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Autumn 2008
From the Chair
New members
Sci Comm news
Eurochat
Feature: Handbags and
test tubes
Feature: Stories that matter to a changing
world
Event Report: Silly season stories
Event Report: Are press conferences old news?
Interview: Jane Gizbert, NICE
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Stempra newsletter
EVENT REPORT: How to make the most of the 'silly season'
Speakers: Jenny Gimpel (UCL) and James Sorene (Department of Health)
One balmy evening in August, Stempra members gathered together in ye olde Burlington Arms in Mayfair to hear two really serious characters tell some pretty tall stories.
The stakes were high; all present had heard tales of runaway stunts, media feeding-frenzies, obliterated reputations and entirely fabricated scares. But these two were cunning operators. One told how she skilfully takes advantage of the obvious information-void that engulfs the UK news every summer. The other gave accounts of how he deftly combated detractors with their sharpened pens and malicious intentions.
Dr Jenny Gimpel, who is a Media Relations Manager at UCL opened with some of the silliest questions she had been asked by journalists during the notorious 'silly season'. These ranged from the almost sensible, "can you prove a person is a genius with a brain scan?" to the sublime, "what happens to your brain when you roll down a hill?", from the well intentioned, "why don’t submarines get caught in fishing nets?" to the downright laughable, "can you send us pictures of different penises?".
Knowing that pretty much anything she provided by way of an answer would make it to press, she found relevant researchers from the university to handle all the enquiries and even managed a picture of a penis (though apparently a range of images was not possible at the time!).
Jenny then introduced us to her homme du jour, the charming Sam Bompas, who comprises one half of the "architectural foodsmith" duo, Bompas and Parr. The pair’s incredible multi-coloured, (sadly inedible) sculptures of famous landmarks were a silly season hit this year for UCL and, well, for "jelly mongering" in general.
A wily media officer, Jenny is always seeking to encourage scientists at the university to get involved, and had several key spokespeople involved in this project. By expressing the properties of jelly in terms of its material chemistry or its potential applications in medical science, these voices brought scientific credibility to this story, ensuring it was not simply a meaningless gimmick. This story jointly carried the messages that the university is progressive and engaging but that it also has solid science foundations.
The story received wide press coverage, which would not be so unexpected for such a visually impressive exhibition, even during the rest of the year. But it was also featured on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the channel’s highly popular morning news and current affairs slot, where the country’s most influential figures go to "drop a word in the ear of the nation". Quite a coup for such a story, and almost certainly helped by being released in the silly season.
Jenny recommended keeping a rolling list of people who are doing interesting or 'quirky' work in your organisation so that if a journalist calls desperate for a story you will have something to offer.
She also suggested that the quieter time the summer could be the time for effective 'issues' planning. Making a list of your organisation's 'top 20 issues' and planning your reaction to them in advance can save time and embarrassment when they occur. This can include emerging trends or concerns or things taking place that could be controversial and can highlight opportunities for positive media coverage throughout the rest of the year.
James Sorene, Head of News at the Department of Health (DH), began by explaining how the Department of Health’s press team is organised to maximise its reactive ability while not compromising on proactively generating news. His press officers take turns to monitor incoming calls and respond to issues as they arise, freeing the rest of the team to continue their proactive media work.
It goes without saying that both the proactive and reactive work of a DH press officer relies heavily on the input from ministers, so it follows that their proactive work is restricted during the time that ministers are away on vacation or visiting their constituencies.
It also follows that the Department's response to issues and crises are weakest and slowest during the summer while Government is in recess and Ministers are hard to contact. This is well known by the opposition parties and single issue campaign groups, who use it to their advantage.
Given warning, James said, the team can deal with and forgive almost anything. He said that advance knowledge of a difficult story makes it much easier to handle as it allows the team to warn the relevant minister and prepare an appropriate response.
In extreme cases, even positive stories can be interpreted in a less favourable light when journalists are actively searching for news. James brought an example of four front page stories from the summer on a newly published report of illegal drugs use in the UK, each citing 'shocking' drug use figures. As he went on to explain, the figures issued to the press actually showed the opposite; a downturn in levels of drug taking. However, due to the timing of the report's release over the summer, it resulted in negative coverage and provided an opportunity for government detractors to lead the story.
Links
UCL media relations: www.ucl.ac.uk
Bompas & Parr: www.jellymongers.co.uk
Department of Health media: www.dh.gov.uk
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