You can't entirely trust the media, no really

[drdoug]

The respectable, reputable media present a version of what has happened in the world that can be as misleading as possible without being actionably wrong about what actually happened. (The disreputable media just make it up, but you know that.)

Have a look at these lovely photographs of the day, from teh Graun. In particular, look at the one

Comments

[jvvw]

Two of the three times that I've been interviewed by newspapers/magazines, the journalist has completely fabricated quotes from me. Not just paraphrasing, complete fabrication.

[drdoug]

That's horrible. Several of my friends have had horrible experiences that way. In particular, if the tabloids want to use you to tell a story that requires a villain, they are horrible.

I've been really lucky and the few times I've interacted with journalists on the record, they've been minded to make me sound good.

[jvvw]

Once was horrible because some people thought I did a bad job with the interview and were annoyed with me about it, the other was harmless if annoying and mostly amused Jon because the fabricated quote discussed me doing ironing which is not something I am known for!

The first time I put it down to bad luck encountering a dishonest journalist, but the second time made me wonder if it was actually common journalistic practice. I also have lots of respect for Aleks Krotoski as a result for quoting me absolutely verbatim on the occasion it didn't happen!

[thekumquat]

I went for a media training session a few years back. The most instructive moment was when they explained that journalists will, almost without fail, ask questions of the form "Do you think that, possibly, maybe, blah blah blah?", and any answer with the word yes involved, usually along the lines of "Well, yes, possibly, if $unlikelyevent and $otherunlikelything happened", will be reported as "So-and-so said, "Blah blah blah", and this will leave no comeback in court.

And also that they are under incredibly tight deadlines, so your best bet if they wake you up asking what you think about $newsstory is to promise to call back in 15 minutes, and you prepare your sentences in that time. If you don't promise to get back to them in that time, they will be calling Dr Rent-a-gob or Ms Gobshite MP who will always say something entertaining.

[drdoug]

I do have a superstition when doing press releases that I have to actually say out loud the quotes it attributes to me. I can't always word it so it sounds the way I would word it - they are inevitably co-productions with at least two people, and on tight deadlines. And, fundamentally, the way I say things tends to be wordy and long and complicated and full of caveats and nuances, which makes for terrible press releases. But I tell myself it's Ok if it is literally true that I have said the thing it says I did.