Today, more than ever, it’s vital not to skimp on background work when working with the media, and/or getting a message out.
Part of our training suggests you do your background due-diligence on the media, journalist and even other guests that you will be working with. You might also like to fact-check some of the angles that might be implicated or brought up in your dialogue.
Here are a few fact-checking sites.
1. SNOPES www.snopes.com
2. BELLINGCAT www.bellingcat.com
3. BBC Verify www.bbc.co.uk/news/reality_check
4. Full Fact www.fullfact.org
5. And here’s a full wiki of the fact checking sites worldwide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fact-checking_websites
Manage a challenge
OK – so you’ve done your due-diligence, got your facts and someone challenges them… what next?
Of course you will need to work within the context and appropriateness of the situation, and it’s not always easy to call out a fact malfunction in the middle of the interview flow – but it is important. Don’t be sidelined into agreeing with something by omission!
There are a number of well-used techniques that professional interviewers and interviewees will use to ensure that their full point is put across and that they aren’t sucked into representing untruths. You can probably read up on them on various sites. But putting them into practice? Well that’s another thing.
Which brings us round to yet another one of the key benefits of a good media training course – not only do you get to discover the best ways to object, counteract and bring the case round – you also get to practice it in real time.