was Hazlitt Folk we spent a huge amount of time and effort trying to get the Kent Messenger to get ANYTHING right, and in the end we had to ask them please, please, not to print anything at all because it was always wrong and caused more trouble than benefit.

They then did not immediately stop and I had to put my lawyer hat on and tell them that they were implying that I was a liar and that that was actionally defamatory.....

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: GUEST,Wayne
Date: 12 Jul 07 - 12:29 PM

Oh yeah - the dates! Cheers Barry. Its on the 20th - 22nd of July. I tried to find my original festival thread but couldn't. I must have put it up 3 or 4 weeks ago. If anyone knows where it is, I'd be grateful if they could refresh it.

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: Folkiedave
Date: 12 Jul 07 - 12:02 PM

During the last miner's strike the riot at Orgreave was depicted as miners chucking stones at the police and the police charging on horseback.

Actually it happened precisely the opposite way around.

When the police came to give evidence at Sheffield Crown Court - the miners' barrister pointed this out and they werefound not guilty.

At Sidmouth a few years ago I was there with the Sheffield Giants and I wrote a press piece that they could just copy. They did - even to the bit where I had suggested a number of quotes.

They just printed them all!!.

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: Kajikit
Date: 12 Jul 07 - 11:45 AM

The media are bloody vultures, and IMO the best thing you can do is to stay far, far away from them because they'll always get the story wrong (or rather, tell the story that THEY want to tell), especially if it involves any kind of 'fringe' activity (and if it bears any relationship to actual facts count yourself lucky!)
A few years ago there it rained so heavily overnight that large parts of our very low-lying neighbourhood were flooded - and first thing in the morning the media circus camped out on our front doorstep because it was the most 'picturesque' intersection involved (some idiot got their car stuck in the middle in the dark and the slope of the road meant the water was up to the door handles...) If you'd just seen the news coverage you'd have thought that people were having to swim to work, but the news crews were high and dry just around the corner!

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 12 Jul 07 - 11:29 AM

I was searching for photos & more info on an artist appearing at my club & found reports of the concert on 2 what's-on/ticket-buying sites I never knew existed.

Both gave Artist, Folk Club name, Date, Time, Cost, & a phone number. They must have gone to a lot of trouble to find the number as it is the number of the Community Centre where we hold our concerts! Not a number we ever use in our advertising.

I wonder where they got it as neither entry even mentioned the Centre! One of Life's Little Mysteries as the folk club no. is in the phone book & we also have a website!!

sandra

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 12 Jul 07 - 11:01 AM

I was present at the alleged 'riot' when Premier Joh - an notorious anti-intellectual, was awarded his Honary Doctorate... :-)

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 12 Jul 07 - 01:39 AM

Having appeared on TV myself this year after an horrific event 100yds from my front door, I have first hand experience in how the press manipulate questions to you and edit things to show THEIR point of view, not the truth. One interviewer actually stopped me in mid reply saying, 'I asked you a loaded question, that's not the answer I wanted'... I really wish I could have told him 'tough titty, it's the truth'. He asked the question again and I gave the same answer in different words. He seemed happy with that.

The only way you can guarantee getting the truth and accuracy in a news report is if you put it there yourself.

I hope you're sending a corrected copy to the 'Post, it would be a shame if people were put off by inaccuracies.

LTS

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 12 Jul 07 - 12:11 AM

Or the dates

Barry

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: Dan Schatz
Date: 11 Jul 07 - 10:19 PM

I've produced or performed at many events, and it seems to be relatively rare that the papers actually get everything right. Some detail is almost always off, whether it's the admission (free versus a fiver), the style (a variety of traditional musical styles versus "A Mighty Wind") or the spelling of the performers names. It makes you wonder how much of the "real news" has mistakes in it!

(I've been in that, too, and yes - there were mistakes.)

On the other hand, without publicity, as flawed as it may be, the music we love will never spread beyond those who already know about it. That's too high a price to pay.

Still, I understand your point - it would be nice if they at least had the right town name.

Dan Schatz

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: Jim Lad
Date: 11 Jul 07 - 09:01 PM

Aw naw!

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 11 Jul 07 - 08:33 PM

Once the local threatre put on a Panto called '(something or other) and the Giant Cook' - the producer was horrified to see what they actually printed - just a simple one letter typo, really - :-)

Subject: RE: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 11 Jul 07 - 08:11 PM

definitely!

Some years back the Bush Music Club sent info about a regular Bush Dance to the local paper.

Well, they did look at it & they did publish an article - under the heading of LINE DANCING!

At least we got into the paper - but line dancers would have been disappointed if they had turned up & bush dancers who saw the article were also disappointed.

sandra

Subject: Press coverage. A double-edged sword?
From: GUEST,Wayne
Date: 11 Jul 07 - 05:57 PM

Anyone see the article about the Abbey Fest in the Yorkshire Evening Post?

It contained a few facts but even more half truths, misinformation and complete bollocks.

Let me correct some of the biggest howlers.

1. The festival is FREE. You do not have to pay £5 to listen to any music. They got the bit about the camping charge right, though.

2. It is not a pop festival. The line-up covers many genres but is predominantly folk and roots.

3. The Abbey Inn is not in Horsforth, but in Newlay.

4. The final total raised last year was considerably more than £880. That was simply the amount collected in the bucket over the weekend.

5. Ian at the Old Bear has been fantastic in helping the festival financially but he is not nor would ever claim to be one of the organizers. The event was put together by Peter Abrahams the former pub manager. All the hard work has been his right up until the moment he had to leave the pub. Martin, the current manager is has played a blinder in picking up the baton, but the vision and the credit is Pete's and Pete's alone.

It'll be a fine event. There's a thread kicking about somewhere with the full line-up. I'll try and refresh it. Do come along if you can but certainly don't expect to pay an entry fee!

Diolch

Wayne