Press Interviews Easier Said Than Done

Funny old weekend and interesting in that the boot was on the other foot in terms of my relationship with the media.

It all started on Thursday with a phone call from Sunday Herald media corr Peter John Mieklim who had picked up on my new Police Box blog after reading about it on Scott Douglas' Black and White and Read All Over.

He wanted to carry a piece in the SH media pages on 'former crime hack having a go at the polis through new media' type thing. During the subsequent interview I got a real insight in to what it must be like for my PR clients when their business/area of interest is being put under the microscope and I wasn't that comfortable.

I answered Pete's questions as best I could but was left with a number of lingering doubts - I shouldn't have said that, I could have put this better, I should have mentioned that and the $64 million question, is he going to stitch me up? Despite his assurances there was nothing to worry about I've been in his position many times and of course have carried out the stitching better than a career seamstress.

It was arranged the Sunday Herald pic desk would call me on Friday if they wanted to do pics but when I didn't hear anything I assumed they've dropped the story or just simply didn't need an image, which was fine. And then on Saturday lunchtime I got a call saying yes, they wanted pics and could I do them pronto.

I nipped back home, changed in to some decent threads and waited for the arrival of the snapper, who turned out to be none other than Karen Murray of Aberdeen agency FirstPix. A tad ironic in that I use Karen and partner Simon Price for any PR pics I need done in Aberdeen and I am usually calling the shots on what I need but of course it was Karen now doing the bossing about, albeit in a nice way.

About 80 minutes later, Karen had what she needed and again I felt a slight pang of sympathy for certain PR clients who positively bristle if they are asked to stand or pose for anything longer than 10 minutes.

The published piece was fine and Pete gave me a fair crack at the whip, it was pretty balanced with a quote from former Scotsman colleague and new media guru Stewart Kirkpatrick and even a blast from MSP David McLetchie for good measure.

Funniest thing about the whole episode was the feeble efforts of Lothian and Borders Police with their "source" quotes (ie press office boss Elayne Grimes).
The source said "Rafferty was well-known among police officers". Bang on the money because I know some of my most regular readers are not just the top brass but also the L and B press office who check this blog religiously. And if they are lucky enough to get a mention it's discussed upstairs at "morning prayers" when Grymes or her lackeys report daily to the Force executive.

With new arrival Susan Lumsden starting this week as number 2 in the press office on a £45k salary and Grymes own pay cheque tipping in at £70k, plus a legion of little helpers, I estimate the media office salaries must be between £200-£250k a year. For that kind of dosh you really expect a bit more instead of "it sounds like he's got a lot of spare time on his hands".

Really guys, if that's the best you can do, you should be taking a hard look at yourselves. It's embarrassing, I almost feel sorry for you.

ps thanks to Shaun Milne for his generous plug - he's nae bad for a Jambo.