Bad press?

[RACooper]

Originally Posted by valkyrie

Can someone with media experience explain how a story about a lacrosse team's bad experience renting a house is newsworthy?

I guess you'd have to understand the mentality of the London Free Press... right picture a paper that disaproves of everything that doesn't go on in a seniors residence or that doesn't support a "traditional agenda" (think Norman Rockwell) and you essentially have the paper's thrust over the last decade and a half.

They have attacked pretty much everyone and everything that doesn't fit into their small little world of the Rockwellian painting - they don't bother to look any deeper than the surface, nor do they try to acknowledge that there might be other views or even realities... think of a paper run by Rumsfeld, with his "golly gees" and such as a journalistic medium,

[RACooper]

Originally Posted by valkyrie

Exactly. So blueangel's statement "If you don't want bad press about your fraternity or sorority, don't break the law" isn't necessarily true, because someone somewhere will write a negative story about fraternities or sororities anyway -- as we see in the article here.

The story speaks more to the stupidity of the lacrosse team than anything else. If you rent a house you've never seen (in person or even a photo) expecting it to be a certain way because of what's in the movies, I can't imagine how anybody should be expected to give a rat's ass when you get a dump.

Or if you rent a house whose upkeep is restricted by both the annual budget of the active chapter... and the expoitive bylaws of the local community (this is the biggie... if they rent) - then hey suddenly you've conviently, somehow, gotten more fuel for the "students are bad", "educated people ain't all that smart", and "us right thinking townies have always been right" attitude.... now golly gee how did that happen?

[Oceangal]

Organizations that do well getting attention to their projects known how to promote them.
Do you know basic journalism style?
Do you know the name of the managing director, assignment editor, it depends on the media. Go in and meet them, find out when the are off daily deadline.
Ask them what is of interest.
Do you know their deadlines for copy? Alot of club events are put into a wrap up and that is written in advance.
Get a sense of what's good visually. Most papers, local stations stay away from the handing over check shot. Have members engaged in an activity.
Don't assume they (this is mainly local media this all applies to) won't be interested.
Ah, they won't be interested so why bother guarentees the result.
One never knows what will get attention, especially on a slow news day.
I spent a Saturday notebook in hand running around a steamy hot small town with a photographer doing a story on organization car washes. Yep, kid baseball teams, band boosters. It was the editor's idea, which meant it would be done. Had these groups not sent in their notices for the clubs page they wouldn't ended up on the front page article and story.
And when something bad happens, follow a crisis communication plan. If one isn't at hand, ask your national for ideas. Whatever, don't lie to the pesky press, defer to someone capable or cleared to handle such matters. You don't want to be seen in a sound bite followed by XYZ station has learned instead....