Thursday, July 09, 2009

:: Bad Publicity ::

There are days in this business where all you can do is shake your head.

This is one of those days.

Scene:
A polite but disappointed woman calls my desk to complain that her daughter's sporting achievement – now nearly three weeks old – was never publicized in the newspaper. Even worse, when she achieved something even better last summer, that was not written about either.

Me: Well, we would've loved to have known about that, but how could we? Did you ever think to call us and let us know?
Caller: Well, no... the last thing you probably want is people calling you constantly and telling you stuff like this.
Me: Uhhh, actually, no, We're a newspaper – I'd love it if you called and told me some news. How else are we supposed to know about these things?
Caller: Oh.

Somewhere along the way – probably about the same time people started seeing news updated on the fly, 24/7 online and elsewhere – the general public began to assume that we somehow instinctively know of every event, big and small, that occurs. We know a lot, sure, but how do you think we know?

Because people tell us. Not because we're mind readers.

I don't begrudge this woman too much, really. Though she seemed quite confused, she was polite and otherwise just a lovely person.

Wouldn't want her as my publicist, though.

No comments: