Lessons Learned From Eco-Outing Gore

Published on Friday, June 01, 2007
ARTICLES

By Drew Johnson

Imagine millions of dollars in earned media, a dozen national television appearances, international interest and four million website hits in one week for your organization.

The Tennessee Center for policy Research (TCPR) accomplished each of those benchmarks in February 2007 when it reported that Al Gore's Nashville home devours 20 times more electricity in one year than the average American family.

Our media success was not the result of secret tricks or flashy strategies. Rather, it resulted from us not thinking and acting like wonks. After all, what are policy wonks if not ignored?

Hopefully our experience can help you create a media success story. Further, that it offers some guidance about how to react when the eyes of the world are on your organization.

Be newsworthy

The question I have been asked most by think tank people and political organizations is: How did you get the press to pick up the story? Simple. If you have Al Gore's power bills that show his house consumes 20 times more electricity than the average American home the day after his movie-which encouraged energy conservation-won an Oscar, you will get press.

A few years ago, Pete Sepp, the National Taxpayers Union vice president of communications, gave me the best insight about earning media attention: If something isn't newsworthy, it won't make the news.

If your organization spends a lot of its "media relations capital" trying to get coverage for stories that are not terribly newsworthy, you may actually decrease the likelihood that the media will pay attention when you produce something truly headline-worthy.

Don't be afraid to be critical

It is important to know how to sell a story to the media. However, it is much more important to learn how to generate a story that sells itself. I believe TCPR is in position to break big stories for two reasons: We are willing to create conflict and we are prepared to do the digging.

State Policy Network-affiliated organizations differ in opinion about whether it is appropriate for think tanks, primarily research-focused groups by nature, to criticize elected officials and public leaders by name. Some think tanks believe that directly criticizing individuals-be it condemning a governor for vetoing school choice legislation, outing a legislator for sliding a pork project into an appropriations bill or publishing the bloated salary of the president of the state teacher's union-somehow sullies their reputation. I believe those think tanks are not as effective as they could be.

Ultimately, all free market think tanks have the same goal: to advance the ideas of liberty by influencing public opinion and public policy. Pound for pound, I believe, think tanks willing to create conflict are more effective at accomplishing that mission than those which do not.

Because the media is in the business of covering conflict, a little finger pointing is almost always necessary to earn large-scale media coverage. After all, which of these headlines is more interesting? "Free market think tank says school choice would be great for kids," or "Free market think tank: Governor prevents poor children from having quality education opportunities."

Creating conflict should not come before creating policy solutions. But organizations that engage in occasional criticism will garner more respect (or, equally as valuable, fear) from legislators and more media attention than those which do not.

Start digging

You cannot earn media for exposing information unless you have information to expose. TCPR decided early on, rather than allowing the media and legislators to always determine the news, we would try to make news ourselves. To help do this, TCPR hired an investigative journalist.

TCPR's in-house investigative reporter Trent Seibert is tremendously effective at using open records and Freedom of Information Act requests to uncover malfeasance. It was his knowledge of Tennessee's open records laws that allowed us to obtain the electric and natural gas consumption information for Al Gore's Nashville estate.

Trent's contacts with members of the media, legislators and informants have allowed us to break several local and statewide stories. Even when TCPR does not break a story, Trent's investigative prowess often grants us opportunities to provide quotes and supplementary information. Thus, reporters more frequently turn to TCPR, bringing us additional earned media almost every single week.

When the digging pays off

With our quest for media attention, think tanks often remind me of a car-chasing dog who has no real plan about what the heck to do if he actually ever catches it. Most free market think tanks expend great resources on catching media attention with no plan of how to react when the recognition comes our way.

After analyzing things we did well and the things we would do differently the next time TCPR is in the glaring media spotlight, I recommend the following:

Take a media training course-before it is needed. Someone in your organization must be able to confidently speak on TV and radio. I recommend contacting Genevieve Wood at the Heritage Foundation, a wonderful resource for improving your staff members' media skills.

Defend against potential criticisms in your initial media release. Answer questions about your sources, your institute's supporters and so forth in the initial press release. You will soften or prevent most organizational attacks.

Discuss strategy every couple hours. When the media blitz hits, conduct meetings to delegate duties, assess media requests and develop two or three talking points everyone in the organization will use when answering questions.

Review the reaction to your story. Monitor traditional media and blogs to analyze public reaction. Look for legitimate critiques and address them in media appearances, subsequent media releases and press conferences. Review your interviews, look for ways to improve your message-and performance.

Following these recommendations will not ensure flawless media performances or prevent negative attacks against your institute. However, you will reduce the number of things that can go wrong when your organization is in the hot seat.

Look for your opportunity

Your organization has opportunities to garner national headlines all the time.

Though you may focus on state issues, your knowledge makes you an expert on many national issues related to your state. For example, could you comment on a presidential candidate from your state? Expose a federal pork program in your state? Has a celebrity from your state made headlines for a political statement with which your organization disagrees?

Of everything the Tennessee Center for Policy Research learned from its revelation of Al Gore's environmental hypocrisy, the most important lesson was: Take advantage of the opportunities to earn as much media attention as possible. More media recognition almost always results in a more effective, more successful organization.

Drew Johnson is president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. Write him at drew@tennesseepolicy.org.

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