3RD SALGA National Communicators Forum By Sivuyile Mbambato

Presentation Outline Free media as concept Principals / Leadership / Organisations What free media represents The risks Advantages and Disadvantages How free media works Countering the risks Handling the media Tips for successful media interaction

‘Free media’ Those spaces and outlets in which organisations / leadership / political actors may gain exposure and coverage, without having to pay media organisations for the privilege. Gaining access to free media is not without costs, of course. It requires a more or less professional apparatus of public relations advisers, which must be paid for . Constructing or manufacturing the events and contexts through which politicians can acquire free media access may be expensive in money and time.

Principals / Leadership / Organisations Principals love free media because, unlike advertising, their role in it is not that of authorship. When a principal is reported on the news, editorial responsibility for the selection of ‘soundbites’ broadcast, and the interpretation placed upon them, is seen to belong with the journalist.

What free media represents… Members of the public are able to engage directly with the principal. Such messages are ‘less manufactured’ than advertisements and, as such, may be thought to carry more legitimacy and credibility. Even if such a conversation is light hearted and avoids politics entirely, the audience may still feel that a ‘truer’ picture of the a principal emerges. The lack of control and apparent spontaneity of most free-media scenarios heightens ‘believability’.

The risks… This quality of free media is a double-edged sword, however. To the extent that a principal’s appearance on a news or discussion programme is genuinely outside his or her editorial control, there is a scope for mistakes (from the principal's perspective) is clear. Broadcast interviews can be hostile as well as deferential.

Advantages… Media exposure is ‘live’, or if not live in the technical sense, something more than a manufactured advertisement Audience knows this… Can encounter hostile opposition and criticism when they enter the free media arena

Disadvantages Can encounter hostile opposition and criticism when they enter the free media arena

How free media works? Understanding how media works is key to receiving consistent, meaningful press. Understanding what makes news Winners and losers Heroes and villains Criticism and controversy Trend or change New, unusual, different

Countering the risks… Principals, while desiring media exposure of the more ‘authentic’ kind permitted by free media opportunities, also strive to re-impose some kind of control over the output. To achieve this requires that our principals employ professionals skilled in the workings of the media. Message within a context Media training

Handling the media Develop an agenda for the media just as you would do for an important meeting Develop your messages Understand the rules of the media engagement Know your rights

Tips for successful media interaction DO Understand you target media angles, audience, deadlines, recent stories, editorial policy and medium Be issue rather than brand oriented Preparation Speak short headlines DON’T’S Be fixated by question. Answer = question + key point Let false charges, facts or figures go uncorrected Be provoked. Frame your answer positively.

Thank you Sivuyile Mbambato Media Relations Email: smbambato@salga.org.za Telephone: 012 369 800