The Press Conference

Before I discuss the press conference, our main topic this month, let me clear a couple of cobwebs I found in the newspapers in the past one month or so. The front page lead of the Daily Trust of March 1, says: “Fuel queues persist as power supply drops.” Anything wrong with that? Yes. The […]

Before I discuss the press conference, our main topic this month, let me clear a couple of cobwebs I found in the newspapers in the past one month or so.
The front page lead of the Daily Trust of March 1, says: “Fuel queues persist as power supply drops.”
Anything wrong with that? Yes. The sub-editor used the word ‘as’ to link two unrelated pieces of information in the headline and created the wrong impression that one was a causative factor in the other. The fuel queues were not caused by the drop in power supply. The persistence of the fuel queues is in no way related to the drop in electricity generation.
In the March 11 issue of the newspaper, the same problem cropped up. The front page lead headline reads: “Fuel queues persist as workers end strike.”
The problem here is that the reporter failed to recognise that he was dealing with a running story. In a running story, the latest development is the story of the moment. In this case, ending the strike that had virtually crippled all of us and the economy, was the story. Given our suffering and our state of anxiety over the fuel crisis, it was natural to hope that we would see an immediate end to the fuel queues. But I do not think anyone expected the fuel queues to end immediately the strike was called off. That would would be unrealistic. There must be a time lag between the end of the strike and when fuel supplies are available for lifting and distribution. It could take at least 48 hours before the fuel queues begin to shrink.
Lead story headline on page one of the March 15 issue of Daily Trust trumpeted what I am prepared to believe was a surprise mistake. Here it is: “NNPC didn’t remit N3.2 tr in 2014 – Auditor General.”
It broke a very important rule. Generations of reporters, editors and sub-editors have faithfully observed this simple rule: write headlines in the present tense; use active verbs. I know that if they had their way, most sub-editors would opt for the past tense to talk about things in the past. Sorry folks, a rule is a rule. If we permit sub-editors the right to breach whatever rule they are not comfortable with, chaos would reign in the print media. The word, didn’t, didn’t belong in the headline. The correct headline should have read: “NNPC fails to remit N3.2tr in 2014.    
Having cleared up the cobweb, we now turn our attention to the press conference, also known as news conference. The press conference is a major source of news for the news media. Almost every week some important men or public relations gurus address the press on matters that matter to them. News from a press conference is a straightforward piece of information. The reporter does not sweat over it. If he does not take notes, he loses nothing because the convener of the press conference takes care to write down down his address. If it is the reporter’s lucky day, he leaves the venue of the press conference a bit wobbly on his feet but with a brown envelope tucked under his arm.
It seems, therefore, that the press conference presents no problems for reporters and their editors. That is not entirely true. The truth is that press conferences are loaded with professional problems. The stories from them tend to breach professional ethics. Here are some of the professional and even ethical problems associated with press conferences:
 a)     the news from a press conference is a one-sided story. We have no chance of hearing the other side of the story, if that is, the press conference is directed at someone or a group of persons. Even a press conference called to introduce a new product in the market treats the public to what a great product it is. Reporters cannot check out their claims.
 b) the primary objective of a press conference is either image-making or image laundering. Reporters and their editors cannot be too careful with what they lap up.
c) in image laundering, the truth tends to suffer because facts are twisted to serve a defined purpose. Don’t believe everything you pick up from a press conference.
d) a press conference is every reporter’s story. In nine cases of ten, the reporters see the story from the same angle. What is at work here is what the American novelist, Norman Mailer, once called the goatherd feeding instinct. Reporters eagerly feed on what is thrown at them and give same to the public.
We regard the press conference as an important news source. News from press conferences seems all too fresh with openly identified source or sources. But as you can see, the press conference is not an innocent news source. It packs a whole load of professional pitfalls. It is important for reporters and editors to bear in mind that the line between what emerges as news and propaganda is wafer thin. A reporter can easily stray into the propaganda turf. This is tricky.
Perhaps my experience might help us here. When I was in graduate school in New York City, in the seventies I attended two press conferences. The press conference was my first experience in the US. The day after the press conference, I bought all the city newspapers: the venerable New York Times, the Daily News and the New York Post. I wanted to see how the reporter from each of these newspapers treated the press conference. I was shocked to see that none of the three newspapers reported it. Not a line.
The second time this happened, I went to see the managing editor of the New York Times about it. He was taking us in extra mural studies. I needed to know why the papers ignored the press conferences.
He said: “We are not in the business of promoting people or company products. We distance ourselves from any form of image laundering. We are in the business of reporting the news. We treat all press conferences as possible sources of background information. We use them to dig for and report the news.”
This has been my professional guide all these years. I do not in a way wish to suggest that we lower the press conference as a news source. But there should be no uniform treatment for all press conferences. Some are more important than others. There are grains and there are chaffs. The status of the man who addresses the press conference would make that clear enough. If President Buhari addresses a press conference no editor would treat it as background information. It is big news. But note that the president can drop hints of news behind his press conference.
A resourceful reporter and his resourceful boss working together can unearth a trove of valuable information from press conferences. Just make sure that if it comes to that that you remain on the side of news rather than propaganda.

Interview tips
Last month I promised to give some interview tips. I address them directly to you, the reporter. I cannot stress too strongly the need for you to be truly prepared before you meet your interviewee. Interviews may be long or short but both have the same objective: to get information from the interviewee. In a short interview you must confine yourself to a few but relevant questions. This may be a single question with a couple of follow-up questions for clarification. There is no need for padding as if your objective is to fill a certain number of pages of your newspaper at all cost.
You must learn to hand the long or personality interview with professional competence. This is where the real work is. It is also tricky. You can easily lose control if you fail to police yourself. A good interview requires discipline on the part of the interviewer. If you fail to prepare adequately for an interview, the obvious result would be a shoddy interview.  The motto of the Boys Scouts makes a lot of sense in interview situations: be prepared. Remember it always.
As part of the preparation for the interview, you should:
a    Establish the need for the interview. This will help you decide on its length and the questions you need to ask to get the best out of your interviewee.
b    Satisfy yourself that your interviewee is the most relevant source of the information you seek. Some years ago, some reporters claimed they confirmed Mrs Bianca Ojukwu’s pregnancy from their security guard. Don’t enlist the aid of such ‘experts.’
c    Do a background check on your interviewee. A fairly good knowledge of who your interviewee is a recipe for easy bonding.
d.    Set a time limit and try to adhere to it. Wearing out an interviewee is a double-edged sword. Not everyone wants to spend a whole day with a reporter, pontificating on everything under the sun.
e.    Be confident. The interviewee may be a very important personality but he is still a human being. Do not feel intimidated by his status in life. The fact that he grants you an interview means he needs you too.
f.    Mannerisms constitute an unwanted distraction. Avoid nodding when your interviewee is talking. It amounts to your inadvertently endorsing what he says. Don’t em..em., hem when you want to ask a question.
g.    Do not ask dead-end questions. These are the questions that elicit one-word answers – yes and no. They don’t make for an interesting interview and you come from the interview with less than you put into it.
h.    Listen to your interviewee. If you ignore this advice, you will end up with a disjointed interview. If you listen to your interviewee, you will ask sensible follow-up questions and get more information from him or her.
i.    Your questions may be aggressive but do not be prosecutorial. Your interviewee is not on trial before you.
j.    Ask, do not lecture. If you must preface your question with some explanation, make it short.
k.    Treat your interviewee with some respect. If you behave well, you will succeed in cultivating his trust and friendship.
l.    Remember: the first question may either secure you a long interview or end the interview abruptly. It must be polite and it must make the interviewee feel at ease.