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I am well aware of the advantages that might come from an interview if I perform well. Though there is some affiliate stuff it is not a commercial website, but of course it might be nice with more visitors.
But certain facts hold me back:
1. My general opinion of journalists is very low. I would have to test this specific journalist if he is worth spending time on.
2. The website is rather controversial. Not because I have any wish to be controversial, but being the person I am I have personal opinions and am completely independent from authorities. And this particular website expresses opinions that are in sharp conflict with the principles that some large and powerful institutions in my home country are built on. An interview may cause a lot of noise.
3. The website brings me in connection with people that do not want publicity. It's not that they do anything immoral or illegal. They just want to be left in peace to live their lives far from public spotlight.
Any opinions? Any experiences? Any advice?
If I agreed to the interview, I would make it conditional on being allowed to tape record the interview myself.
I would also have a witness present.
Not sure about the other issues.
Is your comment part of the main story, or just an alternate opinion?
Do a review (online or at your library) of this journalist's prior work and check the tone of their writing. Is he/she a sympathetic writer or a sensationalist? Does their prior work display any particular cultural/religious/moral bias?
I think you can make a more informed decision once you have this kind of information.
The above points of recording the interview yourself is very valid - that way you can then prove that you were misquoted or if something was taken out of context, should that situation arise.
You can also ask the journalist to submit his/her questions in advance, that way you will have an idea of the track they are going to take with their interview, and ultimately, article.
I have sent him an answer that shows my lack of interest at this point.
I'll have to consider this very carefully. The above mentioned reservations are still valid. Any thoughts on how it might change the situation that this is a TV journalist and not a newspaper journalist?
I know very few journalists who want to tell your story, its always THEIR story, remember, not yours. When your goals co-align its all great stuff. Often they dont.
Reporters in general are no different than people in most other professions. Some are excellent, the masses comprise the midline, and of course some are bottom feeders.
Channel 4 (I think) did the documentary using a well known news anchorman - Michael Jackson was pretty upset about the outcome. He claimed that it was an unfair representation of him and recently released his own version of the filming (he had his own cameraman there too).
The point is that you could easily film an interview yourself and release the tape if you are portrayed inaccurately.
But, given that you aren't an uber-celebrity, you may have trouble getting it aired. Does the TV channel have a major competitor? ;)
Out of interest, could you sticy me your URL? Ive made a few outspoken comments about large companies in my time and it would be good to see if there are any comparisons to your site. :)
Cheers
Scott
They shoot 5 hours of total (whole industry) footage, for a 15 minute feature, and I ended up on the cutting-room floor. :(
> Does the TV channel have a major competitor?
Yup! We have two national channels that are almost equally large. A lot of their productions are outsourced to media companies. This request came from such a company.
> Out of interest, could you sticy me your URL? Ive made a few outspoken comments about large companies in my time and it would be good to see if there are any comparisons to your site.
You don't read Danish, do you? You would only be able to comment on the visual design, the HTML source, link structure and such techie stuff. I am fully aware that a lot needs to be done about that.
I'm gonna write a comment on my website. Not sure if I ought to make a link to this thread. Any opinions?
All news is better than no news.
You should not be afraid of journos, in fact you can get a lot out of them if you play your cards right.
I'm gonna write a comment on my website. Not sure if I ought to make a link to this thread. Any opinions?
Not commenting on your convictions (about the interview) as this is still risk management and your comfort level.
The link... if it is relevant to your site... it won't hurt. :)
You may want to request/sticky Brett, not sure if TOS allows this.
I would say that #29 TOS [webmasterworld.com] does indicate this though.
#29. When a message is placed in any forum system, you are granting a soft license to the site to use it.
real journalists will ever accept this. they know what their biz is. if they don't accept such a term, you know that they are trying to cheat you.
Could you do this, perhaps change x etc etc
Let me also say that one of the reasons some companies are so successfull is that they are so open to the press.
If you have something to hide then perhaps you can worry.
Otherwise welcome journos with open arms and get on with it.
The more stipulations etc you make the more likely they will go next door to your competitor who is easier to get on with, which ultimately damages your company more than anything.
