Let’s face it: the news media is never going to please everyone, all the time.  In fact, these days they seem to have a hard time pleasing anyone, ever!

That’s why it’s more important than ever to nurture good working relationships with journalists.  Two recent examples illustrate how anyone can make themselves look good even when bad news strikes…and the reverse.

When botulism recently turned up at a Georgia food plant, supermarket giant Kroger reacted very quickly and got some great publicity that could have easily gone the other way.

The case involves Castleberry Foods of Augusta, Georgia.  But it had a major impact on the Kroger supermarket chain.  That’s because Castleberry makes some of the store brands that have the Kroger name on the label.

As you would expect, local reporters began calling Kroger for comment and, even more important, pictures.  And Kroger did a very smart thing.  Instead refusing to allow cameras inside their stores (a strategy used against me and my reporters hundreds of times by retailers afraid of bad publicity), Kroger did exactly the opposite.  They invited reporters in to photograph the empty shelves where the cans of potentially contaminated food used to be.  And – even better: they demonstrated for the reporter how their automated bar code scanners at the checkouts would have prevented any consumer from ever walking out of the store with a product that has been recalled.  One reporter even recreated this demo on camera.  It was the most memorable part of the story and left Kroger with a very favorable impression in the eyes of thousands of consumers on the very day bad news hit.  Without saying it, that reporter’s standup told viewers that Kroger cares so much about safety, they did more than what was required by the recall.

I’m guessing that Kroger is not the only supermarket chain that uses bar code scanners to flag recalled food items.  But they’re the first ones I’ve ever seen get credit for it on the local evening news. 

I have no idea if Kroger media relations people maintain an ongoing relationship with local reporters and editors.  But this is exactly what can happen when you do.  It’s a perfect example of getting out in front of the story and turning lemons into lemonade.

On the other hand, there’s the story of Erie County, New York vs. WGRZ-TV. Earlier this month, County Executive Joel Giambra informed the station’s managers that their news crews were no longer welcome at county news conferences.  Why? Because WGRZ reporters had dared to ask Giambra about issues other than the “good news” story he was pushing that day. 

A spokesperson says county leaders were mad that the TV station on two occasions had chosen to give little coverage to the story the county was pushing, instead focusing on “negative” stories involving county government.

I’ve been on the receiving end of these things more times than I can count.  A city official in Waco, Texas once called to tell me he would no longer talk to one of my reporters because she asked questions about a city drainage pipe that had claimed the lives of two boys.  I have no doubt that everyone at city hall was afraid of being sued by the boys’ family.  But refusing to talk to the media because you’re mad about something they did in the past is self-defeating.  It makes you look like a spoiled child accustomed to getting everything you want.  This is particularly bad for a local government agency whose employees are paid from public tax dollars.  Those taxpayers deserve answers. And seeking those answers is what good journalists do.

I’ll admit that, in their zeal to one-up the competition, some reporters and editors get carried away.  Many make mistakes.  Some just aren’t very bright and can’t figure out how to do the story the right way.  That is exactly why it’s so important for local government leaders to maintain relationships with the people who are calling the shots at the local newspapers and TV stations.  As a manager of reporters, it’s much harder for me to give them the green light to roast you if you and I have a relationship. And I’m more inclined to listen to criticism from someone I know and respect.

That does not mean you can bribe a local News Director or Editor with a cheap lunch (or even an expensive dinner).  And you should not even think of trying.  But it does mean that taking the time to visit these people a couple of times a year and calling them once a month is the best investment you can make on behalf of your organization. 

And, as in the Kroger case above, it pays to bend your organization’s rules once in a while if you have a chance to make the company look good.  It’s not “spin”.   It’s just telling the truth about the good things you do in a way that gets you noticed.