4 Ways to Combat Sensationalism in the Media

Crissy Lintner

Being in the PR industry gives me a front-row view of one major challenge for businesses and individuals alike: reckless and sensational journalism.  

I’m not the first to bring up this point. In fact, many in our industry and the news media themselves have brought up this issue on numerous occasions. Sensationalism, folks, is rampant in our media landscape. Biased reporting is commonplace. Incorrect facts are frequent (followed by apologies and retractions that may or may not reach the original audience who first heard the news). Specifically, you don’t have to look much farther than the 24-hour TV news networks to see the ridiculous and reckless nature that is our news media. Why? I’ll tell you.

The majority of journalists – on networks like CNN, NBC, FOX News, etc. – are less interested in facts being correct than being the first with the news or enhancing their own image. Gone are the days of carefully fact-checking sources before going on air. The filter does not exist – questionable news is suddenly always “news.” Reporters turn a little smoke into a five-alarm blaze in a matter of hours – for fear of missing out on the big story. Too often, journalists are more interested in getting the scoop than getting the right scoop. But, the damage is already done by that point, regardless of which facts eventually come out. And some are OK with that (ahem… FOX News).

So, what are we to do as PR professionals to combat sensational journalism? 

• Be aware. Constantly be aware of what is happening in the media and monitor all coverage related to your clients (which we already do, right?). Whether local or national (yes, the problem does exist in local newscasts), you need to know what is happening that could affect or may involve your clients.
• Respond. If a client becomes part of one of these sensational stories, respond! Whether “guilty” or not (i.e. what the media says is true or false), you do need to have a response that tells your client’s side. “No comment” is the worst policy.
• Educate.Inform reporters who get it wrong, and make sure a retraction is offered as soon as possible. Then, educate reporters so they have a better understanding about why something is the way it is or so they can get it right next time.
• Repeat. Social media allows news to spread like wildfire – especially news that is controversial or divisive. This means that the original message – correct or incorrect – is alive and well beyond a live broadcast or that original blog post. Combat misinformation through consistent communication that offers the real story until the tide changes back to your client’s favor – or until the next media storm hits.

Online Reviews: A Love-Hate Relationship

Kelli Eason Brignac

Last winter, my family and I were in Orange Beach, Ala., for a quick vacation after Christmas. After a day of shopping at the Foley outlet mall (which is FANTASTIC the week after Christmas!), my mom and I were charged with picking up dinner. We’d been to most of the touristy places along the beach, so we checked out Yelp on our way back in to find something different. What we found was Tacky Jack’s, a place that would have been overrun with tourists had it been along Perdido Beach Boulevard. The place lived up to its name. While we waited for the food we’d ordered to go, a local who spent every evening at the bar bought us a few drinks. The patio was fantastic. The bartender’s recommendations were spot on. (The food wasn’t too bad either, and I LOVED the bloody mary.) 

When we got back, Dad asked how we found the place. He laughed when I told him the reviews were good on Yelp, because he thinks online reviews are no way to judge a business. I’m willing to look beyond the total star rating and find the most valid of the positives and negatives to decide for myself whether I should try something. 

In our business, we often monitor what people are saying about us or about our clients. While some people treat online reviews as gospel and others don’t believe anything they read online, I think it’s fair to say everyone who owns a business has a love-hate relationship with reviews. You love them when they’re positive, and you hate them when they’re negative. 

It now seems like online reviews are everywhere. Users can submit reviews to Yelp, Google, Angie’s List or Facebook. There are even more specialized review platforms, like HealthGrades for doctors. But not all users are rational. Sometimes they have 49 good experiences and one bad one – and they write a terrible review and forget everything they like about a business. Sometimes people use reviews to ask for help, when they should be sending an email or message instead. 

So how do you handle reviews? Here are a couple of best practices:

• Never discuss it online. Other users don’t need to see you airing your dirty laundry on Yelp or Facebook. A bad review, whether it’s warranted or not, just needs a response. For example, a restaurant that gets a bad review can respond and say something like “So sorry to hear about your bad experience. Please call us at 555-5555 so we can help address the issue.” That way, other users know that you’re paying attention to what they say and addressing issues when they come up. 
• Invite people to review your business to encourage a variety of reviews. People tend to write reviews when they’re on one extreme end of the spectrum or the other. Either they loved your business SO MUCH they reach out to tell others, or you upset them, so they write to tell people to avoid your business. Rarely do people write about every business they interact with. Encourage your regular customers to write reviews, as they know you best! 
• Monitor your reviews. Business pages exist on several platforms. In the event an inflammatory review can be traced back to a disgruntled former employee or states an obvious inaccuracy, it is also possible to contact the platform to discuss removing it. Consider that on a case-by-case basis. 

There is certainly a place for online reviews. They allow consumers to share experiences and provide third-party, unsolicited endorsements for your business. And here’s a quick helpful hint – Facebook doesn’t allow businesses to publicly respond to reviews the way other sites do, so just remove them altogether if your fan page has an issue with people misusing the review function. All you have to do is disable the maps feature on your fan page. 

Got any other anecdotes or helpful hints for managing online reviews? Leave them in the comments!