The Dreaded Prepared Statement
I'm not sure if I should blame the people I see on the news reading prepared statements, or the TV networks allowing them to do it. Maybe both.
Over the last few years there's been a dramatic increase in the number of newsmakers on TV reading from prepared statements. You often see them several times in each newscast looking down and reading from a script.
It's another sad commentary on journalism in this country.
Doing What Any Eight Year Old Can
I did three media training workshops last week. The first two were in northern Alberta and then I was in Calgary on Friday. In all three, I talked about the importance of people being able to face the media and answer questions, instead of just reading from a prepared statement.
You see Prepared Statement Readers on the local and national TV news every night. They’re politicians, health officials, emergency responders and others who look down at a piece of paper in front of them, reading a statement that somebody else wrote for them.
I told my media training workshops any eight-year old can read from a prepared statement, but not everyone can answer questions from the media properly. When they do though, the returns are high. Credibility is established. Viewers of the newscast get the clear understanding you have expertise in the area you’re talking about.
Now, consider the reaction people have to somebody who reads from a prepared statement. Do they really know what they’re talking about, and if so, why are they reading from a page they likely haven’t even written themselves? Are they that unsure of the topic they can’t just talk about it?
Why is This Happening?
Let’s take a step back and ask the question – why have “newsmakers” reading from prepared statements suddenly become a thing on TV newscasts across the county?
30-years ago, doing this certainly wasn’t as prominent. Perhaps it was, but we just didn’t see people doing it on TV. More on that in a moment.
I started noticing during COVID how many politicians and public health officials were reading from prepared statements at news conferences. I suspect due to the magnitude of the COVID issue, they didn’t want to make a mistake, so they played it safe by reading from statements to reporters, before they took questions. There was so much misinformation during COVID, it’s understandable politicians and public health officials didn’t want to add to it by making a mistake with something they said. Fair enough.
Here we are four years later (COVID19 was officially declared four years ago today) and we still see all kinds of people reading from prepared statements on different media issues.
Have people forgotten how to answer questions from the reporters? Are they afraid to? Do they even answer questions at news conferences? You really have to wonder.
Bad Journalism
Here’s the key. There have been so many cutbacks by media outlets, including television, that grabbing a couple of sentences from a newsmaker reading from a prepared statement is the easiest and quickest thing to do for TV.
Many news conferences begin with the newsmaker reading the news release that has been shared with the media. After that, they take questions from reporters. When I was in the news business, we used to use the time the newsmaker was reading from the statement to prepare our questions. We had the news release they were reading from, so why bother to listen to what they were saying?
The difference today is, many news conferences don’t have reporters at them. The TV station sends a cameraperson who shoots video of the newsmaker reading from the statement. Some of them ask a softball question or two, but rarely are there many hard-hitting questions like there used to be. The journalists aren’t there anymore to ask those questions.
The camera operator then grabs the best two sentence sound bite they can find, sends it back to the newsroom and keeps going. It’s quick, easy and efficient.
But it’s not good journalism.
I believe the organizations that have their people read from these prepared statements see what’s happening and like it. They know there’s better than a 50-50 chance TV newsrooms will grab a piece of the prepared statement and put it on the air as is. They consider that a win. How can it not be they think – what can be better than their person being on the TV news saying exactly what they want them to say?
Is it really effective though? Or do people see them reading and tune out?
Keep in mind, people doing news conferences rarely look good when they’re looking down. They look much better when they’re looking at reporters and cameras.
I have always believed people sound better, more credible and trustworthy when they directly answer questions from the news media. That’s what I teach people. I show them how they can answer questions effectively while still being themselves and putting their own touch on the way they answer questions from reporters.
Having newsmakers read from prepared statements isn’t effective communication and having TV stations put their statements on the air certainly isn’t good journalism either.
As a PR professional who has worked in military, multinational organization & corporate settings for 25 years, I can tell you there are many reasons why it’s advisable to start news conferences with prepared statements. These statements have been reviewed to ensure the information is accurate, safe to share, strikes the right tone & delivers the right messages. The Q&A session that follows is where spokespersons can elaborate & amplify on what they’ve already said & answer questions on other subjects. Journalists can piece together excellent stories by combining material from both portions of these media events.
I have noticed that reporters on the news almost always have their cell phone in their hand, which they look at time to time and read from. To me it looks like a crutch or a nervous dependency, like their safety blanket they can't possibly be without to deliver the news! It's like they are afraid to try to remember their 30 second to 2 minute news clip they are presenting so they need the warm comfort of knowing they can look at their phone if they, all of the sudden, forget what they were talking about. I have always thought that cell phones are making people less social and "dumber". I know I am! Lol
Great point. I have thought the same thing. Normally the reporter's "script" is on the phone, or at least bullet points to read from when doing a live report They usually start reading after the clip has gone to "B roll" which is background footage. i would instruct every reporter to keep their phone out of sight and only bring it up when they start reading after the B roll has started. It really is the same as a notepad used to be. Out of sight, out of mind.
Good column/points, Grant. I agree it's bad journalism but it's not limited to TV news only. Radio news (what's left of it) does the same. You hear the same prepped statements you see on TV. Newspapers, too, often pull quotes from RCMP etc. news releases. You can't blame the reporters. Calls to RCMP, EPS are rarely returned. Still, reporters need to try to get more than the statement/news release quote. To me, this goes beyond the reporter ranks. Assignment people/editors/news directors need to push and prod the reporters to take the next step. Unfortunately, these people...the gatekeepers...are also stretched. Many news directors these days are also station managers, as well. They can't only focus on news. One solution, perhaps, is to be more selective with assignments. Don't cover every government news conference (which are often reannouncements) unless you can send a reporter. AND...someone has to ensure the reporter is prepared and informed enough to ask the relevant questions. Then, they need the time to go and chase reaction to the announcement. I think, these days, news consumers, especially young people, want context. They want to know what this gov't announcement means and how it impacts them. A statement is only part of the story but it's often the only part of the story the government/others want to communicate.
Excellent points! I didn't want to pick on radio because they usually only use what is given to them by their TV parent. You make some great observations.
Commentary