Re: [prpoint] Media visits need to be taken care of

 

Naren has raised a pertinent issue. Let me add a little of my gyan on this ,both as a journalist and as corporate person.

Years ago , infact donkeys years ago, I was a junior reporter in Mumbai for the wire service PTI. I was asked to cover a meeting of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce at Ragnagiri. To our horror we were transported by a police van for more than eight hours from Mumbai because, the chamber backed out while promising the govt it would host the journalists. When we landed there, the chamber president threw up his hands and said he had no idea of where the journalists would stay. And the government then rescued by putting all the journalists in a circuit house.

The return journey was also not certain -- who will transport back ? Govt or Chamber. Fortuntely we had the media savvy Sharad Pawar as the CM then. We explained the situation to him and he rescued once again by transporting all (4 of us) back to Mumbai in his special plane. And that was what we call reall hitching a ride -- a plane ride at that.

On return we all wrote negative stories about the chamber, the chamber president was removed from his post. All chambers were cautious about media trips thereafter.

Cheers

Ashok TN

On Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 9:53 AM, Narendran A <naren_vna@yahoo.com> wrote:

 

Friends

I wish to highlight issue concerning media visits which happens regularly to factories. Yesterday i was talking to a journalist friend of mine who highlighted an incident which happened last week for a trip organized by a PR agency. I am writing this not to highlight mistake of the agency but to say that we take lot of effort in organizing an event and it should not get spoiled becuase of logistical issue.

The incident is as follows:

The agency has organized a factory visit to a plant near chennai. A senior business Journalist was promised car pick up from his residence to the point where from a bus will take the media to the car plant. he was also promised that he will be dropped back at his home. EVerything went on well as promised and on his return the journalist was dropped at the point where from the bus left and he was asked to go on his own to his residence. The senior officials of the agency casually told him sorry and asked him to proceed on his own. in the end such practices will result negative impression not only about the agency but also the client.

He also said that agency can learn from ISRO managing logistics. ISRO takes large contingent of journalist regularly to sriharikota,even at unearthly hours. but everything goes on smoothly and no journalist has ever complained against ISRO.

Please do share any incidence that you have come across.

Best regards
Narren

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