How to Profit from PRChapter 3: Good News vs. BadBy J.D. Solomon Here's a question business journalists hear all the time from readers. Why do the media play up "bad news" stories like layoffs, strikes, accidents and "not-in-my-backyard" disputes?
And why do they ignore "good news" stories
like new contracts and sales growth? "Mishap at local firm sends toxins into river," or... "Area company announces expansion?" If you are like most people, you would read the bad news story first. The reason goes to the heart of the question, "What is news?" There's an old saying in the news business that news is any information that makes readers say, "Gee whiz." There's also the "man bites dog" test. Everyday events, like a dog biting a man, are not news. News is the unusual - the dog biting the man. A good news story becomes a topic of conversation at the office and over dinner. What do people want to talk about most? Events that affect their lives or their outlook about their world. Stories that make them want to cry or laugh. Stories that drive people to act. Stories that shock or titillate. It's a simple fact of human nature that "bad news" has greater power to make people talk, worry, cry, and act than "good news. " In business, companies are supposed to grow and prosper, to win new contracts, hire employees and contribute to the prosperity of their communities. When they do so, it is not big news. It is a case of dog bites man. But when a business lays off workers, or when workers walk off their jobs in a strike, that's big news. When a plant accident kills a worker or spews hazardous substances into the environment, that is big news too. Such events have an immediate and dramatic affect on the lives of people in the community. People are shocked and worried. They want to know everything they can about such an event. They talk about it over dinner. That's why newspapers play up bad news. It's something you just have to live with. Does this mean you should give up trying to get your "good news" covered? Not at all. When it comes to a positive development at your company, it is your job to show reporters and editors why it is newsworthy. What is new about it? How will it affect the lives of readers? What impact will it have on the marketplace? Most editors won't ignore "good news" if you can just show them that it is, in fact, news. Next — Chapter 4: How Newspapers Work If you know how newspapers work, and particularly how the business section works, it will be easier for you to obtain the type of coverage that can help you get your messages across to your customers, your employees, your neighbors and your other constituencies. Alert me when this chapter is published.J.D. Solomon is the founder and president of JDS Strategic Communications, a marketing company that specializes in helping small and growing businesses. Information about his
company can be found at www.marketerinabox.com. © J.D. Solomon This article may be freely distributed
as long as it appears in its entirety,
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