Lesson from Rocky Top: Nothing is 'Off The Record' These Days
January 21, 2010 by Marissa Murphy
My name is Marissa Murphy, and I am a proud graduate of the University of Tennessee who relishes a victory against the Gators, refuses to own any dog that even resembles Uga and thinks the third Saturday in October is the definition of tradition. (Hi Marissa.)
So, when our former coach walked out on only the best school in the nation, I began searching sports blogs religiously for the inside scoop. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. Every name on Mike Hamilton’s potential coaches list held the #1 position in Google trends at various times throughout the week.
Now, Kiffin was notorious for creating a media frenzy while at UT. But probably one of the most interesting stories concerning the controversial coach hit this weekend when a video surfaced on YouTube showing the eight minute fight over what Kiffin’s final sound bite as a Volunteer would look and sound like. After viewing it, one thing is for sure – nothing is 'off the record' anymore.
In this situation, it was most likely a journalist or someone closely associated with the university who posted the video that was not happy with the ground rules Kiffin set and/or the administrator’s decision to follow them. But never was it more clear than this week that anyone can raise you up or tear you down with a quick click of their mouse - with or without a statement, on or off the camera. Therefore, telling the truth, telling it fast and telling it often is the only way to avoid a media backlash when your organization is going through a very public change.
Another important thing to remember when you engage the media – arguing with members of the media is not going to win you points and will most likely land you a negative or embarrassing story in the near future.
So, before your organization decides to make a public announcement via press conference, be sure you can follow these simple guidelines:
- Have a professional understanding of the media’s needs.
- Make yourself accessible to reporters.
- Respond to questions as directly and briefly as you can in a positive manner.
- When appropriate, provide supplemental information in the form of a fact sheet.
